3 requirements for lighting educational event spaces

Auditoriums are more than performance venues. They some of the most diversely used spaces in education. Throughout the year stu­dents, faculty, and the public gather in 100-300 seat auditoriums for different types of assemblies and performances. Often serving as mixed-use spaces that double as a lunchroom, gymnasium, or other gathering space, the audi­torium in an educational setting needs to adapt to various uses without a lot of complexity.

The lighting in school auditoriums is decidedly functional. While the goal is to illuminate whatever or whomever is on stage, the lighting must be flexible enough to accommodate the range of events that occur in the space. Moreover, the controls need to be intuitive enough for a staff member or student with minimal training to operate - quickly and effortlessly changing what is illuminated to suit the event.

2. Easy to learn and use

School theatres are designed to entertain and provide a teaching environment. These 300-2000 seat dedicated performance spaces are built to easily facilitate many types of productions and cultivate the education of technical and creative performance art.

This requires a high-quality lighting solution with true theatre capabilities that is cost-effective and scalable. Most importantly, the lighting system should enable students to learn and build creative and technical confidence while having fun. To accomplish this, instructors must be able to educate students on the fundamentals of the technology, while training them to safely and easily operate and maintain it.

3. Robust capabilities

Performing arts centers are often the second home for many secondary and higher-education arts programs. These high-demand performance spaces with 2000+ seats provide all the needs of a traditional school auditorium and a community theatre in a single space.

The sophisticated performances hosted in these spaces rival regional productions yet use house lighting systems. To meet the varied requirements of the many productions and other events that take place in these spaces, performing arts centers need a diverse set of fixed position theatrical fixtures and full-featured moving head luminaires that can be used to deliver stunning effects and illuminate different areas of the stage during a production.

Watch this video to learn how to use luminaires from Vari-Lite and Strand in a complete theatrical lighting rig for educational and other settings.

Learn more about lighting education performance and event spaces, including products system diagrams for each type of education space.