The bard, Shakespeare, said the world was a stage. Later, there appeared another one with an anonymous wish. "If the world is stage, I want better lighting."

In some countries where showbiz has taken root, this wish has been fulfilled, but in Kenya, event organisers still imagine that talent alone can do the magic.

Stage lighting is a remarkable part of modern live performance- you can artistically dim lights to depict dusk,or use a cleverly angled spotlight to have imaginary moonlight or even a bright sun. In contemporary dance and other more eccentric arts, lighting designers use it to manipulate movement in dance or even exaggerate poses.

Initially, candles were used to light up the stage. Then came the oil lamps and gas light. When electric light finally arrived, a storytelling revolution took over.

As the local showbiz shapes up, audiences are getting increasingly sophisticated. Soon, they will ask for nothing less than refined stage lighting and sound effects. They have appreciated the show as dull as it has been but now want it presented differently.

"If we are going to remain relevant as players in the entertainment industry, we must, besides growing musicians and actors, nurture technicians to support the industry," says Mr Asad Rajput who is a pioneer lights and sound engineer in Kenya.

Rajput, who is the Events Sound n Lights Company director, had just completed his work providing sound and lighting support at the Earth Festival. We had chants by Afrizo led by the evocative Hellen Mtawali besides a performance by The Arab Orchestra of Nazareth from Galilee, the place where Jesus is said to have done a wine miracle.

This was at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy last month. Even after having been in the lights and sound business for several decades, Rajput confesses that the mythical performance was a big challenge, especially Deluge which was directed by Italian director Monica Maimone.

This was a sophisticated outdoor theatre performance that heavily relied on technical aspects to deliver its story.

The drama was unfolding in an open air auditorium at night with several lighting effects. A gymnast dives into a deep bowl several times. The rest of the stage is non existent at this particular moment; a narrator is telling the epic of Gilgamesh as classical Indian music join the rendition.

Then, there is the moment when a group of traditional dancers from diverse Kenyan communities join in. Though the production was designed by the studio crew, it is Rajput who captured the picture through lights for the audience to easily follow the action without any distractions.

"We do not see this kind of show in this country every day. It was rich in spectacle, very elaborate in its choreography and everything fitted into each other seamlessly," says Rajput. "You don't want to mess up with something as elaborate as this production," he said.

When Rajput entered local showbiz, lighting and other technical aspects of production were taken seriously.

He recalls the Boney M shows in the 70s that mesmerised him, not just because of the stage performances, but for the glamour provided by the lighting.

Then there was clarity of sound that added spectacle to the performances. Having grown up in a family rooted in sound business, Rajput decided to fully plunge into showbiz as a profession.

He attended a technical school in London. On coming back, he joined and toured the world with the then sensational Afro-fusion African Heritage band that played live music.

Together with the African art and fashion company of the same name, they toured Europe and parts of Africa, offering audiences an exciting blend of fashion and music unique to East Africa.

In the late 90s, the sound business started to provide a really good sound system for live concerts and events for the local market.

This was at an approximate cost of Sh 3 million. Ready-made top-of-the-line quality sound reinforcement equipment was expensive to import, but this did not deter him from his dream. Rajput designed a 16-a-side proprietary sound reinforcement system using components from world leaders in the audio field.

The system debuted as Sound Rig in November 1997 with the hugely successful live concert of Jazz artiste Hugh Masekela from South Africa at the Safari Park Hotel.

"A growing list of music lovers now want to hear their music played live" Rajput says. "The growing number of live gigs in the city is clear indication that there is growth in the showbiz."

Having supported Kenyan musicians in their gigs abroad, Rajput understands the value of homegrown technicians. He believes that the local technicians understand the aesthetics of Kenyan performance better and are able to meet expectations.

Currently, ESL which is worth about Sh30 million has started an apprenticeship for local technicians.

They are sending two young technicians to learn the ropes with a Dutch based lighting expert AMPCO Flashlight.

"Where there is an entertainment industry, there has to be spectacle. If we are to grow our industry, then we must nurture our own technicians," he says.