- 1). Hang as many of the four or five spotlights as you need to cover the stage from the front so they point directly facing the stage. When you are this limited in lighting, you cannot use the traditional lighting method that calls for two lights from separate angles for each area of the stage.
- 2). Place frost-type diffusion gel (a gel is a thin sheet of acetate, available from theatrical supply stores) into gel frames, and place one in each of these lights. The diffusion softens the edges of the beam and spreads the light a bit farther than it would otherwise go, but you will lose a small amount of brightness. Add a pale colored gel to each light too, if desired.
- 3). Hang another light, if you have any left over, centered at the back of your stage, aiming down toward the center of the most-used acting area. Place a silk-type diffusion gel into a gel frame and place it in this instrument. Silk diffusion has parallel lines running through it to help spread the beam out in one direction; make sure these lines are running vertically, which will spread your beam horizontally, across the width of the stage. Add a colored gel, such as a medium blue or dark lavender, to this light also, if desired.
- 4). Hang your final light, if you have one left, so it shines on a prominent spot that is significant for the performance, such as the place where an actor delivers a pivotal soliloquy, or the area of the stage where the climax takes place. Add colored gel as desired, or leave the light uncolored.
- 5). Fill in your lighting with nontraditional lights, such as hanging quartz-halogen work lights (the kind with the tube-style light bulb) to shine onto backdrops. Note that these lights heat up quickly, so you may not be able to color them without burning through the gel.
- 6). Add a "practical," such as a floor lamp, if you are lighting indoor scenes. Practicals are light fixtures that are part of the set, such as lamps, but actually light up instead of just being there as a set decoration. These can fill in dark spaces, but you will need to coordinate with the stage technicians to ensure the lights are plugged in and turned on at the appropriate times.
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