Department of Theatre & Dance Staff

Josh graduated from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville with an MFA in Lighting Design in 2023. Originally from Dubuque, Iowa, he has worked in multiple areas of the entertainment industry for the past twenty years. 

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In 2008, he graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He was the first student to receive a BA in Theatre with all three emphases offered by the school: Performance, Design and Production, and Drama for Youth. During his summers as an undergrad, he also worked as a carpenter with the Texas Shakespeare Festival.

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After graduation, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to work as the Technical Director and Scenic Designer with the Omaha Theatre Company. In 2010, he became a freelance artist in the community, acting, designing, and directing over 100 shows and teaching thousands of workshops in visual and performing arts. His work gained much recognition, and he received multiple nominations for scenic and lighting design. In 2017, he won Best Lighting Design from the Omaha Theatre Arts Guild Awards and the Omaha Arts and Entertainment Awards for his work on "Carrie: The Musical" with SNAP! Productions.

Since moving and grad school, he has worked on multiple plays, dance projects, and operas. He has also worked as the Lighting Director at The Shed Smokehouse and Juke Joint in Maryville, TN, for the last four years, lighting concerts with groups such as George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Zach Bryan, Red Clay Strays, and Drive-By Truckers.