Josh Epstein is a lighting designer for theater, opera and dance as well as environmental and event spaces.
He has worked regionally at the Guthrie Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Goodman Theater, Arena Stage, Geffen Playhouse, Alliance Theater, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, Trinity Rep, Geva Theatre Center, Playmakers Rep, Paper Mill Playhouse, Philadelphia Theater Company, Long Wharf Theater, Lyric Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and the Actor's Theater of Louisville.
Opera work includes productions at Minnesota Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Ft. Worth Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera Santa Barbara, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Berkshire Opera festival, and the Manhattan School of Music.
Off-Broadway lighting design credits include work with companies such as New Georges Theater Company, Clubbed Thumb, Target Margin, Rattlestick Theater, La Mama ETC, Naked Angels, Theater for the New City, Summer Play Festival, Urban Stages, and The Juilliard School of Drama.
Josh has worked with directors Wendy C. Goldberg, Anna Shapiro, Mike Donahue, Joseph Haj, Kimberly Senior, Pam MacKinnon, Hunter Foster, Shana Cooper, Trip Cullman, Jeremy B. Cohen, Jose Maria Condemi, Scott Zigler, Lawrence Edelson, Curt Columbus, Seema Sueko, Eric Ting, Steffan Novinski, Brad Dalton, Susan Fenichell, Annie Tippe, Emma Griffin, Maria Mileaf, Jesse Berger, Brian Mertes, Kim Rubenstein, Melissa Kievman, Brian Roff, Gavin Witt, and David Herskovits among others. He has also served multiple times as the Resident Lighting Designer for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference.
His dance work includes pieces with Doug Varone, David Dorfman, Allyson Green, Wil Swanson, Edisa Weeks, and Kara Tatelbaum. Josh has designed at Wolf Trap, The Joyce Theater, Danspace at St. Marks, The 92nd St. Y's Harkness Dance Project, Symphony Space, and The Joyce Soho.
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.
Josh received his BA from the University of Chicago and his MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the UCLA School of Theater Film & Television, the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and currently is on faculty at Chapman University’s College of Performing Arts.
Josh is an LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award Winner, Knight of Illumination 2019 Winner, Washington DC 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 served for many years on the O’Neill Playwrights Conference Artistic Council and is an IAMA Theatre Company Ensemble Member.
Josh lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters.
