Designing a Light Plot

DRA4338.02
Course System Home Terms Fall 2025 Designing a Light Plot

Course Description

Summary

As a follow-up to the course Working With Light, participants in this class will learn how to adapt lighting design ideas to work within the common constraints of theater architecture and scenery. We will take a deep dive into the process of choosing lighting equipment and figuring out where it needs to be, in relation to everything else in the theater space. Beginning with basic drafting techniques, the course will move ahead to planning lighting coverage with scaled drawings, and then to the creation of a light plot and other supporting paperwork. While it may be possible to include some lighting design for College productions, the emphasis will be on the more technical aspects of lighting design. Students will learn to work with Vectorworks Spotlight, an industry standard software used by many professional lighting designers. The software is available at no cost to students. 

Learning Outcomes

  • • Ability to work with plans in scale
    • Ability to balance and integrate lighting design ideas with the constraints of implementation
    • Ability to use Vectorworks Spotlight software to create light plots

Prerequisites

Registration for, or completion of the Working With Light course, or equivalent experience.
Note: Students enrolled in Working With Light in the first half of the fall term may register for this course prior to completion of Working With Light.

Please contact the faculty member : mgiannitti@bennington.edu

Cross List

  • Dance

Instructor

  • Michael Giannitti

Day and Time

WE 8:30am-12:10pm

Delivery Method

Fully in-person

Length of Course

2nd seven weeks

Academic Term

Fall 2025

Area of Study

Credits

2

Course Level

4000

Maximum Enrollment

14

Course Frequency

One time only