Josh Epstein

Assistant Professor

Theatre, College of Performing Arts

Expertise: Lighting Design

Media Contact »

Office Location: Moulton Hall 135

Phone: (714) 628-2735

Email: joepstein@chapman.edu

Website: https://www.joshepsteindesign.com/

Education:: University of Chicago, Bachelor of Arts
New York University, Master of Fine Arts

Biography

Josh Epstein is a lighting designer for theater, opera and dance as well as environmental and event spaces.

He has spent much of his over-twenty-year career designing in many of the top regional theaters across the country including: the Guthrie Theater, Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Goodman Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theater, Philadelphia Theater Company, Pasadena Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Trinity Rep, Geva Theatre Center, Playmakers Rep, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Actor's Theater of Louisville and The Alliance Theater. He has also served multiple times as the Resident Lighting Designer for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference.

His opera and dance work include productions at The Joyce Theater, Minnesota Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Danspace at St. Marks, Virginia Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera Santa Barbara, Wolf Trap Opera Company, The 92nd St. Y’s Harkness Dance Project, Berkshire Opera festival and the Manhattan School of Music.

Josh designed the lighting for the award-winning Macy's New York City Holiday Windows for a number of years. He has designed the lighting environment for VIP party spaces at the MTV Video Music Awards and the VH-1 Hip Hop Honors. He has also designed lighting for a multitude of different events and fashion shows throughout the New York area. He is also the creator of innovative, digital collaboration software for live events. Cuelist has rethought the
incredibly antiquated process of marking and sharing the placement of cues during rehearsal.

Annotating scripts, describing cues, sharing information and making necessary changes is now an instantaneous, collaborative and environmentally friendly process. His software is used by Universities and professional designers around the world.

Josh received his B.A. from the University of Chicago and his MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to joining Chapman University, he served as a faculty member at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and Sarah Lawrence College.

Josh is an LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award Winner, Knight of Illumination 2019 Winner, Washington D.C. Helen Hayes Award Nominee and a Knight of Illumination Theatre Shortlisted Designer for his work in 2018. He was also a recipient of the highly prestigious NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers. Josh is an IAMA Theatre Company Ensemble Member and also currently serves on the O'Neill Playwrights Conference Artistic Council.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters.

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications: Lighting designer for the Geffen Playhouse production of NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn. This production was directed by Anna Shapiro, a Tony Award winner and one of the most highly regarded directors in the world. The play was a critic and patron favorite and was extended beyond its original closing date to accomodate its box office popularity.; Lighting designer for the world premiere production of THE STAIRCASE by Noa Gardner at South Coast Repertory Company in Costa Mesa, CA. The production was led by acclaimed director G.T. Upchurch and marked the first produced production for up-and-coming playwright Noa Gardner.; Lighting designer for the Guthrie Theater production of CABARET with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb and book by Joe Masteroff, directed by Joseph Haj. The Guthrie, located in Minneapolis, MN, is one of the largest members of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), which is the biggest professional theatre association of its kind. The Guthrie Theater draws artists from all over the world and has an annual audience of over 300,000 patrons. Cabaret was directed by Joseph Haj, the artistic director of the Guthrie Theater since 2015. He won the 2014 Zelda Fichandler Award for demonstrating great accomplishment with singular creativity and deep investment in a particular community or region, and the 2017 Rosetta LeNoire Award for outstanding artistic contributions to the universality of human experience in American theater. The role of the Emcee was played by Jo Lampert, who is known for her film and television credits on Amazon's Transparent and Netflix's Orange is the New Black. She also starred as Joan of Arc in David Byrne’s rock-opera Joan of Arc: Into the Fire at The Public Theater, for which she was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for “Best Actress in a Musical”. This production was hailed as one of the “Guthrie’s best productions in years,” by the Minneapolis paper of record, the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The Pioneer Press called it “A Landmark for the Guthrie.” Broadway World said, “This is the show of the year, and it is only June.”; Lighting designer for the North American premiere of the 1804 opera LEONORA by Ferdinando Paër conducted by Dame Jane Glover and directed by Lawrence Edelson. Chicago Opera Theater is one of the largest Opera companies in Chicago, IL. They focus on presenting new and rarely performed operas in unconventional ways to diverse audiences. The production received rave reviews and international attention.; Lighting designer for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company production of NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn and directed by Anna Shapiro. Steppenwolf Theatre Company, in Chicago, IL, is the nation’s premier ensemble theatre with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Director Anna Shapiro is a Tony Award winner and one of the most highly regarded directors in the world. She continues to direct countless productions on Broadway and across the country. This production of Noises Off was a tremendous success for Steppenwolf Theatre Company and will be remounted in Los Angeles 2025.; Lighting designer for the world premiere production of GALILEE, 34 by Eleanor Burgess at the South Coast Repertory Company in Costa Mesa, CA. This production starred acclaimed actor Amy Brenneman and was directed by Davis McCallum. It received universal rave reviews.; Lighting designer for the world premiere, pre-Broadway tryout production of RUTKA: A NEW MUSICAL with Music and Lyrics by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd-Styles and Book by Neena Beber at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. I have been a part of the musical since the early phases of production. This production was named in the New York Times as one of 15 Fall 2024 shows to see. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/06/theater/fall-new-theater-nationwide.html; Lighting designer for the world premiere of RADICAL, OR ARE YOU GOING TO MISS ME? by Isaac Gomez with the Iama Theatre Company in Los Angeles, CA. This production received considerable acclaim from Los Angeles critics and audiences.; Lighting designer for the world premiere of THE BOTTOMING PROCESS by Nicholas Pilapil with the Iama Theatre Company and the Los Angeles LBGT Center, in Los Angeles, CA. This production featured Broadway star George Salazar and television star, Rick Cosnett in the lead roles.; Lighting designer for the West Coast premiere of THE INHERITANCE by Matthew Lopez at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, CA. The production was lauded by critics and named one of the Country's best theater productions in 2022 by the Los Angeles Times.

Josh Epstein

Biography

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

Faculty Directories by School or College