When it come to basic lighting on the stage you don't want to blind the person. So remember to place the lights high enough to not be in the person's face and far enough out to achieve approx. a 45ยบ angle. It doesn't have to be exact, just close. The angle helps minimize the shadows on the face. Just remember, the higher you place the lights, the further they'll have to be placed in front of the stage. The further you get from the stage area with the lights will also determine to fixture you need to hang. Different fixtures are designed for different throw distances. The throw of the fixture is from the fixture itself to the stage area. The further you get from the stage the more the light will spread, so keep that in mind when ordering light fixtures.
Light fixtures used for lighting stages come in many shapes, sizes and names. If you're close to the stage, within 15 feet or so, the par cans and fresnels will do just fine. I work on mostly the mid sized range in lighting, which is between 15 and 50 feet. A combination of fresnels, pars, ellipsoidals and border lights are what are normally used.
I know you'll ask "What brand is the best?" I can only answer that ETC makes one of the best lights but you will pay for it. Altman makes a very robust and long lasting fixture. I have acquired some used Altman fixtures that work just as well as new ones. I don't sell either of these brands on my website although I do have an ETC look alike fixture that works just as well made by Lightronics. Very good inexpensive fixture and equipment line that is very durable and long lasting(and most of it is made in the USA).
Hope this helps answer some of your questions. If you have a question please feel free to e-mail me at info@controlyourstage.com and I will get back as quickly as physically possible.
