A system of fixtures aimed and overlapped so that a performance area or surface is lit evenly in one color or direction, such as a front wash, a blue back wash or a cyc wash. Designers usually build several washes and combine them in cues. Fresnels, LED wash fixtures and softened ellipsoidals are typical tools, and smooth blending without dark gaps between areas is the measure of a good one.
Front wash has a dark hole at center stage between areas 5 and 6, spread both units another couple of feet.
Related terms
Fresnel
A soft-edged spotlight with a stepped Fresnel lens whose beam can be adjusted from spot to flood.
Cyc
Short for cyclorama: a large plain backdrop or curved wall at the back of a stage or studio, lit to fill it with color.
Mover
An automated moving-head light that pans, tilts and changes color, beam and gobo under remote control.
Uniformity
How evenly light is spread over an area, expressed as a ratio such as minimum to average or maximum to minimum.