7-Day Beginners Workshop in Lighting Design for High School Students

Inaugural Class. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor
We are offering a free IN PERSON course in design for current High School Students this summer from July 27 – August 2, in Manhattan. Targeted to Rising Juniors and Seniors currently studying in High School, this seven day course will include hands-on work with working professional lighting designers, a visit to see a New York show and tour backstage, and culminate in a public showing of the work accomplished during the workshop.
Course availability is strictly limited. Priority will be given to students studying in Title 1 Public High Schools in New York & New Jersey.
Mark Stanley, Clifton Taylor and Guests
Sample Schedule Days (subject to change, please check back for further developments):
Thursday, July 27
9:00-9:30 Meetup & Welcome
9:30 – 10:00 Musical Freethinking
10:00 – 10:30 Introduction to the workshop, activities and outcomes
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45 – 11:30 Session 1 What is Light 1 – Angle
11:30 – 12:30 Breakout Sessions on Angle, Discussion & Critique
12:30-1 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Introduction to the Lighting Console
1:30 – 3:00 Session 2 What is Light 2 – Color
3:00 – 3:15 Break
3:15 – 5:00 Breakout Sessions on Color, Discussion & Critique
Friday, July 28
9:00 – 9:15 Meetup & Welcome
9:15 – 9:45 What is Light – Distribution
9:45 – 11:00 Breakout Sessions, Discussion & Critique
11:00 – 11:15 Break
11:15 – 11:45 Telling a Story with Light: 1
11:45 – 12:30 Breakout Sessions
12:30 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Telling a Story with Light: 2
1:30 – 2:00 Discussion and Critique
2:00 – 3:15 What is Light: Movement & Cueing
3:15 – 5:00 Breakout Sessions, Discussion & Critique
Saturday, July 29
9:00 – 9:15 Meetup & Welcome
9:15 – 10:15 Resume and Portfolio Building
10:15 -10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:30 So You want to be a lighting designer? How and where?
11:30 – 12:00 Building your Lighting Story – Lighting for Music
12:00 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 1:00 Walk to Theater
1:00 – 1:30 Preshow talk
1:30 – 3:45 See a professsional Show
3:45 – 4:15 Post Show Talk
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Wednesday, August 2
9-9:30 Welcome and Recap Discussion
9:30 – 11:30 Breakout Sessions to work on Music Project
11:30 – 11:45 Break
11:45 – 12:30pm Discussion and Critique
12:30pm – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 2:30 Breakout Sessions to continue work on Music Project
2:30 – 2:45 Break
3:45 – 3:30 Discussion: Reflection on the Workshop, Wrap up
3:30 – 3:45 Doors open, Meet and Greet, Networking with Guests
3:45 – 4:45 Demo Showing for friends and family
4:45 – 5:15 Reception
Learning Outcomes from this workshop:
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Use light and design to articulate the fundamental qualities of light in terms of intensity, angle, color, movement, distribution (form and rhythm).
- Create their own lighting design and document it through the creation of a portfolio-ready short video that communicates a lighting ‘story’ around the themes of time-of-day and place, style, supporting scenic and costume elements, and consideration and use of abstract compositional elements.
- Create their own starter professional resume with an understanding of the jobs that are present in the lighting industry
- Articulate available pathways to a professional career through an understanding of educational and pre-professional opportunities currently available
- Create a rudimentary light plot for inclusion in a portfolio that follows the form of a professional drawing package
- Create a professionally formed “Magic Sheet” that explains the lighting systems present in the plot and the design.
- Take Photographs of their design for inclusion in their portfolio.
Please consider making a donation to Studio School of Design to help make programs like this possible.