Field Guide: What Does a Lighting Team Actually Do?

What Is the Lighting Department, and How Does It Split Up?

Lighting is one of the larger departments on any touring show, and the easiest way to understand it is to know the split: someone designs the looks, someone builds the cues, and someone else hangs and powers the physical rig. Those can be three different people or, on smaller shows, one person wearing all three hats.

What Does a Lighting Designer or Lighting Director (LD) Do?

LD can mean two different roles depending on the show. The Lighting Designer creates the visual looks for a production, while the Lighting Director runs or “calls” those looks live during the show. On many tours, one person does both jobs. This is the most senior creative role in the department, and it’s usually reached after years of programming or running lights on smaller shows first.

What Does a Lighting Programmer Do?

The Lighting Programmer builds the cues on the lighting console — commonly a grandMA — translating the designer’s vision into buttons and moves that can be triggered live. This is a technical craft as much as a creative one: a programmer has to understand both the design intent and the console’s programming logic well enough to make it playable in real time. Programming is a common path toward becoming an LD.

What Do L1 and L2 Lighting Techs Do?

L1 and L2 refer to the lead lighting tech and assistant lighting tech — the crew that physically hangs, cables, and maintains every fixture in the rig. This is hands-on, physical work and one of the most common entry points into the lighting department. Most LDs, programmers, and crew chiefs started here.

What Does an Electrician or Dimmer Tech Do on a Lighting Team?

The lighting electrician (or dimmer tech) handles power distribution and the dimming and control gear that feeds every light in the rig. Without clean, correctly distributed power, nothing else in the department works — this role sits at the technical foundation of the whole system.

What Does a Follow Spot Operator Do?

The Follow Spot (or Spotlight) Operator runs the spotlights that track performers around the stage. Modern productions increasingly use remote or automated tracking systems instead of a person physically operating a spotlight, which is shifting this role toward more technical, console-based work over time.

What Are Automated Tracking Systems Like BlackTrax or zactrack?

Tracking systems such as BlackTrax, zactrack, and Robe RoboSpot automatically follow a performer with light or effects, or let an operator remote the follow-spots from front of house instead of standing at a fixed spotlight position. This is one of the fastest-growing technical skill sets in lighting — familiarity with these systems is increasingly valuable as more productions adopt them.

What Other Lighting Jobs Exist?

Beyond the core roles above, the lighting department includes leadership and support positions: lighting crew chief (leads the lighting crew through load-in, show, and load-out) and lighting shop manager (runs the gear and inventory between tours).

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a Lighting Designer and a Lighting Director?

A Lighting Designer creates the visual looks for a show; a Lighting Director runs or calls those looks live. On many tours, one person handles both roles.

Do I need to know a specific console to become a lighting programmer?

The role centers on programming lighting cues on industry-standard consoles like grandMA — familiarity with common console platforms is a core skill for this position.

Is follow spot operating being replaced by automation?

Not entirely, but automated tracking systems like BlackTrax and zactrack are increasingly common, shifting some follow-spot work toward remote and console-based operation.

Recap

Lighting splits into design, programming, and physical execution — LDs and programmers shape and build the show, L1/L2 techs and electricians hang and power the rig, and follow spot operators (increasingly aided by automated tracking) keep performers lit throughout the show.

For the bigger picture on how lighting fits with every other department, start with how the live events industry actually works. New to the jargon on this page? Check the Field Guide glossary. Ready to find your next role? Head to giggs.live.