• Stage lighting and sound effects are important aspects of any theatrical production.Outdoor Theater Stage in Sunny Florida image by pelvee from Fotolia.com
  
  As essential aspects to any quality stage production, it's vital for both lighting and sound to be carefully planned and prepared by a knowledgeable crew well in advance of opening night. Lights must be plotted and placed, gels and colors must be planned, and sound effects must be found, created, tested and prepared. All of these elements come together to help to create a world for the audience, and to give them an experience that is believable and realistic.
  
  

Stage Lighting Preparation

• Using your production and its theme or style as your inspiration, create a lighting design for your production. Find color inspiration from the feel of the piece---if it's a drama, go for starker contrasts and grimmer colors. If it's a comedy or musical, stay with lighter, brighter colors and hues.
  
  Be bold in your use of light and color. Many special effects or atmospheres are surprisingly easy and effective to achieve simply through the use of color---red for flames, blue for moonlight, evening or water, yellow for sunlight and much more.
  
  Plot your lighting design in a light plot so that you are prepared in all technical aspects of lighting your production. Pay special attention to correctly placing your fill and ellipsoidal spots, number them for easy reference, and notate all preferred colors by gel name or number.
  
  Make sure your stage manager notates all light cues clearly in rehearsal for use by the light board operator during performance.
  
  

Stage Lighting Production

• Work with an experienced light board operator for the smoothest possible technical lighting performance on your production.
  
  Induct new crew members or lighting technicians into the fun of stagecraft by letting them run a spotlight or follow spot during performance.
  
  Get a backup person to work with the light board operator through the final week or two of dress and tech rehearsals so that you always have at least two people capable of running the lights for the show.
  
  

Sound Effects Tips

• As with the light plan, be sure to notate all sound effects needed in the production during rehearsal. Make sure the stage manager clearly notates all necessary effects from scene to scene.
  
  Some sound effects can be easily handled during performance in a low-tech and timeless manner, from the knock on a door, to a rattle of sheet metal for thunder. However, if you have a decent sound system in your theater, pre-taped sound effects are easier overall.
  
  If you do mix effects, work with the director to notate which effects will need to be generated live during performance, and which will involve the use of tape or CD.
  
  It's easy to find great sound effects nowadays, from special compilations on CD for use in the theater, to MP3s shared by theater professionals on industry websites. However, always make sure that anything you use is either in the public domain, or legal and allowable for use in performances.