As a member of the Lighting Crew, you are expected to submit a persuasive plan to the Director of the musical explaining what you think should be done to solve each of the following three problems being faced in the show's production.  In your plan, you should include a description of your plan for solving each of the problems, as well as an explanation of how the scientific concepts of light are involved in your solutions. 

Problem #1- In the first scene the lead actress is supposed to be wearing a BLACK dress.  The only available dress that will fit the student playing this role is RED.  There is no money in the budget to purchase another dress.  What can be done to the lighting on the stage to make the RED dress APPEAR BLACK?

Problem #2- There are certain scenes in the play that require the stage to be lit by white light only. ALL of the white light bulbs in the stage lights have blown out.  The white light bulbs are very expensive and there is no money in the budget to purchase new bulbs. The only available replacement light bulbs are red, yellow, blue, purple, green, and orange. Is there some way to make white light using the available bulbs?

Problem #3- During one scene an actor has his back to the audience as he is looking in a mirror. His character feels like his "world is turned upside-down." The director would like the audience to be able to see his face reflected upside-down in the mirror. In the prop room there are a variety of curved and flat mirrors in various sizes. Is there a way to produce an upside-down image?

What solutions would you recommend to the cast and crew that will be both time and cost efficient in solving these problems?  Your plan should not only include solutions to the problems, but also should describe HOW and WHY your solution will work.  Through your written plan, it is your job to convince the director, cast, and crew that your solutions are worth their time and energy investment. REMEMBER, WITHOUT YOUR HELP, THE SHOW MAY NOT GO ON!

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The Process

In order to accomplish the task above, you will need to follow the steps listed below:

Step 1: Your teacher will help you form a group of three students. You will need to assign each of the roles below within your group of three students.

Person 1- Color Specialist

Person 2- Lighting Specialist

Person 3- Reflection Specialist

Step 2: Each person in your group will need to do research, in order to gather information necessary for solving the stage lighting problems. A list of "Resources" for this research is available for you to use to answer your "Background Questions". 

Step 3: The "Background Questions" page should be used to gather information needed to solve your particular problem.  You must research a minimum of three different Internet sites and note the sources (website URLs) of your search. 

Step 4: After researching your roles and individually completing your "Background Questions," come together with your other group members to discuss your findings.  Decide how the information you collected can help you come up with solutions to the problems faced by the crew.  Discuss within your group the solutions that you will propose for each of these problems. 

Step 5: With your fellow group members, use the "Plan Outline" to write your plan for the director, cast, and crew.  Remember, these solutions should be both time and cost efficient.  Be sure that your plan describes HOW and WHY your solution will work.  Write your plan in a persuasive tone, in order to convince the Director that your plan will work and will be worth the time and energy investment.

Click here for Printable Plan Outline

Evaluation