MFA Plan of Study: Lighting Design
The MFA program in Lighting Design prepares students for fulfilling careers in professional or educational theatre and the entertainment industry. Students develop technical training and skills in a balanced program of classes, work on realized productions, and individualized tutorials.
CLASSES
Lighting Design Courses
During your course of study, you will take classes to develop your skills in reading a script for its imagery, developing a visual environment for dramatic action, and planning a production. You will explore the dramatic possibilities of lighting and sharpen your abilities to communicate ideas visually and verbally. You will consistently explore how to develop strong relationships with directors and other designers to facilitate the creation of a production concept.
PRODUCTION WORK
System Design and Implementation
During residency, you will design for a range of performance spaces, from flexible black-box to thrust to proscenium houses. Venues and productions you work on could include a mix of student, staff, and union crews. Projects might include class exercises, one-acts, student-directed projects, dance compositions, mainstage productions, and touring productions. A minimum of one realized project is required each semester.
TERMINAL PROJECT
Terminal Project
Designing lighting for a mainstage production with extensive research, preparation, and paperwork will be the culmination of your time at Purdue. This work will form the basis for your Terminal Project.
ASSISTANTSHIPS
Assistantships and Funding
To emphasize the relationship between design and technology, if you are awarded a graduate assistantship you may be employed supervising the supervising and maintaining the theatre lighting systems or as a lighting technician by Elliott Hall of Music Productions.
Assistantships provide a modest annual salary and cover full tuition costs. Applicants to the MFA program are automatically considered for an assistantship but are not guaranteed one.
