Thread: Haunting in the Round - Lighting, Need Help

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I'm not sure how many are familiar with the the stage term Theater in the Round - think arena type setup. There's not a lot of haunts I'm familiar with that set up in this manner because lighting is apparently a pain to set up. Examples of haunts that do use this style just aren't around as far as I know.

Hollowed Haunting Grounds


Grimmstone Cemetery


The idea is that a vast majority of your display is dead center and your victi... eh I mean ToTs can view all or parts of your display from all angles.



Unless you have a lot of underbrush, bushes, trees, or large scale props like mausoleums to segregate the visible display area lighting becomes an incredible problem. Your display might look nice and creepy viewing from the front. But on the opposite side viewing often amounts to being blinded by flood lighting head on. Other than space constraints this is probably why most of us set up our displays in a manner where they can't be viewed from the rear.

As some of you may know our landlord removed a large chunk of trees along the side of my house where I situated the graveyard last year, including the large creepy oak I so loved. This has forced me to rethink the haunt design and I've been experimenting with several layouts. There's still a large scragly and creeptastic crab apple tree in the center of the front yard. Facing the house to the left is the driveway which you have to walk up to get to the path to the front door which is directly opposite the tree. I am considering making a path go around the right side of the tree leading back out to the street effectively forming a crude circle arena around the tree area.

Here's one of my newer layout concepts:



In an alternate version (I haven't scanned yet because its incomplete) I've eliminated the graveyard on the left and integrated it around the tree area. I mean even if I didn't do a circular display ToTs still end up approaching from the rear in order to get to the front door.

I'm wondering if anyone else here haunts in the round and if so how did you tackle the lighting challenges? One method I can think of is pocket lighting small areas with lower wattage bulbs. Any suggestions or help would as always be GREATLY appreciated.

I am doing a walk around this year, also my tunnel. Lighting will be a challenge too. I am planning/hoping the neighbours allow me to use extentions from their house/yards to connect to my yards, so I can light up all around my house on every side. I also bought spotlights that works with batteries. Also, lighted props with battery will be use to help navigate around.

first thing that comes to mind would be to incorporate the lighting into the scene itself as organicly as you can. For instance have fires (fake of course, unless you can attend them) be the source of illumitation if it makes sense to the scene. Props holding their own lanterns.

Second, find the places that you can hide smaller more focused lighting as you already said behind props, scrub, etc.., up close and tight to the props they are illuminating. the goal here is to have stuff low, pointing almost up so that from all angles you dont really see the light source.

Third, go arial with some general area lighting. On a dimly lit stage, a black pole isnt visible. You could place some more general wash lighting up high on poles, or suspension lines overhead. again you are moreso wanting these to point straight down so that people dont get the change to see the light source, just the light.