Christopher Akerlind Biography

Christopher Akerlind is an American lighting designer for theatre, opera, and dance. He won the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for Light in the Piazza and an Obie Award for sustained excellence for his work Off-Broadway. He attended Boston University and the Yale School of Drama, training with Jennifer Tipton.

He was Head of Lighting Design and Director of the Design & Production Programs at the CalArts School of Theater.

He has designed many Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, working on both musicals and straight plays. He is noted for his work for director Lloyd Richards on the first productions of the plays of August Wilson, including The Piano Lesson and Seven Guitars.

He was the Resident Lighting Designer for twelve years at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Akerland was a Visiting Associate Professor and Director of Production at the University of Southern California School of the Theatre (now the School of Dramatic Arts) from 2007 to 2008, has guest taught at New York University, the University of Connecticut, Yale, and for the Broadway Lighting Master Classes.

Designed more than 650 productions for theatre and opera in the U.S. and around the world.

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