Limelight+(EN)

History

Thomas Drummond

• Goldsworthy Gurney experimented with oxy-hydrogen blowpipe in 1820 and discovered a brilliant light was produced when the flame was played on a chunk of lime.
• Demonstration by Michael Faraday in 1825
• Invention by Thomas Drumont Built a working version of the limelight (Drumont light) for trigonometrical survey in 1826

• First known use for theatrical purposes on 3 October 1836 at a outdoor jugling performance by magician Ching Lau Lauro in Kent

• 1837 indoors in the Covent Garden Theatre (Royal opera) in London

• Dubosq
  • in catalogue of 1846 describes a limelight in a box, made for theatre, where the burner is between the mirror and the limestone.
  • but in catalogue of 1877 he describes a limelight with a lens, where the burner is in front of the lime (between the lime and the lens).

• Bram Stoker describes in detail the situation in 1878 in the Lyceum theatre, London, where he works with Henry Irving. The main lightsources are gaslight for footlights, battens, standards lengths, ground rows and purpose build lights for building in sets. The limelights were still rare, but Henry Irvings example encouraged the other theatres to use them, creating a new industy. There is a variety of limelights, open and with lenses of various focus.

• 1880's introduction of functional arc light by siemens&Halske (source DR Weil)

Before, context

Stage lighting before the use of limelight in theatre was rather general lighting, with soft, low power, dispersed lightsources, created by multiple candles, oil lamps, gas burners, … The control was limited to dimming whole areas of the stage or scenery. One could light more at the front or at the rear of the stage or put some extra lighting behind a set piece, but the light would spread widely and could not give any focus on objects or actors. The use of colour was limited mainly to effects with translucent set pieces or a limited colouring with glass. Projection was hard to establish, because the lack of a strong pointsource.

Influence, meaning, importance

The use of limelight changed the way lighting is used on stage. For the first time in history a high power point source was available. This made it possible to make optimal use of optical systems, focus the light in a specific direction, put an actor in the "spotlight" or strengten the shape object. Shadows became sharp, defined and visible. Colours became visible in the whole of a lighting setup. Projections on stage became powerfull enough to be combined with stage lighting.

The limelight was the starting point for a whole series of inventions and lighting methods.

• peppers ghost
• follow spots
• isolating an actor
• shaping an object with backlight
• use of colour
• projection on stage

Based on the limelight, a new "language of lighting" was developped, which created the reference framework that we share with the audience and makes it possible to tell a story with light.