Munday 1

Alexander Munday
Mrs. Debock
English 4
20 February 2015
Central Question: How is technology used in theater?
Thesis: A theater tech should know the ins and outs of audio, lighting, multimedia formatting,
and rigging.
Revised thesis: Modern theater cannot exist without technicians; The innovations today have
given us creativity that is limitless.

Annotated bibliography
Valentino, Anne. "Be Prepared!" Stage Directions 1 Nov. 2014: 32-35. Print.
Productions in theater are getting more intense. Production time is shorter and the
technology is getting more complex. More and more venues now a days are installing intelligent
lighting- moving lights, LED technology, or media servers. In order to be prepared, you must
know your patches, dimmers, the color, and gobo fill. You will also need palettes, or
predetermined data. For example, when programming lights for a show, there may be a recurring
spot onstage throughout the show. So you would just create that one plot and use palettes to build
on that to create different scenes. Other palettes can be created for color, gobo, shutter, and beam.
Theater technicians must be prepared for all of the leg work that goes on before a show using
todays standards. This articles explains the necessary steps needed to be taken to be prepared for
a production.

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"Scene Design and Stage Lighting, Settings and Illumination Designed for Theatrical
Productions." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia UP, 2014.
1. Print.
Ancient Greece had the first open-air theater that was circular. All of the plays were
performed in daylight, and often designed to take advantage of the position of the sun. The
theaters were also placed to gain the best effects of natural light.
Ancient Rome theaters were often enclosed and built on level ground. They incorporated
a three door skene as a background that was always painted as a street. Stage left always
indicated the town and stage right indicated an exit to the country or distant points. They were
also one of the first to use a curtain to start the show and use torches and lamps at evening
performances.
The Renaissance to the Seventeenth Century began to test scene designs in Italy, using
palaces, street scenes, and the countryside for the different genres. The modern stage was born
in here, using a solid backdrop and a central stage to make it one perspective. Modern lighting
was also born by the development of footlights, techniques for colored lights, and the dimming
of lights using lamps, candles, and torches.
Eighteenth Century brought innovation into using heavy darks and lights in their
designs with atmosphere. Lighting became more ingenious using colored water to reflect colored
light along with footlights, and later on chandeliers.
The Nineteenth Century brought in gas lighting, which cause many fires, but finally
gave the option to adjust intensity. Sir Henry Irving was the first to darken an auditorium
completely for a show. Later on with the invention of the incandescent bulb, modern stage
lighting was born.

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The Twentieth Century brought all new concepts of design, leading to realism in the
theater. Light was the new paint for the picture on stage. Projector lamps (spot light) came onto
the scene in 1914, followed by the colored gels or gelatine in 1919. By 1922 stage lighting had
become a scientific study. This article was selected to give a history of theaters evolving
technology and a timeline of the growing need for technicians.

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Lawler, Mike. "The Technical Answer: Stage Technology Has Changed the Way Theatre Is
Made. so Who's Training the New Makers?" American ater 1 Jan. 2014: 38. Print.

Not everyone is into the new things. Many new technologies are being used in
theater, but most arent new, just innovated. Computer generated shows are becoming a big part
-ie light and sound are now going digital. The actual means of execution are new and require
new training. The amount of technicians to mount a production is still the same, but the job they
have to do now is automated and requires dramatic change for the complexity. Programs are now
offering coursework in video production, audio design, projection design, building mapping,
editing, digital rendering, and courses with an emphasize for creative design for other venues
including museums, theme parks, retail space, interactive displays, filmmaking, and multimedia
installations. Every modern technical entertainment system is built on Ethernet networks and
students need to be prepared. This article was chosen to support the knowledge needed and the
types of jobs available that use these technologies outside of the theater.