A Lekolite (often abbreviated to Leko) is a brand of

ellipsoidal reflector spotlight Ellipsoidal reflector spot (abbreviated to ERS, or colloquially ellipsoidal or ellipse) is the name for a type of stage lighting instrument, named for the ellipsoidal reflector used to collect and direct the light through a barrel that contai ...

(ERS) used in stage lighting which refers to the half- ellipsoidal dome reflector within which the instrument's lamp is housed. Introduced in 1933, it was developed by Joseph Levy and

Edward Kook Edward F. Kook (1903–1990) was an American stage lighting engineer who helped to develop the art form, receiving a Special Tony Award for his contributions in 1952. He was a lecturer in it at two Ivy League universities, Columbia University and Y ...

, founders of Century Lighting, which eventually became a part of the Strand Lighting Corporation. The instrument was widely used in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and entertainment venues into the 1990s, particularly in the United States. As other lighting technologies and products have taken the Lekolite's place, the term Leko has become a

generic trademark A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...

(notably in North America) for all ERS fixtures. Century Lighting founders and the instrument's inventors, Joseph LevyNot to be confused with "Chuck" Levy, sales representative for Century, and later Strand and Edward Kook, combined the first two letters of their own last names and called the unit "Leko." Rival lighting company, Kliegl Brothers, released their own Elipsoidial Reflector Spotlight that same year, calling it "

Klieglight A Klieg light is an intense carbon arc lamp especially used in filmmaking. It is named after inventor John Kliegl and his brother Anton Kliegl. Klieg lights usually have a Fresnel lens with a spherical reflector or an ellipsoidal reflector with ...

". It is unclear which company was first to develop the new technology, but both had developed the technology earlier and had to wait until a lamp was developed by GE that would work in the new fixture. Strand lighting has begun to use the "Lekolite" name again.

References

Stage lighting instruments {{Stagecraft-stub