high contrast lighting.

Wondering if anyone has advice or can recommend a preset for shooting Stage Plays(Elementary School Programs) where the lighting is very off balance and inconsistent(streaks of hard light across stage vs. broader lighting). My problem is that when properly exposed for the majority of the stage, then I have blown out hotspots on the kids who are wearing white/light colored clothing. Or their hair is blown out. I've been riding the iris wheel to compensate for blown highlights when the main characters are wearing light colored outfits.

Can I set the camera up to raise the shadows a bit and crush the highlights? Preset? Or would i be best to continue working the iris wheel to accommodate for those wearing light clothing, thus keeping a richer color scheme in the camera.

Any pointers will be appreciated...

Mike W.