The beginning of modern stage lighting design: Edward Gordon Craig and the May 1900 production of Dido and Aeneas

The presentation of the ALD’s 50th Anniversary Medal to Jennifer Tipton could hardly have taken place in a more appropriate location in terms of the history of British lighting design. The Hampstead Conservatoire of Music – now the Embassy Theatre at the Central School of Speech and Drama was the location of Edward Gordon Craig’s first exploration and realisation of light in performance. The production of Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas in May 1900 marks the beginning of modern stage lighting design in Britain.