• Theaters use props, scenery and the atmosphere created by light and sound to help create the resemblance of reality for the theatrics on the stage, and lighting plays a huge part in this. The dramatic effects possible with lighting have only increased as technology has progressed, and nowadays you can create almost any effect given the right lighting tools.
  
  

Spotlight

• The spotlight is a well-know theater lighting effect. Spotlights generally hang separately from the main set of stage lights, at some distance from the stage---even from the back of the theater. Spotlights use either manual or remote controls to follow a particular player on stage or to highlight a particular area. Typically when spotlights are used, no other lights are on at the same time, which helps to draw audience attention solely to the object or player being highlighted by the spotlight. According to Stage Lighting Primer, lens caps for spotlights are used to create specific effects, like the illusion of light shining through a window or a full or crescent moon.
  
  

Stage Lights

• Stage lights are the backbone of lights for theater. According to Stage Lighting Primer, stage lights have the multi-dimensional job of providing the basic visibility; creating the atmosphere; 'composing' the picture in which the theatrics are set; reinforcing the 'reality' of the theatrics by providing on-cue effects (like a rising moon); and importantly creating the timing of the theatrics---lights up, lights down is the most basic indicator of a change in scene. Stage lights typically hang above the stage, a couple of feet back from the edge. Stage lighting apparatus can have tens of different lights attached to them, depending on the lighting design and the requirements of the production.
  
  

In-Stage Lights

• In-stage lights are lights set into the structure of the actual stage. They are used to highlight areas from below, and create a dramatic lighting effect, especially when players stand over them so that their faces are lit from the bottom. In-stage lights are used most often to subtly light props and provide extra visibility and lighting texture.
  
  

House Lights

• House lights in a theater are lights that come on prior to a theatrical piece beginning, and at the conclusion, of a theatrical piece; they primarily illuminate the seating. House lights are also timing indicators for the players as well as the audience. When the house lights dim, everybody knows that the play will begin; actors and stage crew get into position, and audience members get excited. Similarly when the house lights come back up, it is a signal for the audience to clap and that the production has reached its conclusion. Although the end of a play is usually foretold by the dénouement of the actual story, modern abstract pieces often leave the audience hanging, so house lighting cues are crucial in these cases.