.png)
The importance of light in theater is one of the most discussed and high-status topics. In the modern sense, light has been associated with theater since the first days of the performing arts and has been defined in various functions in the performing arts until today. The presence of light in the scene is always accompanied by shadows and created absence and darkness. That is why light, shadow, and darkness can be accepted as elements of a common area, and their proportions and functions can be studied. Light, shadow, and dark have an important turning point and function in the history of the theater, and this is the focal point of Adolphe Appia’s thought and theoretical existence in the field of theater. Before Appia, the only imaginable function in the theater was light. The lighting of the scene was just to see the elements in the scene. According to him, theater in the future will be a theater of light. However, with the presence of him in the theater, besides the light, shadow and darkness were exhibited as the 3 founding elements of art, each finding a different position and function. In this article, the status of the theater before and after Appia is examined, and the functions and application rates of light, shadow, and darkness in the performing arts are focused on.
Cite this article as: Saadatı, A., & Aydın, A. (2022). The use of light, shadow, and darkness in the performance arts before and after Adolphe Appia. Art and Interpretation, 40(1), 75-82.