11th Lighting Observation

April 23rd, 2026 – 9:10 pm – Playhouse Theater
I was sitting in the Playhouse Theater during the dance concert, but this observation focuses on the lighting in the transition period between pieces. During the in-between sections, the house lights came up ever so slightly and some light was set onto the curtain, which also reflected into the audience. I’ve always found it interesting that this is done between dances since it takes you out of the performance for a bit, but also would be weird to sit in blackout for that long. I also feel like now that I’m reflecting on it, it’s a good space to let the feelings of the last dance linger before moving onto the next.
The primary light sources were the low house lights and lights on the curtain, which created as a soft wash across the audience. They were dim enough to avoid having our eyes adjust abruptly, but bright enough to read the program if needed. There weren’t any strong directional sources in this moment, except for the lights on the curtain being focused to the center and bottom of the curtain. This made the lighting feel even rather than super focused, which helped the idea that these transitions were part of the giving the audience space to reflect on what they watched.

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