The New York Public Library is developing and executing a visionary strategy for digitization, digital preservation, and access. The Library stewards rapidly growing collections of digitized and born-digital collection items, and it works to make these collections easier to discover, sample, use, and reuse in more creative ways.
Learn about the Theatrical Lighting Database below.
Explore our other current and previous projects and learn about our Digital Research Strategy for 2021–2024.
Theatrical Lighting Database
Status: No Longer Updated
Launched: 2012
In partnership with the Lighting Archive and legendary designer Beverly Emmons, the Theatrical Lighting Database is a proof-of-concept version of what is aimed at being an extensive digital archive of original lighting documents. Modern theatrical lighting is a uniquely American art form, which until now has been exceedingly difficult to study due to limited access to original lighting documents. This collection contains actual plots, focus charts, cue sheets and much more from four landmark productions digitized from the collections of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Photo: Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "All God's Chillun Got Wings" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1975. Learn more.