Scoop (theater)

In stage lighting, a scoop is a large, simple lighting fixture with a dome-like reflector. Scoops are also referred to as "worklights." It consists almost entirely of a lamp in the center of a big curved plastic dome lined with reflective foil. The result is a wide, soft-edged pool of light good for general lighting. However, since scoop lights do not have a mechanism for cutting down the size of their beam, they are useless for more specific lighting needs.

Many theaters use scoop lights for working, rehearsal, or non-performance times. They are easy to set up and take down, are relativly inexpensive, typically have long lamp life. When used as worklights, scoup lights frequently don't require the use of the light board to operate.

Scoop lights are also used for flooding a stage with downlight, as this requires the least amount of control of the beam. However, fresnel lanterns are more frequently used for this task.

See Also