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D
DONUT / DOUGHNUT
A metal plate with a hole in the middle inserted in the color runners of a lantern to sharpen focus (in the case of a profile) or reduce spill.
DOWNLIGHT
- A light from directly above the acting area.
- A directional luminair that directs light downward.
DOWNSTAGE
- The part of the stage nearest to the audience (the lowest part of a raked stage).
- A movement towards the audience (in a proscenium theater).
DOWSER (UK) / DOUSER (US)
A metal flag used in larger followspots and projection equipment to cut off the light beam without cutting off the electrical supply. Discharge lamps cannot be dimmed, so this is the only way of stopping light. Discharge lamps need a period of cooling down when they are turned off before they can be turned on again, so they should not be switched off if needed again within about two hours.
DRESS LIGHTING
Providing a low level of lights to an open stage while the audience enter the house up until the performance starts. Also known as PRESET.
DRESS REHEARSAL
A full rehearsal, with all technical elements brought together. The performance as it will be "on the night".
DRIFT WIRE
A length of suspension wire of standard length with eyelets at each end between the counterweight bar and the top of the scenic piece flown from it.
DRY ICE
Frozen solid carbon dioxide (CO2) at a temperature of -87.5° centigrade which produces clouds of steam-loaded CO2 gas forming a low-lying mist or fog when dropped into boiling water. Although non-toxic, caution is required in the storage and handling of dry ice because of its extreme cold. Water is boiled in a large tank offstage, into which the dry ice is lowered in a basket. Fans and ducts then direct the gas onto the stage. Dry ice does not support life, so care should be taken that small animals, and actors are not below the level of the dry ice for more than a few seconds.
DRY-ICE FOGGER
A simple fog machine which creates thick, opaque, low-lying or ground fog by the emersion of frozen CO2 in hot water. This type of fogger is often made from a large drum containing a heating element and some type of basket in which dry-ice can be lowered into the water. The resulting fog is often forced through a hose to the desired location onstage. Dry-ice fog effects are somewhat short lived as the dry-ice quickly evaporates and the water cools. Dry-ice is often used to cool the fog produced by other types of fog machines making it to stay close to the ground. These chiller modules or attachments are little more than insulated coolers attached to the output end of a standard fog machine.
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