Case Study: Drama
From September 11 to 13, 2026, the Taiyuan Drama Troupe presented the first performances of Lao Xier at the Youth Palace Performing Arts Center in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Lao Xier is a large-scale original drama production rooted in Shanxi's regional culture and traditional vinegar-making heritage. It is supported by both the National Arts Fund and the Shanxi Provincial Arts Fund, the production tells the story of a century-old vinegar workshop in Jinyang.
DLW Lighting were selected to create the visual language of the production.
Creative Team
Director: Zhong Hai.
Playwrights: Niu Xiaomin and Tian Yonggang.
Composer: Zhang Wei.
Literary Consultant: Wang Hui.
Set Designer: Zhang Chao.
Costume Designer: Hou Jiantao.
Sound Designer: Li Chunnan.
Lighting Designer: Yang Guole.
Technical Requirements
The lighting system needed to support a production in which light was not used only for visibility. It also had to communicate history, atmosphere, character relationships and emotional change.
included:
Precise control of light direction and beam shape.
Smooth transitions between intimate workshop scenes and broader historical moments.
Clear visual separation between characters, objects and surrounding space.
Accurate presentation of color.
Fast response to changes in movement, music and dramatic rhythm.
Sufficient flexibility to support both subtle realism and larger-scale theatrical imagery.
As director Zhong Hai explained:
"Upholding tradition does not mean resisting change. Innovation must not forget its roots. Traditional methods are the foundation, while new methods create the path forward."
This artistic concept required lighting fixtures capable of combining precision, flexibility and expressive range.
DLW Fixtures Used
DREAM L1600HP FLAG – used for precise beam control, framing and selective emphasis.
DREAM 1400 WASH-P – used to build broad, continuous environmental lighting and overall stage atmosphere.
DREAM 1400 PROFILE – used for precise shaping of key areas, characters and objects.
Why These Fixtures Were Selected
DREAM L1600HP FLAG
The DREAM L1600HP FLAG was selected as a multifunctional Flagship fixture for big theatre.
Its high-output optical system allowed the lighting team to isolate performers from the complex stage environment while maintaining sufficient flexibility for different scenes. The framing system fast controlled beam shaping and infinite rotating, making it convenient to realize stage design.
DREAM 1400 WASH-P
The DREAM 1400 WASH-P was used to create a broad and continuous field of light across the stage, supported large-area color transitions and helped maintain visual continuity.
The lighting language of Lao Xier needed to move between the warmth of the vinegar workshop, the weight of historical change and the emotional shifts within the family story. A wash fixture was therefore needed to establish the overall atmosphere before more precise profile and framing fixtures refined the visual focus.
DREAM 1400 PROFILE
The DREAM 1400 PROFILE was used for precise shaping and spatial separation.
Rather than illuminating the entire stage evenly, the profile fixture enabled the lighting designer to direct attention toward a specific performer, object or moment. By controlling the shape and position of the light, the fixture helped create clearer relationships between characters and their surroundings.
How DLW Solved the Lighting Challenge
The lighting needed to retain the realism of the story while also giving the production a broader poetic and historical dimension. Broad environmental lighting provided the realism of the workshop, while controlled beams, framing and color transitions added symbolic meaning to the stage images.
The fixtures therefore contributed not only illumination, but also visual structure, rhythm and narrative emphasis.
Performance Result
The first performance run presented Lao Xier as a fusion of regional culture, dramatic storytelling and contemporary stagecraft.
The ever changing lighting states gave the production a changing emotional palette, while the combination of broad washes and precise profile effects created contrast between environment, character and dramatic action, make realistic stage space with symbolic visual expression.
By combining the DLW fixture, the lighting team gained the flexibility to move between large-scale atmosphere and highly controlled focus. The system supported the production's central visual idea: using light to express the spirit of a place, the transformation of an era and the emotional strength of its people.
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