Robert Thomson
Associate Professor of Lighting Design
Bio:
Robert Thomson is widely recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished lighting designers in theater, opera, and dance. His abiding commitment is to the evolving creative process, seeking influences from text or score, the rehearsal hall, and the collective journey of collaborators.
Thomson’s acclaimed designs are noted for their precision, visual poetry, psychological insight, and dramaturgical impact. Over a distinguished career spanning four decades, Thomson has taken international design assignments in Paris, Stuttgart, Geneva, Hong Kong, Edinburgh, and Melbourne. His designs have been featured at the Lincoln Center, Goodman Theatre, Hartford Stage, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Seattle Opera, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet.
Thomson’s career includes extensive experience designing for repertory companies. He served as resident lighting designer for The National Ballet of Canada for twelve seasons and designed for the Shaw Festival over 24 seasons. During 13 consecutive seasons and 29 design assignments with the Stratford Festival, his numerous collaborators included directors Jonathan Miller, Des McAnuff, Robert Falls, Jennifer Tarver, Peter Hinton, Christopher Newton, and current Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino. Thomson studied theater design at The Studio and Forum of Stage Design in New York City. Since then, he has worked with diverse companies across Canada, including the National Arts Centre, Canadian Stage, Canadian Opera Company, Citadel Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera, and L’Opéra de Montréal. Mr. Thomson has received numerous awards including Canada’s largest theater prize: the prestigious Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize In Theatre; a Sterling Award for Edmonton Opera’s mounting of Robert Lepage’s internationally acclaimed first opera Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung; and four of Canada’s coveted Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
He is a member of L’Association des professionnels des arts de la scène du Québec (APASQ) and the Associated Designers of Canada - IATSE ADC Local 659. Thomson is currently Associate Professor of Lighting Design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA.