Lighting Design

Lighting design at Lehigh blends craft, technology, and imagination. Students begin with the essentials—hanging and focusing instruments, programming cues, and studying color and intensity—and then bring those skills into productions where light becomes a storytelling partner.

The program is led by Professor Will Lowry, a multidisciplinary designer whose work spans scenery, costumes, and lighting in theatres from regional stages to Broadway and Off-Broadway. Under his mentorship, students learn that lighting design is not created in isolation but emerges from dialogue with directors, scenic and costume designers, and performers.

Students take on meaningful production roles, shaping the look and rhythm of shows in the Diamond and Black Box Theatres. They build portfolios that demonstrate both technical fluency and artistic vision, giving them a foundation to pursue graduate study, professional theatre, or creative careers in related fields.

At its core, lighting design at Lehigh is about more than illumination. It is about sculpting space, shifting emotion, and guiding the audience’s eye so that every moment on stage is seen—and felt—with intention.