career in lighting. The first steps were three summers of stock, designing for the Weathervane Theater
in Whitefield, New Hampshire and an apprenticeship at the Greater Miami Opera (now the Florida
Grand).
The next step was attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Theatre Design Program. While
at Tisch, I was awarded an assistantship for two years working for the Dance Department. Designing at
least five student pieces a week during our two month fall and spring seasons offered the opportunity to
hone my cue writing and communication skills. This assistantship also provided the chance to design
original pieces for Doug Varone, Douglas Becker, and many of the faculty members. On the theater side
I designed a production of Women of Trachis for Robert Woodruff, Diary of a Scoundrel for Yevgeny
Arye, and began designing Off-Off Broadway showcases. I received my MFA in May 1997, winning a
Seidman Award along the way.
Since then I have been making my way as a freelance lighting designer in New York City. Theater
designs have included a plethora of showcases (a couple of which have transferred to commercial runs),
Off-Broadway plays, regional shows, and projects for colleges and universities. A high point was
recently garnering my first award nomination, a nod for Lighting Design (Smaller Theater) from the
Ovation Awards for a production of The Good Thief in Los Angeles. It is also very exciting to be
involved with a successful young Off-Broadway organization, called Keen Company, acting as
Production Manager and LD. My hand is still in the dance world as well, designing downtown concerts
and festivals for Alvin Ailey and ACDF.
New York City has afforded me the opportunity to branch into other areas of lighting as well, all of
which I have found to be interesting extensions of skills learned in theater. This works includes
designing and lighting directing numerous corporate theatre productions (industrials), trade show exhibits,
and television shows. Every genre I work in has strengthened my abilities in the others. The cross
pollination of techniques leads to many interesting solutions. I am fully confident that my wide range of
experiences have prepared me for whatever challenges lie ahead in my multi-faceted design career.
