about

Annie Wiegand is one of the only Deaf professional lighting designers in the country. Her heightened sense of sight adds a unique layering to her designs and amplifies her story-telling capabilities with a visually-inspired perspective.

 

Annie was strongly involved in theatre at a young age while growing up in Des Moines, Iowa.  Her passion for the arts led her first to Gallaudet University in Washington, DC to begin her undergraduate education, and eventually to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC to earn a Bachelor of Arts in theatre with a concentration in design and technology.

 

Annie came to realize that her passion and drive was in lighting, because she believes lighting is the glue that holds the story together in a production. She continued on to Boston University to earn an MFA in lighting design under the tutelage of the renowned Mark Stanley.  Annie completed design internships at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY as well as Chautauqua Theatre Company in western New York state.

 

After graduate school, Annie relocated to the NYC area where she continued to hone her craft. She held the position of lighting director for The Acting Company for three years, where she toured the country and translated designs for theatres on an almost daily basis. Since then, she has continued to design shows between Boston, NYC, and DC. Annie had the opportunity to work as the Second Assistant Lighting Designer on the Tony Nominated Broadway revival of Spring Awakening in 2015. She designed her first Off-Broadway show at Playwrights Horizons, I Was Most Alive With You, in Fall 2018. Her last show was Eclipsed at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in March 2020, which was unfortunately cut short due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

 

On top of her design work, Annie is an Assistant Professor in the Theatre and Dance Program at Gallaudet University. She also provides services as a freelance producer, having completed more than eight years as New York Deaf Theatre's Producing Director. Furthermore, Annie is a Teaching Artist with Roundabout Theatre Company, and she is also a member of Wingspace Design Collective. 

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Annie resides in the NYC area with her wife Staci, cat Parsley, and dog Rusty. In her spare time, she loves to go kayaking and hiking.