Electrician (theatre)

In theatre, the term Electrician is generally applied to those that work with the various aspects of lighting. Some of the positions among Electricians include the Lighting Supervisor, Master Electrician, Deck Electrician, Light Board Operator, Moving Light Programmer, Followspot Operator, as well as simply Electricians. This group is generally known as the "Electrics" Department or LX Department.

These people are responsible for receiving the light plot from the Lighting Designer and translating the design as it is on paper to the lighting that is seen by the audience in the final production. In small theatres, many of these roles may be filled by a single person, while in a large production such as those on Broadway or a large tour, there may be several people filling some of the roles.

Theatre electricians are responsible for all non-design aspects of the lighting in a theatrical production. They may also be responsible for special effects (such as fog) and powering other electrical items (such as motors) used in the production.

Electricians install (hang), point and shape the beam (focus), and connect to power (circuit) lighting instruments. Additionally they may add gel to color the light, patterns (or gobos) to create texture or shape a light into pictures, and accessories that give the designer the ability to change some aspect of the light, such as scrollers (color changers) or pattern effects (gobo rotators).

In the past (and even in some theatres today) the electrics department was in charge of all water and water effects used on or offstage (i.e. rain, waterfalls, pools, etc.).

The Lighting Supervisor is responsible for acting as the go-between for the designers, and the theatre's electrics staff. In the cases of shows done in repertory, they may have to adapt the designs of several designers to work together given the limits of the venue and the equipment, budget, and time available. In the case of a re-mount, they may adapt a design to newer equipment or a different venue than the design was originally created for. While Broadway and high end Off-Broadway productions have this position, the Master Electrician is often responsible for these duties in smaller productions.

The Deck Electrician, "Stage Electrician", "Floor Electrician", "Floor LX", "Deck Elec"or just "Stage LX" is a member of the running crew for a production and is responsible for all aspects of running the lighting for the show that happen on or backstage. This can include such things as changing color, focusing and readjusting lights that were moved, connecting and disconnecting practical units or set pieces which are electrified, and in some venues, assisting with motor control or effects. On touring or musical productions this individual is also referred to as the Dimmer Technician, as their responsibilities include supervising and maintaining portable dimmer racks.

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