• Lights can create lush atmospheres and colorful backdrops.girls dancing image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
  
  Despite the common belief that a theater production's success relies on its performers, stage lighting also plays a significant role. Apart from basic illumination, four key principles of stage lighting contribute to the success of any play, dance recital or even a public speaker. A light plot--an architectural blueprint illustrating the arrangement of stage lights--can easily make or break a production if done without a clear understanding of these principles.
  
  

Visibility

• Fresnel spotlights create a circular beam of light.projecteur image by photlook from Fotolia.com
  
  The lighting designer must illuminate the stage well enough to make the performers visible and hide what's meant to be hidden. If the director wants a character to appear out of nowhere, for example, the lighting designer may allow the actor to cross the stage in a blackout, only to reveal him suddenly with a quick light shift. The area of visibility also allows offstage performers to remain hidden from the audience.
  
  

Selective Focus

• Selective focus demonstrates the lighting designer's ability to draw the audience's attention wherever she chooses. If an entire chorus dances onstage but the director wants a particular couple as the central point of focus, a simple shift in color or the addition of a spotlight can bring the audience's eyes to these two dancers. Shifts or movements in contrast with another action naturally attract the eye, causing the audience to follow these subtle changes without even noticing them, notes J. Michael Gillette in "Theatrical Design and Production."
  
  

Mood

• Some productions have only one light cue that never changes.theater image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
  
  Every production has a certain mood, and lighting plays a pivotal role in creating these moods. "Phantom of the Opera" would not chill the audience without the ominously dark atmosphere, "The Nutcracker" could not succeed without its soft and dreamy light textures, and a guest speaker in a college auditorium needs a basic but flattering light plot to invite her viewers to listen. Lighting designers often struggle with maintaining a specific mood without making the audience notice the effort, so a vivid sunset or a dark raincloud may not always work for evoking emotions. Any production possesses a mood before the lights even come on, and stage lighting serves to enhance the mood rather than create it.
  
  

Motivation

• If a scene occurs at night, the stage lighting should communicate this reality to the audience, allowing them suspend disbelief throughout a production. If a scene requires the illusion of natural light, the light plot must create this atmosphere without drawing attention to itself. As most performances happen at night, for example, a scene taking place on a sunny afternoon requires the stage lighting to illuminate the stage in such a way that the audience believes the cast sits basking in the sun. If a light plot does not match the setting of a play, notes SeleconLight.com, it confuses the audience.