Lighting Info for Student Groups
This page is meant to assist student groups performing in one-day shows at the Tsai Center. To get started, click the field that applies to you below.
Submit Lighting Cues (Individual Pieces)
One Lighting Cues Form must be completed for each piece. For pieces set to recorded music, cues must be taken off of timestamps in the music file. Cues will be automated based on these times. For pieces with no music or music performed live, please indicate clearly when lights should change based on a visual or auditory cue.
We recommend that each piece have a maximum of 10 cues (including the blackout at the end). If you feel strongly that a piece should have more than 10 cues, that is okay, but consider that additional cues require additional tech time. If you would like more than 10 lighting cues, please reach out to the host group for approval as it will impact the tech rehearsal schedule for the day.
Once you have completed the form, email it to your contact at the host group. Please honor deadlines set by the host group and be aware that Tsai may not be able to honor lighting cues submitted late.
Ready to get started? Download the Lighting Cues Form here.
If you need additional clarification or assistance with lighting, reach out to your contact at the host group. They will assist you or put you in touch with the Tsai production staff member managing the show.
Compile Lighting Cues (Host Group)
After meeting with your Tsai contact, they will send you the Lighting Cues Form and the Lighting Cues Show File. The Lighting Cues Form is for lighting cues for a single piece (one form per piece). The Lighting Cues Show File is for compiling all the lighting cues for the entire show and needs to be sent to your Tsai contact once completed.
Need more copies?
Instruct all performing groups/choreographers to fill out a Lighting Cues Form for each piece and submit their forms to you. Consider that you need to compile all lighting cues in show order and send the completed Lighting Cues Show File to your Tsai contact by a deadline set at your pre-production meeting, so you should also set a deadline for groups submitting their cues to you.
Don’t forget about your own group’s cues!
When you have compiled all lighting cues in show order in your Lighting Cues Show File, email it to your Tsai contact. Remember to keep it in an editable format as Tsai crew will need to add notes on show day!
We may not be able to honor all lighting requests and may impose further limitations if lighting cue information is not submitted on time and following these guidelines. Please reach out to your Tsai contact if you have any questions about lighting. We are happy to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m not sure how to say what I want. How specific do I need to be?
You can be as specific as you like! If you are not sure how to describe a desired cue, try conveying the mood. Colors, temperatures, and other descriptive language is helpful. For example, “This cue should feel warm and sunny.” The Tsai staff can translate that language into a lighting cue.
Why is 10 cues the default limit per piece?
This limit is meant to give light board operators a manageable workload when programming cues during tech rehearsal while also allowing pieces to have dynamic lighting. Additional cues are possible, but they require additional tech rehearsal time.
Can I change my cues after I submit them?
If you want to change your lighting cues before the deadline, you can send an updated Lighting Cues Form to your contact at the host group. Students compiling cues, please be sure that any updates are reflected in the Lighting Cues Show File.
If the deadline for submitting lighting cues has passed, your piece will be teched with the cues as submitted. Time permitting, you may request changes during your tech rehearsal time. A piece’s lighting cues may not be changed after its tech rehearsal time unless there is time in the schedule to run the whole piece again with lights and sound.
What does tech rehearsal look like?
The Tsai staff program all lighting cues for a show during tech rehearsal, not in advance. So, when your group takes the stage for tech rehearsal, you will see the lights change quite a bit as the light board operator writes cues. You should use the beginning of your tech rehearsal time to do spacing, run problem areas, and get used to the space. If you need anything marked on the stage, ask the Tsai stage manager to spike it for you. The stage manager is your liaison to the production booth. They will communicate updates from the rest of the Tsai staff to you and pass questions to the booth on your behalf.
When your lighting cues are finished and your group is ready, we will run the full piece with lights and sound. This run is used to make sure the lighting cues look good, transitions between cues are properly timed, and to set a sound level. Tsai staff may request to do another full run of the piece for lighting purposes. Time permitting, additional runs — in part or in full — at the performers’ request may be possible.