How does lighting liven up performances on stage? A light designer shares his experience at a workshop
Theatre doesn't have the cinematic luxury of multiple takes. The time of the day, seasons and moods; all have to be conveyed on stage, right before the audience in a matter of seconds. "6 pm in summer looks different from 6 pm in winter. Theatre and other performing arts are visual in nature. They depend on the eye to be appreciated, and this makes lighting crucial," says 26-year-old Jaydeep Apte, who has been designing lights for English, Hindi and Marathi theatre as well as dance ballets for six years and has won several state level awards for his work.
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A computer engineer, Jaydeep Apte is a self-taught light designer. He considers theatre veterans Sheetal Talpade, Inaayat Sami and Raghav Mishra his gurus
"Just like a cinematographer is the eye of a film director, in theatre, it's the light designer who plays that role," explains Apte, adding, "The intensity of light can be used effectively to determine what the audience should see on stage and what it should not." A light designer, he says, cannot work in isolation. He has to be in sync with the costume designer, for example. "If a sequence in a play has a soft blue setting, a bright yellow costume will mar the impact," says Apte, who will share many such intricacies of designing lights for on-stage performances at a workshop on Sunday. A part of the workshop will also be dedicated to dancers.
Jaydeep Apte
"Dancers often travel for performances. Most of them don't have a dedicated light designer and have to depend on what the venue provides. This workshop will equip them with the kind of directions they can give to a resident light designer for more impact in the performance," says Apte.
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