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Dean Jutras looks back on year two at CCM
September 23, 2026
CCM Dean Pete Jutras shares a message with the college's community as he enters his third year.
Lighting Design and Technology
CCM Lighting Design and Technology’s BFA and MFA programs are guided by a hands-on, experiential philosophy and holistic approach to the entire entertainment industry.
We offer students real production opportunities, access to industry standard technology and professional connections through exciting faculty, guests and alumni.
Opportunity
CCM is home multiple performance disciplines: plays, musicals, dance and opera form our active and varied production season. Student opportunities also include film projects like CCM Idea Lab and other collaborations with CCM's Media Production Division. We also have large format projects both in class and out, led by faculty with broad industry knowledge in multiple disciplines like concerts, TV and corporate events. Our opportunities are not just for lighting designers; they are also for programmers, technicians, innovators, media designers and creatives across the entertainment industry.
Technology
Our Lighting Design and Technology students get to work with multiple different lighting consoles and media servers, along with conventional, LED and moving lights and projectors in three different performance spaces that expose them to a large range of production sizes during their time here. We have partnerships with manufacturers and hold regular new gear demos. We organize trainings with industry partners like Disguise One. We offer two semesters of Moving Light Programming and two semesters of Lighting Technology.
Connections
CCM Lighting Design and Technology has active and connected faculty with decades of experience nationally and internationally working in theatre, dance and opera, along with concerts, television, corporate events and touring productions. Our students regularly get to interact with a roster of guest speakers from a variety of specializations ranging from designers for European opera, Cirque Du Soleil and the iHeartRadio Awards to high level programmers, production electricians, lighting manufacturers and event producers. Our alumni network is vast and strong, offering students a network and community.
CCM Lighting Design and Technology alumni don’t just work in the entertainment industry, they lead it. Our graduates design on Broadway and around the world, run concert, television, film and augmented reality production companies, keep touring shows running and develop the newest lighting technologies. They have those opportunities because of the training CCM provides, and that includes access to contemporary lighting technology while they’re in school so they’re ready to assume leadership positions immediately upon graduation and, perhaps most importantly, so they can return to CCM and share their successes, both to inspire and to help train the next generation.
Faculty
Gregory S. Falcione,
Master Electrician; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Lighting Design and Technology
Kevin Lawson,
Assistant Professor Educator of Lighting Design and Technology
513-556-5803
Ben Nicholson,
Assistant Professor of Immersive Media and Visuals for Live Events
Theatre Design and Production Department Chair
Emily C. Porter,
Chair of Theatre Design and Production; Associate Professor of Audio Technology
513-556-7482
Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration Division Head and Staff
Rebecca Bromels,
Division Head of Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration (TAPAA); Chair and Associate Professor of Arts Administration
513-556-5803
CCM's admissions process begins on August 1 for entrance in the following year's fall semester. All application materials must be submitted on or before December 3 (for BFA applicants) and March 3 (for MFA applicants) to be considered for specific scholarship awards. Visit the CCM Admissions website for additional application instructions.
Theatre Design and Production - BFA
Pre-screening
Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 to be considered for admission and invited for an audition.
Pre-screening Requirements
- Current resume
- 500-word applicant statement
- Use the 500-word statement to express: how you came to your area of theater design and production, what you expect to gain out of the CCM experience, and what direction you intend to go upon graduation. What are your personal and professional goals and how does CCM get you closer to those goals?
- Upload contact information for three references
- Portfolio (include theatre, artistic, and/or craft work)
- Theatre Design and Production questionnaire
Interview
Interview Requirements
- Application materials, along with experiences, achievements and long-range goals will be discussed at the applicant’s interview. All applicants will interview with faculty from the Theatre Design and Production department.
Additional Information
- Candidates should only apply to one major within Theatre Design and Production unless you are seriously considering two areas.
Theatre Design and Production - MFA
Pre-screening
Applicants must submit a graduate application by April 1 and the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before April 3 in order to request an interview with the faculty and be considered for admissions.
If you’ve participated in U/RTA you must submit the required materials (listed below) to Acceptd to be considered for admissions into CCM.
Pre-screening Requirements
- Current resume
- 500-word applicant statement
- Use the 500-word statement to express: how you came to your area of theater design and production, what you expect to gain out of the CCM experience, and what direction you intend to go upon graduation. What are your personal and professional goals and how does CCM get you closer to those goals?
- Portfolio (include theatre, artistic, and/or craft work)
Interview
Interview Requirements
- MFA Interviews should be coordinated and scheduled directly through the appropriate faculty. Visit the Theatre Design and Production website for the faculty directory and contact information.
- Application materials, along with experiences, achievements and long-range goals will be discussed at the applicant’s interview. All applicants will interview with faculty from the Theatre Design and Production department.
