BA, University of Vermont. Studio and Forum of Stage Design, New York City. Designed lighting for hundreds of plays and musicals in New York and around the United States, as well as in Europe, Australia, Japan, and the Caribbean. Designs have included original plays by Edward Allan Baker, Cassandra Medley, Stewart Spencer, Richard Greenberg, Warren Leight, Lanford Wilson, Romulus Linney, Arthur Miller, and David Mamet. McPherson continues to design the Las Vegas production of Penn & Teller and to work as resident designer for the 52nd Street Project. He received an American Theatre Wing Maharam Award nomination for his lighting design of E.S.T.’s Marathon of One-Act Plays. SLC, 1990–
Previous Courses
Theatre
Lighting Design I
Open, Component—Year
Lighting Design I will introduce the student to the basic elements of stage lighting, including tools and equipment, color theory, reading scripts for design elements, operation of lighting consoles and construction of lighting cues, and basic elements of lighting drawings and schedules. Students will be offered hands-on experience in hanging and focusing lighting instruments and will be invited to attend technical rehearsals. They will have opportunities to design productions and to assist other designers as a way of developing a greater understanding of the design process.
Faculty
MFA Theatre
Lighting Design II
Component—Year
Lighting Design II will build on the basics introduced in Lighting Design I to help develop the students’ abilities in designing complex productions. The course will focus primarily on CAD and other computer programs related to lighting design, script analysis, advanced console operation, and communication with directors and other designers. Students will be expected to design actual productions and in-class projects for evaluation and discussion and will be offered the opportunity to increase their experience in design by assisting Mr. MacPherson and others, when possible.