Son et Lumière
Theatre Production students who have studied our FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management have the option to apply for a third BA (Hons) progression year - a chance to deepen their specialist knowledge and further prepare for a highly successful career in theatre, film, television or other entertainment industries.
For those who choose lighting as their specialism, the annual Son et Lumière project is a fantastic opportunity to practise their lighting skills in a live events environment, rather than a theatrical environment with which they might be more familiar.
Students are challenged to create a captivating light and video design in response to a brief, realised on a state-of-the-art lighting rig in RADA's Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre. In 2018, the lighting rig packed a punch of over one million lumens in total, with the help of equipment from sponsors NEG Earth and VER and headline fixtures by ROBE lighting, who support RADA through in-kind training partnerships. The event not only gives the students the freedom to experiment with a huge range of lighting fixtures, but also provides a training opportunity in learning how to use different LX platforms.
Second year students on the FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management also take part in the project; in 2018 this involved working at NEG Earth for three days to prepare the kit and build up experience in a warehouse environment.
Matt Leventhall, Head of Production Lighting at RADA, said of the project; “Son et Lumière provides our students with a vital insight into the world of lighting for live music. The project is very intense, with a two week turnaround from design concept to final performance, and our students combine live busking with pre-plotted sequences in both lighting and video".
Take a look at our picture gallery to get a flavour of some of the designs created by lighting specialists over the last few years.
Watch the video below to learn more about lighting training at RADA and read more about the FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management and the BA (Hons) progression year.
