Cooper, Alexander SpragueA lighting design is the result of an artistic process, one that requires hundreds of choices that precede the design's complete realization. The purpose of this thesis is to document, analyze and interpret this lighting design process as it was applied to the University of Maryland Department of Theatre's production of Tom Jones's and Harvey Schmidt's The Fantasticks. In Chapter I it was shown how analyzing the text for thematic ideas and contextualizing its authorship and initial production helped to develop the design's aesthetic approach. Chapter II documents the meetings with the director and production team that helped me to create a specific lighting design concept. In Chapter III the steps necessary to realize the lighting design are described. Chapter IV is an analysis of the design using the conceptual ideas identified in Chapters I and II, as a basis for its evaluation.en-USThesisTheater