2026 LIGHTING + PROJECTION DESIGN
2026 LIGHTING DESIGN
BRANDON WASHINGTON I New York University
CONTACT INFO
P I 503.820.8755
E I brandonwashingtonld@gmaill.com
W I brandonwashingtondesigns.com
Brandon Washington is a lighting designer who works in theatre, dance, ballet and opera. Past lighting design credits include: An Enemy of the People (New York University – Graduate Acting), A Conversation with the Brat (Second Avenue Dance Company), Jenn Freeman’s The Soloist (Idaho Dance Theatre), Middle Name (Second Avenue Dance Company), A Pair of Fools (Columbia University), Fugue/State (New York University – Graduate Acting), All Is Calm (Boise Contemporary Theater), Cinderella (Ballet Idaho), As One (Opera Idaho). Resident Lighting Designer for the
Second Avenue Dance Company. Graduate Design for Stage & Film – New York University – Class of 2026.
DANI JEANNETTE DRAPER I New York University
CONTACT INFO
P I 805.259.0163
E I danij.draper@gmail.com
W I danijdraper.com
Dani Jeannette Draper (she/her) is a New York City based lighting designer originally from Santa Barbara, California. Dani’s passion for lighting comes from her background in aerial dance. Her work has taken her around the globe to theater festivals in North Macedonia, Armenia, and Georgia. Some of Dani’s previous credits include Angels In America Millennium Approaches (Tony Kushner), Top Girls (Caryl Churchill), and Trouble In Paradise (Luz Lorenzana Twigg). Dani holds an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a BA in Theater Arts from Westmont College.
EMMA McMANUS I CalArts
CONTACT INFO
P I 347.224.1822
E I emmamcmanus4@gmail.com
W I imemmamcmanus.myportfolio.com
Emma McManus is a New York City– and Los Angeles–based lighting designer. Born and raised in Queens, NY, Her work spans theater, dance, concerts, gallery installations, and live events. She is completing her MFA in Lighting Design at CalArts (May 2026), where recent credits include The Misanthrope, The Master and Margarita, and Half-God of Rainfall. Emma has also just finished an internship as a show lighting designer with Disney Imagineering and is a recipient of ETC’s Fred Foster Mentee Award.
Her concert work includes collaborations with artists at iconic Hollywood venues such as the Troubadour, the Roxy, and the El Rey Theatres. Drawn to new works and interdisciplinary collaboration, Emma explores how light shapes the relationship between movement, music, and space. Passionate about live music, she creates immersive environments that translate sound into dynamic visual experiences, blending the technical aspects of lighting with a distinct artistic voice.
JULES CABRERA I University of Cincinnati
CONTACT INFO
P I 512.585.7059
E I julescabdesign@gmail.com
W I julescabdesign.com
Jules Cabrera is a theatrical lighting designer born and raised in Austin, Texas. She holds a BFA in Theatre from Texas State University and an MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. She is honored to have been selected as the 2026 fellow of the Howell Binkley Fellowship program, which concludes in October of 2026. Recent work of hers includes Sweeney Todd, Cendrillon, Hair, and The Winter’s Tale at UC-CCM, as well as assisting on Mythic (Ken Posner, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Tosca, Fiddler on the Roof (Thomas Hase, Cincinnati Opera), and Erase the Night (Sharon Huizinga, Nashville Ballet). Coming up next, Jules will be designing All Shook Up at The Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Jules values storytelling in all of its forms, and has found her calling in helping to tell those stories through light. Instagram: @jcab.design
KIMANI GORDON I University of Connecticut
CONTACT INFO
P I 212.814.9025
E I arts@kimanigordon.us
W I kimanigordon.com
Kimani Gordon is an NYC based Lighting Designer. He earned his B.A. in Theatre Arts at Boston College in 2009. After spending time in the industry as an electrician, he went back to school at the University of Connecticut where he earned his MFA iin Lighting Design. Recently, Kimani has designed Three Musketeers: 1941, Die Fledermaus, and Orphée aux Enfers. Kimani is looking forward to expanding his scale of work as a lighting designer, assistant lighting designer, and educator.
KP PIERCE I University of Texas
CONTACT INFO
P I 318.573.2902
E I kpglows@gmail.com
W I kpglows.com
Kp Pierce is a soon to be New York based Lighting Designer graduating with an M.F.A. from The University of Texas at Austin. She is dedicated to incorporating healing centered engagement and community building techniques into her design processes. As a musician, she has a passion for musicals, opera, and dance. She often uses her deep love for the earth and skills as a photographer to aid in initial research. She is interested in amplifying the natural occurrences of color, shadow, and reflection to reveal, carve, and bend the theatrical world.
