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.