You will gain valuable hands-on experience working with our industry standard professional lighting and video equipment, software and inventory, including:
- High End Systems, GLP and Vari*Lite automated fixtures
- ETC Eos Family consoles and GrandMA 3 consoles
- LED Lighting fixtures including a large inventory of ETC Source4 Lustr Series 2 and 3 fixtures
- A huge inventory of conventional fixtures
- Previsualization computer with Depence
- Disguise Media Servers with Notch
- Touchdesigner, Resolume and Isadora installed on custom built media computers
- Video walls and large venue projectors for use on productions
- Light lab for student use to explore your lighting and projection ideas
- Three different performance spaces, studio, proscenium, and thrust.
News and Events
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Get to know CCM’s newest faculty and staff members
September 14, 2026
UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will welcome a variety of new faculty and staff members to its roster of distinguished performing and media arts experts, researchers and educators this fall.
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CCM welcomes Jordan M. Davis as Assistant Dean of Admissions
September 8, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Jordan M. Davis, MA, as the college's new Assistant Dean of Admissions. In this role, Davis will be responsible for the vision, strategy and execution of all undergraduate and graduate recruitment and admissions for CCM. Working in partnership with college and university leadership, Davis will work to ensure that CCM's enrollment goals continue to align with its artistic and academic priorities. His appointment begins on Oct. 1, 2026.
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CCM shares 2026-27 calendar of ticketed + free performances and events
August 20, 2026
Experience world-class performances by the next generation of performing and media artists at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). With more than 130 different performances and events, there is something happening nearly every week of the school year!
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CCM students create installation for BLINK 2026
August 8, 2026
Students from UC College-Conservatory of Music are creating a dazzling display for BLINK, the nation's largest public light and art festival. Illuminated by ArtsWave, BLINK transforms 30+ city blocks from Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine through Northern Kentucky on Oct. 8-11, 2026.
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CCM welcomes Ben Nicholson as Assistant Professor of Immersive Media and Live Events
June 24, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Benjamin Nicholson as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Immersive Media and Visuals for Live Events. A CCM alumnus (MFA Lighting Design & Technology, 2025), Nicholson's faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026, and he will work with college leadership to develop classes, content and programming in Live and Immersive Media at CCM. Nicholson's position is a joint appointment shared by CCM's Divisions of Media Production and Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration, and he will teach classes for both areas of the college.
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CCM announces initial schedule of performances for 2026-27
June 11, 2026
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) has announced its initial schedule of major performances for 2026-27. These 15 events include beloved titles for the stage like La bohème, RENT and Cabaret, along with concerts showcasing the works of Gustav Mahler, Duke Ellington and John Williams … just to name a few highlights! This schedule of major performances runs Sept. 15, 2026, through April 23, 2027. Tickets for all 15 concerts and shows listed below are on sale now. See individual performance listings for additional information.
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CCM alumni win big at the 2026 Tony Awards
June 8, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music alumni took center stage during a star-studded evening on Sunday, June 7, when music superstar P!NK hosted the American Theatre Wing’s prestigious Tony Awards. Two of CCM's most accomplished alumni took home top honors during this year's ceremony. Shoshana Bean and Stephen Flaherty both received Tonys during the June 7 ceremony.
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Best of Broadway: CCM alumni nominated in Tony Awards
May 18, 2026
Annually recognized by Playbill as one of the top schools most represented on Broadway, UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) has many alumni working on stage and behind-the-scenes in New York's professional theaters. Multiple CCM alumni have been recently recognized for their work, including in award nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Chita Rivera Awards and Drama League Awards.
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CCM welcomes Rachel Roberts as Associate Dean of Strategy and Operations
May 11, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Rachel Roberts, EdD, as CCM's inaugural Associate Dean of Strategy and Operations. In this newly-created role, Roberts will partner with Dean Jutras and other college leaders to advance strategic, operational and academic priorities. Roberts is nationally recognized for developing leaders and advancing how musicians and arts organizations learn, adapt and lead in an evolving arts landscape. Her appointment officially begins on July 6, 2026.
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Next OnStage: CCM presents 'Sweeney Todd' April 15-19
Event: April 15, 2026 12:00 AM
UC College-Conservatory of Music presents Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd on April 15-19, 2026 in Corbett Auditorium. An infamously bloody tale of obsession and revenge, the production features a collaboration between CCM’s nationally recognized Musical Theatre and Opera/Voice programs with the CCM Philharmonia.
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Student Lighting Designer named 2026 Howell Binkley Fellow
March 10, 2026
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music student Jules Cabrera, MFA Lighting Design and Technology, is the 2026 Howell Binkley Fellow, presented by Hemsley Lighting Programs.