Site Contents
Lighting Design
Purdue Theatre will not be recruiting for Lighting Design MFA candidates this year. We will be recruiting next year for entrance into the program Fall of 2011.
The M.F.A. program in Lighting Design is intended to prepare students for fulfilling careers in professional or educational theatre and the entertainment industry.
Emphasis is on the development of a process which will serve students in the practice of their art through a long and varied career. This is accomplished through a balanced training program of classes, work on realized productions, and individualized tutorials.
A limited number of students are selected each year on the basis of resumes and interviews. A visit to Purdue is recommended, to allow the potential student to interact with students and the faculty. The program is rigorous, time-demanding, and intense. Based on the principle that a good designer is well educated in many areas, Lighting Design students take courses in art history, consulting, rendering, drafting, architectural history, and stagecraft, along with those in lighting design and technology. The emphasis is on the mastery of these subjects in order to provide a strong foundation on which to build.
Skills training is an important component of the Purdue program. Coursework is intended to provide a solid basis for the student’s professional work in the theatre or a related field.
Upon completion of graduate study, the student should have the ability to communicate an understanding of the principles of design; demonstrated ability in lighting design and related technical skills; an understanding of the work of the director and other designers; an ability to conceptualize and compile research, an ability to collaborate with others; and an understanding of the history of theatre and design.
During residency, the graduate lighting design student designs on a variety of systems and in a variety of spaces, ranging from the flexible Black Box, to thrust, proscenium, and Union houses.
Projects range from class exercises to one-acts, student-directed projects, dance, and mainstage productions. Each subsequent project has a greater support system of technical assistance and an increasing budget. A minimum of one realized design project is required each semester. The culmination of the program is a fully-mounted production, which forms the basis for the Terminal Project or Thesis Paper.
In order to strengthen the relationship between design and technology, those M.F.A. students awarded an assistantship with the Theatre Division may be employed in the lighting studio or by Elliott Hall of Music Productions..
Given the professional focus of the program and the credentials of the faculty, attention in the classroom and in the shop is devoted to the practice of professional theatre. Areas of concern are procedures, techniques, personnel, and opportunities, especially in relation to regional theatres and commercial applications.
MFA Lighting Design Plan of StudyThe M.F.A. requires a 60 credit hour minimumn for completion. Students may need to complete a course of study in excess of 60 hours in some cases.
The M.F.A. program at Purdue subscribes to the idea that a strong design best rests on a foundation of technical knowledge, and that the study of technology is enriched by an understanding of design.
Lighting Design classes focus on developing the skills to read a script for its imagery, to develop an a visual environment for dramatic action, to plan a production, to explore the dramatic possibilities of lighting, and to communicate ideas visually and verbally. Particular attention is paid to the designer/director relationship in developing a production concept. Technical skills are developed in various classes.
The applicant is required to submit the following materials when applying to the MFA Lighting Design program:
- Theatrical resume
- Transcript(s) from all schools attended
- Statement of goals for undertaking the study of Lighting Design
- Three letters of recommendation
- Application plus $55 fee
Interviews are held at all University/Resident Theatre Association sites or can be arranged on the Purdue campus. Those wishing to be interviewed at U/RTA sites are encouraged to contact Purdue by mail to assure an interview with a Purdue representative.
For specific questions regarding the Lighting Design M.F.A. program, contact:
Michael McNamara
Assistant Professor of Theatre, Lighting Designer
Purdue Theatre
Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts
552 W. Wood Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2034
765-496-2386
mmcnamara@purdue.edu
Purdue University
College of Liberal Arts
Patti and Rusty Rueff Department of Visual and Performing Arts
For general information about the Purdue Theatre program, please call:
Rosie Starks
765-494-3080
Fax: 765-496-1766
rstarks@purdue.edu