Disclosed is a lower pressure xenon lamp (12) and the driver circuitry therefor for producing relatively short bursts of intense light from the lamp (12). The lamp (12), including its associated driver circuitry (50) can be used in theatrical, stage, movie and/or video production to simulate, among other things, bursts of lighting. The lamp (12) is installed in a fixture together with a power supply (20) and a control system (50) is provided for controlling when the lamp (12) is turned on and off. Preferably, the control system (50) includes manually operated switches (53, 57, 54) and preferably one or more controllers (50) can be coupled together in a series fashion, should it be desired to control the lamp (12) for a greater number of time cycles then permitted by a single controller (50). Alternative power supplies (20) are disclosed. One power supply (20) permits the intensity of the flashes of light (12) to be controlled.