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In:Colour Studies: A broad spectrum
Edited by Wendy Anderson, Carole P. Biggam, Carole Hough and Christian Kay
[Not in series 191] 2014
► pp. 397–412

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Lighting up Shakespeare

The metamerism of Jacobean stage lighting using LED technology

 | Renfrewshire Arts and Museums, UK
 | Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, UK
Published online: 26 November 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/z.191.26arm
The Jacobean artificial light – candlelight – was as important to the playwright as lighting effects are to a modern-day designer. This chapter explores the recreation of candlelight using a safe alternative, the most modern of technology and the future of stage lighting: LEDs. In order to recreate the candlelight of Shakespeare’s stage, the research is categorized into three sections: replicating the Jacobean stage accurately, achieving a colour match for the tallow candles using LEDs and creating the ambience and “flicker” a candle emits. This is then applied practically and allowed a play to be seen authentically and uniquely whilst also revealing interesting results from experimental data.
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