Bio:

Allison McSwain is a lighting designer from Southern California with a passion for storytelling. She received her B.A in Theatre Design and Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she received the Bert O States Award for Outstanding Scholarship and the Jay Brant Scott Scholarship for Outstanding Contribution in Lighting Design. She is expected to receive her MFA in Lighting Design from Carnegie Mellon University in May 2024. 

She has a wide range of design experiences; most recently focusing on Opera, Theater, and Dance. Her design experience at CMU has primarily been in the Opera sphere, lighting Ottone in Villa, Considering Matthew Sheppard, and Looking at You, each directed by professional guest directors; with the addition of lighting one student directed play, Ike Holter’s Put Your House in Order. Having sunk her teeth into opera through her time at Carnegie Mellon, she is continuing her exploration of the art form in her MFA Thesis that examines the differences and similarities between film and theatrical lighting in the horror genre, through the theoretical production of the Shining opera. 

In addition to her love of designing, Allison is very passionate about working in the role of an assistant designer. She has experience assisting lighting, scenic, and media designers in Kathmandu, Nepal; Chicago, IL; Juneau, AK; Pittsburgh, PA, and a range of cities in Southern California. She has enjoyed traveling to different parts of the world to assist on larger scale projects and working with incredibly talented designers and is looking to continue to do so after graduating. You can view more of her work and experience at allisonmcswain.com.