The first great revolution in stage lighting began in England with the introduction of gas lighting. In 1804, F. A. Winsor, an entrepreneur, took out a patent on a lighting apparatus based on gas. An English engineer, William Murdock, towards the end of the 18th century, had developed this practical method, which used coal gas for illumination. Interestingly enough,

the first public demonstration, which Winsor gave of his new gaslight, was held in July 1804 at a theatre - the London Lyceum. At first, gaslight was used only for illumination of the facade and entrances of the theatre.

Not only was gaslight very bright, it could also be controlled from a distance, using a system of valves which controlled the flow of gas into the various pipes - a primitive but effective dimming system.

In 1545,Sabastiano Serliointroduced the use of “colored light liquids in bottles (red) wine, saffron(yellow), ammonium chloride in a copper vessel (blue)” (Wilson & Goldfarb, 2006, p. 121).

Thisis the time stage lighting gained importance in the production of stage plays.