echnology, relied on scrupulous timing with the setting sun or the lighting of torches. It was not until the Italian Renaissance that the once outdoor spectacles were given their own enclosed edifices (Cunningham 1998). Until this time candles and torches carried by actors during afternoon garden or courtyard performances helped to suggest place and time of day. A general rule was applied early in the transition to indoor theatre: full illumination when the subject is happy, shade or extinguish light at the Earls 4first unhappy occurrence (McCandless 1958). This rule was enforced using everyday candles, oil lamps and cressets. Some rudimentary improvements in lighting and effects included crude manipulation of color and the use of reflectors, often made from household or medical implements (Parker & Smith 1968). Other manipulation of light included dimming devices.The development of a sloping stage with the addition of footlights was a leap in technology. This combination allowed technicians to direct light towards actors rather then illuminate the entire theatre (Bellman 1967). Placing candles onstage to light scenery also became a regular practice during this time. Some directors were even said to have attached candles to the backs of paper clouds to achieve a desired effect (Parker & Smith 1968).During the mid 1700s French and English improvements spread worldwide. Performance lighting was brought behind the proscenium and wing and boarder lights were added (Ridge & Aldred 1940). Earls 5In 1783 kerosene lamps began to replace candles onstage. Soon after gas was used in quantity. Advantages included increased brightness and control of intensity with a newly developed gas-table that allowed lighting to be dimmed (Bowman 1957). The largest disadvantage were the several thousand theatres that burned down between 1800, when gas became mainstream, and the invention of electric light.ElectricityIn 1846 the Paris Opera became th...
