Hi Everyone,
I wanted to tell a little story about what happened the other day and why it always pays to be wary of dark auditoriums.
My teenage daughter's high school had their annual spring instrumental concert this week and my husband, son and I went to see it. The symphonic band (over 100 kids )played several pieces of music ( my daughter plays the flute) and then when the band was done, the band members left the stage and the orchestra started to set up for their music. My daughter came off the stage after she finished with the band, and sat down with us in the audience to listen to the orchestra play. In the past, it doesn't take long for them to set up for the orchestra, but this time they were setting up a bunch of special lights around the stage. My daughter said that there was supposed to be some sort of special light show with this spring's orchestra music.
As the orchestra assembled and conductor came up on stage, I noticed that the auditorium lights were dimmed and the only thing on stage you could see were the little lights that illuminated the sheet music that the musicians were looking at. When the first number began, bright spotlights flashed on the musicians rhythmically with the music. In a completely darkened auditorium, this was basically like flashes of light similar to a slow strobe light.
As I am particularly sensitive to bright light triggering seizures, I cannot tell you how frustrating this was for me to suddenly realize that I was in the middle of an auditorium with this light flashing in my eyes, and I thought for sure I was going to have a gosh darn seizure right there. I put my head down, closed my eyes and covered my eyes with my hands!
After 5-6 minutes, the music FINALLY ended and the lights came on. Luckily, although I didn't have a seizure right there, I had a series of simple partial seizures as a result of this later that evening and the following day. My brain felt scrambled for hours.
IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO FLASHING LIGHTS - WATCH OUT FOR DARK AUDITORIUMS!
Glenda 