Apparatus for adaptively and interactively lighting a scene includes a digital light projector that includes a light emitter and a digital light processor optically coupled to the emitter such that the emitter light is projected onto respective individual fields of view of a field of regard illuminating the scene in accordance with a projector control signal. A camera adjacent to the projector is operative to detect light reflected or projected from the illuminated scene and generate a signal corresponding to the detected light. A signal processor coupled to the projector and the camera is operative to receive the camera signal, process the received signal into a light projector control signal in accordance with an associated set of instructions, and apply the control signal to the light projector such that the light projected onto the respective individual fields of view of the illuminating array is controlled in accordance with the instructions.