Stage Lighting

This five-day course will introduce you to the work of an electrics department in the theatre industry and its accessories, including lamps, lenses, lanterns and luminaires.

Image of two people wearing helmets using light above stage

Key information:

Course dates:: Mon 21 – Fri 25 July 2025
Course times:: 10am–5pm
Age:: 16+
Art form:: Production Arts
Fees:: £595
Deadline:: Bookings will close at 5pm on Monday 30 June 2025 or when the course reaches full capacity
Level of study:: Short Courses & Summer Schools (ages 18+) | Short Courses & Summer Schools, Workshops & Saturday Centres (under 18)
Mode of study:: In-person
Venue:: Guildhall School of Music & Drama
When:: Summer Schools (July–August)
Contact details:: shortcourses@gsmd.ac.uk; +44 (0)20 7382 2310

Public booking opens at 11am, Thursday 28 November. Join our mailing list before Monday 25 November to receive priority booking.

Ages 16+

Course Dates & Times

Monday 21 – Friday 25 July 2025
10am–5pm

About Stage Lighting

This five-day course will introduce you to the work of an electrics department in the theatre industry and its accessories, including lamps, lenses, lanterns and luminaires. You will get hands-on experience rigging and focusing lanterns, as well as guidance on how to interpret a lighting plan. You will gain an appreciation of how to record and play back the lighting for a small show in a collaborative exercise at the end of the course.

Who is the course for?

Anyone aged 16 and over with an interest in lighting, either beginners or those with developing levels of experience in using light in a theatrical or narrative context.

What can I expect?

The course covers:

Safe working and electrical theory, including a practical plug wiring exercise
Basic fault finding
Use of DMX to control dimmers, moving lights, scrollers, etc.
Advice on how to prepare for a show
Advice on how to control lights using manual and memory desks

There will also be a tour of the backstage areas of Guildhall's performance spaces to demonstrate how to resource a producing venue.

"The teaching was very good, with lots of time able to ask questions, follow up on topics, expand knowledge further, and a good balance of theory and hands on practical tasks."

– Participant on Stage Lighting, 2024

Course Fee

£595

Public booking opens at 11am, Thursday 28 November. Join our mailing list before Monday 25 November to receive priority booking.

Participation Bursaries are available for this course. Please note the application deadline for Participation Bursaries is 28 April 2025.

Eligibility

We welcome participants from all ages 16 and over
Participants must have sufficient English language skills in order to fully engage with the course

About the Course Tutor

The course is taught by Nick Peel.

Nick started working in lighting while he was a student at the University of Sheffield. He worked in the West End as a fully-fledged lampy and fringe lighting designer and as part of the lighting team in The Pit at the Barbican for several years.

After interludes on tour and at the Mermaid Theatre he ended up as a lighting supervisor with the Barbican International Theatre Event. He has been teaching lighting design and technology at Guildhall School since 2000.

He designs lighting for shows at Guildhall and in other venues, and enjoys working with students of all ages on education projects within and outside of the School.