Heather Gilbert

Heather was born in Michigan and raised in Houston, Texas.^[2] She received her BA from Trinity University in San Antonio and her MFA in Lighting Design from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago.

Heather worked in Chicago for many years^[3][4] before relocating to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2025. In her early career, she was an assistant lighting designer to Scott Zielinski. Additionally, she worked closely with Kevin Rigdon and Brian MacDevitt. Heather soon became established in Chicago, calling Steppenwolf Theatre her artistic home.^[5]

Heather was a member of The Hypocrites (theatre company),^[3] where David Cromer's staging of Thorton Wilder's Our Town originated, for which Heather designed the lights.^[6][7]

On Broadway, Heather has designed Bug, The Fear of 13, Little Bear Ridge Road, Good Night and Good Luck, Dead Outlaw, Parade, The Sound Inside, and Cult of Love.^[8][9][10]

Heather is a professor of lighting design at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.^[11] Previously, she was a professor at Columbia College Chicago^[1] for 19 years and an assistant professor at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.