Stage, theatre, and drama…the field of performing arts has inspired and impressed us through years and centuries. We love and enjoy the performances, the wardrobes, makeup but we tend to forget the people and technicalities that put all this together and in front of us. These technical aspects of the field are termed as Stagecraft.

Although Stagecraft professionals are highly essential in the industry, they won’t be working if there was no equipment to work with in the first place!

Theatre has come a long way and so has stage equipment. Technology has drastically advanced the stage equipment used now thus improving the technical quality of theatre and drama.

Some of the major functions of stage equipment and lighting include

• Illumination – simply to see what is happening on the stage.
  
• Fixing of forms – to alter the shapes of different objects on stage to portray them as desired.
  
• Focus – to gain attention on a specific area on stage.
  
• Mood – to create a certain mood or emotion according to the scene.
  
• Time – to create the time of the day or night and to create an environment.
  

Stage lighting is an art that has existed since the early advent of theatre among the people of Greece. Back then, the equipment and instruments used were quite different than the ones used now in modern times. The early stage lighting equipment also known as the antique stage lighting equipment included both natural and artificial resources. The biggest natural source of light used was the sun. The ancient Greeks would organize the acts according to the timings of the sun. Other lighting equipment included:

• Candles.
  
• Oil Torches.
  
• Oil Lamps.
  
• Electric Arcs.
  
• Lime Lights.
  

The collection of antique stage lighting equipment and other instruments is also a hobby and passion for some special antique lovers around the globe. These antique stage equipment collectors consider these instruments to be an important heritage that must be restored and preserved to be shown to the generations to come. They gather these historical items and display them in their unique personal collections.

Moving on, the modern theatrical stage lighting equipment has become very technical and advanced over the years. A variety of different lights and effects are used nowadays to create a desired atmosphere on stage. Some popular items used in modern stage lighting include:

• Box / Housing
  
• Lenses
  
• Reflectors
  
• Fluorescent Lights
  
• Dimmer Ballasts
  
• HID Lamps
  
• HMI Floods
  
• Wash Lights
  
• Spot Lights
  

The advancement of technology has led to higher prices of stage equipment and it has become quite difficult to afford these items. Therefore stage lighting equipment rental is a growing trend among stagecraft professionals nowadays. Many people have adopted the business of renting and leasing of stage lighting and sound equipment. This trend has proved to be very beneficial for theatre producers and financers.

Another less expensive way of acquiring instruments is to go for used stage lighting and equipment. But one has to select these instruments very carefully as a lot of them might be damaged and working on a temporary basis. Moreover, there is a chance that the used stage lighting equipment might just stop working on the big day! But if one selects these instruments intelligently, they can save a lot of money and be in for some big time advantage.

Capitol stage equipment is also readily available in the market for buying and renting.