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Will Lowry

Lehigh Rotunda stained glass
Will Lowry wearing a plaid shirt, smiling at the camera with his arms crossed in Zoellner Arts Center's lobby.

Will Lowry

Associate Professor of Lighting Design

610.758.3639
wil216@lehigh.edu
Zoellner 309
Education:

MFA in Design, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 2006

BA in Theatre Arts and Computer Science, Furman University, 2003

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Focus Areas

Additional Interests

  • Scenic Design
  • Media Design
  • Costume Design
  • Experience Design
  • Puzzle Design
  • Digital (2D and VR) Rendering
  • AI+Theatre
  • Gaming+Theatre

Personal Statement

There is magic in transformation. Transformation is a realization of potential. It encourages flexibility in thought. It embraces multiple points of perspective and nurtures intersecting truths. In theatre, transformation is a path to greater comprehension. My primary scholarship is in creating visual designs for the stage across multiple disciplines: lighting, scenery, media, and costumes. Theatrical design functions collaboratively with the audience, guiding interpretation while leaving space for imagination. Through this, the work challenges assumptions and resists limitations. I seek opportunities in theatrical design where light, form, and space transform our perception of reality. I pursue this philosophy through narrative design, digital development, and rigorous collaboration. I embrace transformative storytelling in design by establishing visual vocabulary and evolving that aesthetic language to reflect change in characters, communities, and worlds. My scholarship thrives in collaboration, merging traditional theatrical elements with technological innovation and interdisciplinary approaches. I adopt new technology like artificial intelligence (AI) in developing the design idea, transforming my creative process. I engage in theatrical experimentation and new play development to transform the theatrical landscape. I explore the liminal space where theatre, games, and other interactive experiences entangle with and transform one another, as I seek to engage with playfulness in theatre and with theatricality in play. Through my multidisciplinary expertise, I command a unique approach to my individual fields of study, applying a holistic lens in pursuit of transformational revelation.

I am deeply invested in theatre as a medium for exploration and innovation. Whether leveraging AI to reimagine creative workflows or crafting interactive experiences that blur the lines between play and performance, I seek to expand the boundaries of theatrical design. Through my work, I strive to create spaces that not only engage but also transform. Through the transformative power of theatre, we can better understand one another and ourselves.

Biography

Will Lowry (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Theatre and a multidisciplinary designer whose scholarship emphasizes rigorous collaboration and the integration of technology into the design process. He is from York, South Carolina, and he received his MFA in Design from UNC Greensboro and a BA in Theatre Arts/Computer Science from Furman University (SC). He has created over 150 scenic, lighting, costume, and media designs for theaters along the East Coast and beyond, including productions in NYC, Philadelphia, DC, LA, and the Sydney Opera House, along with roughly two dozen off-off Broadway designs. He has designed twenty-two world premieres and several NYC/LA/Philly premieres—many through long-term collaboration as a Creative Partner with Flux Theatre Ensemble (NYC)— and he recently led the creation of the innovative nontraditional works GPS and Our Options Have Changed. He contributed to multiple Broadway and off-Broadway productions as a studio assistant and graphic designer. Recent Lehigh courses and pedagogy have emphasized lighting design, digital rendering, devised theatre, creative interrogation of AI, geek theatre, and the intersection of theatre and gaming.

Research & Creative Work

  • From the last two years:

    Scene design for Methods in Madness / Polly: a dumbshow for smart people looking to survive the fallout, Corey Allen and Flux Theatre Ensemble, NYC, November 2024.

    Lighting design for Wolf Play, Lehigh University, November 2024

    Scene design for The Wanderers, Lantern Theater Company, Philadelphia, September 2024

    Lighting design for Trouble in Mind, Lehigh University, September 2024

    Scene design for The Lehman Trilogy, The Warehouse Theatre, SC, January 2024

    Lighting design for Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future, Lehigh University, November 2023

    Scene design for God of Carnage, The Warehouse Theatre, SC, July 2023

    Lighting design for Good Grief, Hedgerow Theatre Company, Philadelphia, January 2023

    Media design for Brown Face, Lehigh University, April 2023

    Media design for Silent Sky, Lehigh University February 2023

    Scene and lighting design for The Royale, Lantern Theater Company, Philadelphia, November 2022

    Scene design for Metra: A Climate Revolution Play with Songs, Flux Theatre Ensemble, NYC, November 2022

    Lighting design for The Salonnières, Lehigh University, September 2022

     

  • News & Awards

    Teaching

    THTR 01 - Introduction to Theatre*
    THTR/DES 087 - Performance Design
    THTR/DES 088 - Digital Rendering
    THTR 090 - Big Questions Seminar: Can AI Make Art?
    THTR/ENGL 090 - Big Questions Seminar: All Fun and Games: How Does Play Change Us?*
    THTR 090 - First Year Seminar: Geek Theatre
    THTR 097 - Dramatically Playful*
    THTR 186 - Lighting Design*

    *Indicates course offered this academic year. All classes offered within the last three years and in current rotation.