Ballyhoo (lighting cue)
Encyclopedia
Ballyhoo is a stage lighting
cue where a spotlight operator
of a followspot
moves their lamp in a random figure-8 pattern throughout a theater or other performance venue. This is often executed at the end or finale of a show and involves at least two spot lamps. The ballyhoo gets its name from the inventors, George and Fabio Ballyhoo. The brothers worked as spotlight operators at several New York strip clubs and speakeasies in the 1920s. George later went into the theatre, where his patented move became famous in lighting circles, large and small. Other names for the lighting cue are Ballyhoodoneit, figure eight, shake and bake, to infinity and beyond, and stripper lights.
Stage lighting
Modern stage lighting is a flexible tool in the production of theatre, dance, opera and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in the pursuit of the various principles or goals of lighting. Stage lighting has grown considerably in recent years...
cue where a spotlight operator
Spotlight operator
The Spotlight Operator, Followspot Operator, Followspot, Spot Op, Dome Operator or Domie is a theatrical technician, defined as a lighting technician, who operates a specialized stage lighting instrument known as a followspot. A followspot is designed to move, change size, beam width, and color...
of a followspot
Followspot
A followspot, sometimes known as a spot light, is a powerful stage lighting instrument which projects a bright beam of light onto a performance space. Followspots are controlled by a spotlight operator who follows actors around the stage...
moves their lamp in a random figure-8 pattern throughout a theater or other performance venue. This is often executed at the end or finale of a show and involves at least two spot lamps. The ballyhoo gets its name from the inventors, George and Fabio Ballyhoo. The brothers worked as spotlight operators at several New York strip clubs and speakeasies in the 1920s. George later went into the theatre, where his patented move became famous in lighting circles, large and small. Other names for the lighting cue are Ballyhoodoneit, figure eight, shake and bake, to infinity and beyond, and stripper lights.
Sources
- "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting" By Steven Shelley - Elsevier Science Publications, September 2009
- "Scene Design and Stage Lighting" by W. Oren Parker, R. Craig Wolf, Dick Block - Cengage Learning, May 2008. ISBN 9780495501909