Michael McNamara

Michael is a freelance stage lighting designer working in theatre and opera and the Head of Lighting for the Department of Theatre at Purdue University.

For eight years he was a Resident Assistant Lighting Designer with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC where he worked on more than fifty productions with design teams from around the world. He has served as Associate Designer at the New Israeli Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, the San Diego Opera, and the Dallas Opera. He has been an Assistant Designer with the New Israeli, Seattle, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Atlanta Opera companies. Michael has designed with numerous Chicago-area theatres including First Folio (where he is an Artistic Associate), Remy Bumppo, Writers’ Theatre, Griffin, Dolphinback, Magellan, and Pegasus Players. In 2012, he won the Joseph Jefferson Award in Lighting Design-Midsize Venue for his work on "A Turn of the Screw" at First Folio. Additional designs have been presented at the Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis), the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts (California). He has also designed and taught as a guest artist at the University of Kentucky, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wheaton College, Marquette University, and Huntington University.

Michael is the co-author for the sixth edition of "Designing With Light" along with J. Michael Gillette, the original author. He has also been a contributor to Mr. Gillette's other work, "Theatrical Design and Production".

Professional memberships include United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), the Association of Theatre in Higher Education, and the Illuminating Engineering Society. He is also a Director-at-Large and a Programming Committee member for USITT-Midwest Regional Section.