Elizabeth Kline

Lighting Designer Las Vegas, NV

Freelance Lighting Designer for theatre, dance, film, and live events. East Coast roots, West Coast branches, living the dream everywhere in between.

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Elizabeth Kline is a Lighting Designer currently based in Las Vegas, originally from the DC Metropolitan area (Woodbridge, VA). She achieved her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design & Technology from The Pennsylvania State University and her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Design from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, both with a concentration in Lighting Design.

Elizabeth has been designing professionally since 2008 and maintained her reputation as an avid working professional throughout her academic pursuits. The venues she has designed in range from 1800 seat "state of the art" proscenium theaters, to 120-175 seat completely reconfigurable black box theaters, to empty warehouse spaces turned 60-95 seat "blackbox" equipped with portable dimmer packs, to a 55 seat "art gallery by day, performance venue by night," and a number of venues in between.

Elizabeth has lit 8 productions over the last four years for Las Vegas's beloved Cockroach Theatre Company (Las Vegas Weekly's "Best Theatre Troupe of Las Vegas" 2014 & 2016; Desert Companion's "Best Theatre Company" 2014 & 2016). Over the last two years, she has also designed 6 productions for renowned director, Troy Heard (Las Vegas Weekly's "Who Ruled Vegas" 2015). She has also designed 4 productions for another Las Vegas area favorite, A Public Fit (Desert Companion's Best Of Las Vegas "Best Theatre Company" 2017). Her longest standing recurring working relationship, however, is with Dr. Susan Russell, artistic director and founder of the Cultural Conversations festival produced in Penn State's Downtown Theatre Center (formerly the Citizen's Bank Theatre). Elizabeth has been the Lighting Designer for all of the (3) Cultural Conversations festival iterations since 2012, working hand in hand with Dr. Russell and the rotation of talent presented each year.

While maintaining an active freelance life, Elizabeth also teaches the Production Design and Management courses offered in the Department of Dance as well as the upper division Lighting Design course offered in the Department of Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as a Visiting Lecturer for Dance and Part Time Instructor for Theatre. She is the Resident Lighting Designer and Production Manager for the UNLV Department of Dance, where she produces 2 main stage performances a year and oversees 2 completely student-run and student-choreographed productions each year. She is concurrently an on-call lighting operator, designer, and programmer for The Smith Center in Las Vegas, working directly under the Head and Assistant Head of Lighting in their absences.

In addition to her own original work, Elizabeth is an active Assistant Lighting Designer who has been credited with "excellent interpersonal relationship skills and a borderline obsessive knack for color coded organization and paperwork management" (Dana Moran-Williams, Nevada Conservatory Theatre Resident Scenic Designer). Most notably, she has been the Assistant Lighting Designer alongside Steven Mack for three years at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Vista, CA for the "Knott's Scary Farm" Halloween Haunt productions starring Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (Elvira's Big Top, 2014; Elvira's Asylum, 2015; Elvira's Danse Macabre, 2016), as well as Mr. Mack's Associate Lighting Designer for the Summer 2016 & Summer 2017 outdoor production, "Circus of Wonders." Internationally, she has traveled twice to Panama City, Panama to assist American Lighting Designer, Joey Walls on the first Panamanian production of Rent, as well as an end of year dance production with the internationally awarded Panamanian dance company, STEPS.

Most recently, Ms. Kline held her regional theatre debut at Kansas City Rep in Kansas City, MO with director Chip Miller and is now at her first programming gig for the Atlanta Ballet in Atlanta, Georgia.

Education

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

MFA Theatre Design

Degree Emphasis in Lighting Design

The Pennsylvania State University

BFA Theatre Design & Technology

Degree Emphasis in Lighting Design & Technology

Awards

2017

NOMINATION: Best Lighting Design (The Beauty Queen of Leenane), Las Vegas Valley Awards [link]

2017

NOMINATION: Best Lighting Design (The Christians), Las Vegas Valley Awards [link]

2017

Audience Choice Award: Bring It On! The Musical (Table 8/SST), Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards [link]

2016

NOMINATION: Best Lighting Design (The Nether), Las Vegas Valley Awards [link]

2015

NOMINATION: Best Lighting Design (Bug), Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards [link]

2015

Best of Las Vegas Theatre-Cockroach Theatre’s production of Bug, Jacob Coakley for Las Vegas Weekly (“Cockroach had an exceptionally strong year…but Bug stands out thanks to its buzzing, crackling energy and darkly triumphant finale.”) [link]

2013

Oliver Smith Award for Excellence in Design and Production, Dan Carter, Dir. of Penn State School of Theatre (Awarded to graduate and undergraduate students who have excelled in their craft.) [link]

2010

Irene Richards Memorial Scholarship, Penn State School of Theatre (Awarded for demonstrating talent and good study habits during first year of study.) [link]

2009

Simeon and Elizabeth Gallu Scholarship, Penn State School of Theatre (Awarded to incoming students who possess outstanding and exceptional talent and dedication to their field.) [link]

2012-2016

Graduate Assistantship, University of Nevada, Las Vegas