Karen is a lighting artist graduating this June from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a BFA in Lighting Design. During their time at DePaul, they’ve worked in the Theatre Admissions Office, supporting prospective students on their application journey. She entertains a revolving door of hobbies, from visual art to backpacking to powerlifting, all things that connect them to their friends, family, and the world around her.

Through this work and other mentoring experiences, such as serving as an ad hoc Orientation Leader for incoming freshman last fall, Karen has discovered her passion for uplifting the creators that she shares space with. This idea of sharing space is what attracted them to the world of theatre planning.

“The performance space is the constant between an infinite range of productions, and I am excited to learn the process and principles for building spaces that cultivate the limitless potential of theatre-makers to come.”

In their time so far at Schuler Shook, Karen has experienced the care the team puts into each project, analyzing how everyone involved in a production will interact with the space. From the technical considerations of the design team to the movement needs of the performers to the experiential factors of the audience, theatre planning is an even more complex and deeply people-oriented field than she imagined. Karen cannot wait to continue diving into the work, using their voice to facilitate sustainable theatre, quite literally, from the ground up.