Joel Shier

Joel Shier graduated, magna cum laude, from Wright State University's Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures in 2006. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Design and Technology, with a concentration in Lighting Design.

After graduation, Joel moved to New York City and has been working steadily ever since. His list of accomplishments as a recent graduate is a testament to his abilities and work ethic. At this point in his young career, Joel has managed to move up through the ranks in the New York theatre lighting world quite rapidly and impressively.

He has worked on numerous Broadway productions as an associate or assistant lighting designer. Broadways shows that he has served on the design staff for include the following: Follies, The Addams Family, Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Lestat, and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. He is currently serving as the associate lighting designer for the musical stage version of Ghost, which will begin preview performance in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway in March of this year.

Joel has also served as an associate or assistant lighting designer on a number of national tours, including Wicked, Sweeney Todd, Storytime Live!, Bowfire, and Thomas and Friends: Live Onstage. He has worked as an associate lighting designer for the last four years on Broadway Bares, the annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit production held at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC.

Joel has worked with Tony-award winning and nominated lighting designers, such as Kenneth Posner, Natasha Katz, Paul Gallo, Hugh Vanstone, and Paul Miller, among others.

His young career as a lighting designer is also impressive, including NYC designs for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, the Drama Desk nominated production of Fugitive Songs, Urinetown, White Noise, and Moonlight Room.