About

Caroline Nowak is an award-winning Lighting Designer based in New York City. She is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Caroline has enjoyed an active freelance career as an assistant lighting designer and electrician at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Bay Street Theatre, and Hangar Theatre.

Caroline holds an MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Nebraska. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Birmingham-Southern College. During her time at Nebraska, she has designed productions with the Lied Center, Nebraska Repertory Theatre, the Glenn Korff School of Music, Benedictine College Theatre, Doane University Theatre, Nebraska Wesleyan University Theatre, and Lincoln Community Playhouse.

She served as one of the 2025 Hemsley Interns and worked as Paul Miller’s assistant lighting designer at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. She has received the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Commendation of Excellence in Lighting Design for the University of Nebraska Theatrix’s Love Song and the Award for Theatrical Excellence: Lighting Design from Birmingham-Southern College for her evocative design of 35MM: A Musical Exhibition.