In the early róoos, theatre practitioners began to use reflectors to intensify the effects of the candles and lamps used to light the stage and audience. This took a great deal of candles, oil, and effort to create enough light. Theatres began to use chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and oil lamps hung on walls and scenery to light the stage. As the physical space of the theatre changed, so did theatrical lighting. Stage settings became more elaborate and stage machinery became more complex. At the dawn of the Renaissance, theatre experienced a rebirth. Similar practices in lighting continued until the sixteenth century. This would allow actors and moments to be highlighted for the audience, much as modern lighting attempts to do. Since play festivals would have taken place over the course of a whole day, it is thought that torches and shiny pieces of mica were used to redirect the natural light entering the theatre.
![stage lighting design began with the sun stage lighting design began with the sun](https://churchstagedesignideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/noid-IMG_1165.jpg)
Texts dealing with ancient Greek and Roman theatre deal very little with the lighting of plays, stating only that it is assumed that they took place during the day. However, when you look at lighting design from a historical perspective, you can gain a greater appreciation of what it has achieved.
![stage lighting design began with the sun stage lighting design began with the sun](https://www.prosoundweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/AARCOpenImage.jpg)
Many texts on lighting design do not take the past into account.
![stage lighting design began with the sun stage lighting design began with the sun](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52ddd7eee4b0f48cdba85ab1/1554149943230-E1OO3EL2PUV708268D62/N%26B_5b.jpg)
In our everyday lives, we often forget that even a century ago, amenities such as electric lighting, indoor plumbing, and air-conditioning were new technologies. It is assumed that every space we enter in the modern world will have electricity and other modern conveniences. We all take for granted the electric lights we have in our homes.