Recent productions include: World Premiere of Downwind (Butler Opera Center), Cabaret (The University of Texas at Austin), The Grand Hotel (Zach Theatre), What We Carry With Us (Blanton Museum of Art), Fall for Bellydance (Dougherty Arts Center)
MALCOLM WILSON I University of California - Los Angeles
CONTACT INFO
P I 913.526.7056
E I malcolmkw@live.com
W I malcolmwilsondesign.com
Malcolm Wilson is a graduating MFA Lighting Designer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television specializing in lighting design and innovative storytelling through Unreal Engine and other non-traditional means. Using both lighting and multi-media design, he crafts live and virtual environments for immersive and interactive storytelling. He explores the intersection of different mediums through live performance, music, film, and immersive experiences. He is driven to push boundaries and aims to captivate audiences with his unique, visually powerful perspective.
His recent lighting design credits include Bad Breath: the stink inside me (UCLA, 2026), Xanadu (UCLA, 2025), Noir! (Downtown Repertory Theatre, 2025).
His recent Unreal work includes Xanadu (UCLA, 2025, Unreal Engine Lead) and Remember (Disney Adventure, 2026, Assistant Video Designer and Unreal Artist).
His recent short film work as Virtual Production Supervisor includes Forty Years in the Desert (2025), Inspiration Point (2025), and Behind Closed Doors (2025).
MARGARET GARRITY I Boston University
CONTACT INFO
P I 732.853.3898
E I margaretgarritydesign@gmail.com
W I margaretgarrity.design
Margaret Garrity is a Lighting Designer and current candidate for her MFA in Lighting Design at Boston University. Painting through light and finding ways to communicate and offer new perspectives to audiences is what drives her storytelling. Growing up, Margaret was immersed in the world of music - playing, composing and performing brought her to theatre where she was taken by the power that light brings to a production and its interaction with music.
MARIAH FAULKNER I University of Maryland
CONTACT INFO
P I 716.308.2483
E I mariahfaulkner02@gmail.com
W I mariahfaulkner.com
Mariah Faulkner is a lighting designer from Buffalo, NY. She earned her B.A in Theatre from Buffalo State in 2020 and will be graduating with her M.F.A in Design this May. Her interest in lighting design sparked after taking a practicum class in undergrad. She has designed for dance, theatre, and opera. She hopes to continue working in the DMV.
TAYLOR OLSON I University of California - San Diego
CONTACT INFO
P I 704.840.6045
E I taylorolsonlighting@gmail.com
W I taylorolsonlighting.com
Taylor Olson is a San Diego-based lighting designer. She has worked as a freelance designer in the community and serves as the Resident Lighting Designer at DISCO RIOT. Recently, she earned her MFA in Theatre and Dance from the University of California, San Diego. At UCSD, Taylor gained valuable experience collaborating on new plays, dance works, installations, and classical plays. She also taught students about lighting programming, conceptual approaches to lighting design, and introductory to design.
Select credits include Vinegar Tom (UCSD, LD), Rose Colored Griefs (Fresh Congress Dance, LD), Ex Nihlo (DISCO RIOT, LD), Between (Lighthouse Circus Theatre, LD), Velour: A Drag Spectacular (La Jolla Playhouse, ALD), and Appropriate (The Old Globe Theatre, ALD).
VIDA HUANG I University of California - San Diego
CONTACT INFO
P I 626.757.9359
E I vidahuangdesigns@gmail.com
W I vidahuangdesign.com
Vida Huang is a lighting designer originally from Taiwan, now based in San Diego. She previously worked as a lighting technician at the National Theatre and Concert Hall in Taiwan. Recently, she earned her MFA degree from the Theatre and Dance program at the University of California, San Diego. During her time at UCSD, she gained extensive experience in lighting design and assisting in the theatre and dance field. She also teaches students how to program lighting consoles and introduces them to lighting design concepts.
Recent lighting design credits: The Rogue’s Trial, Your Local Theatre Present: A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens, Again (ALD), New Direction 2024, The Half-Sibling Play, Dead Girl’s Quinceañera, Winterwork24, X (ALD), The Glass Menagerie, The Promise, 900 Years, Blu (ALD), Dance Nation (ALD)
ZACH YOUNG I University of Texas
CONTACT INFO
P I 847.989.9450
E I Zacharyyoung93@gmail.com
W I zycreations.com
Zach Young is a third year M.F.A candidate for Live Design and Production. He is a creator in many forms when it comes to lighting. He is always investigating how to design lights in new and different way. Especially how to incorporate lights into the world to help give it life. Collaborating with other designers to create something truly wonderful that can speak to the story and characters is his lasting goal. He will forever ask the question how can he do it better? His most recent work with DRT: Equinox where he design lights for three pieces and projections for one, Scenic Designed for Ghost of Versailles, and Lighting Designer for James and the Giant Peach. He is the recipient of the Bernhard R. Works Master Crafts Award 2025 from USITT.