11-Day Advanced 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. This course is designed for students who have some experience in technical theater who want to advance their skills and knowlege. Targeted to Rising Juniors and Seniors currently studying in High School, this eleven-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 and Clifton Taylor
Sample Schedule Days (subject to change, please check back for further developments):
Day 1
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
Day 2
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
Day 3
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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Day 11
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.