This document will chronicle the design work of Kevin Dudley at the University of Iowa from August 2013 through the spring of 2016. The images included in this document are representative of the design work for realized productions, large and small scale, and selected explorations in course work. The work represented here includes: drafting, paint elevations, and sketches (both hand and digital). This document will stand as a record my design process and final product used to explore our humanity through theatrical design.

I designed the lighting for William Shakespeare's complex piece, The Merchant of Venice, which was produced by the UMass Amherst Theater Department. In this thesis paper, I will discuss the creative process from start to finish, including relevant lighting paperwork and production photographs.

The lighting industry has not only approached circularity within production of luminaires but also in contemporary time introduced a model of service that uses circular principles, lighting as a service (LaaS). Lighting as a service offers clients a leasing contract of luminaires including maintenance, upgrades and repairs. The concept is yet new and not very established to suit all fields. This thesis is focused on visual aesthetics and functional factors of lighting as a service in relation to clothing retail spaces. Lighting design has an important role for clothing stores' representation of products and customer’s experience which makes a complex relation between retail lighting design aims and lighting as a service to cohere. Methods used in this thesis includes site-visits to evaluate retail lighting qualities of various stores in Stockholm city, two case studies of earlier documented lighting as a service project that’s evaluated through two separate SWOT-analyzes. This to investigate principles of lighting as a service, visual aesthetics and functional factors and the possibility to practice the service in clothing retail spaces. The result is presented in written form and a 3d model made in the software program DIAlux evo.

Studies suggest that diversity is advantageous to group work. As lighting design teams become increasingly diverse, there is an increased opportunity for innovation as well as miscommunication. In an effort to improve communication and inter-team empathy, this master’s thesis explores the implications of gender on the architectural lighting design collaborative team.  Based on previous research, a survey was conducted of architectural lighting designers of any gender located in the US. This thesis concludes that a gap exists in the gendered perceptions among colleagues in a lighting design environment. In addition, it cannot be assumed that tendencies seen in the general public are representative of architectural lighting designers. This research culminates in the conclusion that increased diversity within teams strengthens and supports design problem solving, in line with previous work done on this topic.

My thesis will encompass the completion of the lighting design for W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan's opera The Mikado and a post-production written documentation of the entire production process. The thesis will involve the completion of a lighting design with all of its accompanying paperwork generated in AutoCAD and Excel. The design will require lights for a two-act, multi-locational musical. Lights will need to provide a bright environment that can transform to the various locales. The entire design process will involve close communication with the entire design team, the director and the shop crew. As lighting designer, I will have to communicate with the Master Electrician and instruct him or her on the proper hang and circuiting of all instruments and provide detailed paperwork to ensure the light plot is hung correctly. With the Master Electricians help I will focus and gel all instruments. As lighting designer, I will also write cues and any special lighting effects for the show. During technical rehearsal week I will continue to maintain close communication with the director, making any necessary changes to create a better artistic product. The whole process will involve close collaboration with all of the design areas and an open communication so that lights enhance all elements of the show. As lighting designer, I will have to develop a vocabulary to communicate the abstract ideas of light and communicate them well enough so that the final product is both what the director and I imagined. During this process, I will maintain a journal that details the steps throughout the process and will act as a record of the discoveries and setbacks that occur. I will also provide research to support all of my creative decisions. I will also provide a strong informed basis for the design. The written portion of the Thesis will document the design process from early concept discussions through the completion and opening of the show. The thesis will examine the artistic developments and growth, as well as reflect on the overall success and development of the design. The personal journals maintained throughout the process will be edited and included for insight into daily growth of the design. The inclusion of these journals will also provide insight into the working relationship and nature of my collaboration with all the departments.

Description of Project: This project explores the design process for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (adapted for the stage by Bruce Mason) as performed at Orlando Repertory Theatre in Orlando, Florida. In this exploration, I approach the topics of the design process from conceptual discussions with the design team through closing night. I document this process with a lighting design journal (including thoughts about the design approach, renderings, sketches, research images, rough plots and paperwork.) The project concludes with a self evaluation, completed plots and paperwork, and finished production photos.

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I work on a lighting design for a dance performance to be on tour. A lighting design adapted forthree different conditions was made:- One comprehensive where I allow myself a great deal of creative freedom, adapted for thestages with major technical conditions.- One smaller version for stages with less equipment and with less time for preparation onsite.- One design for very simple conditions.I also examine the specific differences between typical theatrical lighting design and typical dancelighting design, and the best way to prepare for the hands-on stage design phase.

Det här är en text som är ett resultat av vårt examensarbete vi genomfört under den sjätte och sista terminen på scenproduktionsutbildningen på Malmö högskola. Texten och examensarbetet utgår ifrån frågeställningar som vi arbetat med under terminen i samband med att vi ljussatt två teaterföreställningar som satts upp av Teaterhögskolan i Malmös examinerande masterelever. Vi tar upp frågor och tankar om ljuset, scenrummet och ljussättarens roll i det kreativa teamet. Syftet med detta arbete har varit att utforska hur vi kan ta hjälp av ljus och ljusdesign i skapandet av scenrummet. Hur vi definierar de rum vi arbetat i och hur det är att vara en del en produktion. Vi har kommit fram till att trots att själva upplevelsen av ljus och rum är individuell, så är det just det som gör det till ett intressant område. Konkreta saker vi fått svar på är att färg och form påverkar människan, oavsett om vi är medvetna om det eller inte. / This text is the result of our thesis we implemented during the sixth and final semester at Stage Production program at Malmö University. We raise questions and thoughts about the light, room and illuminate the role of the creative team. The aim of this work was to how we can, through light and lighting design, explore the creation of the room, how we define the room we worked in and how it is to be part production. We conclude that although the experience of light and space is individual, this it what makes it an interesting area.

Pedestrian lighting design is a very important part of urban lighting design. Appropriately designed pedestrian lighting can provide people with sense of safety and improve their quality of life. However, the exploration of people's needs and perceptions of pedestrian lighting is neglected. Most of the existing design guidelines are generated from designer centered perspectives. This study aims at creating new perspectives in pedestrian lighting study. In this study, lighting quality is investigated through a behavioral science approach by examining the relationship between the lighting attributes and people's perceived safety. Primary research objectives include identifying important attributes of the lighting environment, examining their influence on people's perceived safety, and exploring the impacts of pedestrian's individual characteristics in this perceptual process. In order to fulfill the research objectives, this thesis comprises an online survey that aims to discover the environmental perceptions of the people from Virginia Tech towards the nighttime pedestrian footpath scenes of the campus. The findings from the online survey indicate that important lighting attributes influencing people's perceived safety are identified as: uniformity, facial recognition, concealment and perceived brightness. The findings further indicate that some environmental context attributes, environmental perception attributes, and socio-demographic attributes also significantly influence people's perceived safety. Several design guidelines are provided for future lighting design practice. / Master of Landscape Architecture