Andrew is fascinated by the creation of theatrical magic in intimate performance spaces, the creation of of other worlds for engaged audiences only a few feet away. And he also loves the challenge of generating a similar immediacy for audiences within much larger venues. He believes that, to stay relevant, theatre must create something for audiences that they cannot find elsewhere, and must be committed to the highest standards of quality, no matter how small (or large) the budget.
Andrew is currently in his fifth season as Artistic Director of Know Theatre of Cincinnati, where he has also been resident scenic and lighting designer since 2007.
Andrew holds a B.A. in Theatre and a B.S. in Astrophysics from Michigan State University. He received his MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
As a playwright, his work has been seen in Cincinnati, Edinburgh, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Andrew's writing, directing, and performance experience round out an approach to design that aims to serve the theatrical experience as a whole. If the lighting isn't helping the story be told, for example, he feels that he isn't doing his job.
Here's a pretty cool thing about him from American Theatre Magazine.
Andrew was the 2006 recipient of the USITT Lighting Design Award sponsored by Barbizon. His lighting design for the opera Ariodante was included in the 2007 US entry to the Prague Quadrennial. Andrew was a 2009 finalist for the TCG*NEA Career Development Grant for Designers.
Other awards include:
2013: LCT Awards-- Lighting & Scenic Design, When the Rain Stops Falling. Know Theatre 2012: LCT Award--Projection Design, Gruesome Playground Injuries (w/ Doug Borntrager). Know Theatre. 2011: Acclaim Award--Production Design (lighting, scenery, and puppets), The Dragon. Know Theatre. 2010: Wilde Award--Lighting Design, K2. Performance Network Theatre.
Andrew spent 5 seasons as resident scenic and lighting designer for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and ten seasons as lighting designer with The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati. Other credits include: New York Theatre Workshop; Portland Stage Company (Portland, ME); Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; twelve seasons with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ); The Flea Theater (New York, NY); The Theatre @ Boston Court (Pasadena, CA); Stanford Summer Theatre (Palo Alto, CA); Performance Network Theatre (Ann Arbor, MI); and The Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca (Italy).