David Warfel is a lighting designer who practices at the convergence of theatrical lighting, architectural lighting, and projection design to bring extraordinary results to live performances and environments. David serves as Co-Director of LEVEL21 at Krannert Center, the convergent production training group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Regionally David has designed Relativity, The Dance on Widow’s Row, Sarafina!, and A Song for Coretta with the Saint Louis Black Repertory, Little Women and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with Taylor University Theatre, Exit the King and Not About Heroes with Chicago’s Library Theatre, and Ghosts, Oedipus Rex, and the Chicago equity premier of Edward Albee’s The Lady from Dubuque with the Organic Theatre Company. David’s design for Nathan Gunn and Julie Gunn at Carnegie Hall/Zankel Hall NYC was written up in Lighting & Sound America, as was his work on CatHouse at the Luxor Las Vegas. Environmental/Architectural lighting designs include the Hyde Park Arts Center in Chicago and new exhibits for the Red Rock Canyon Visitor’s Center in Las Vegas, The Rub at the Rio Las Vegas, and the MGM Grand Skyloft Lobby, also in Las Vegas. As design faculty, David has designed numerous productions for the Krannert stages including Candles to the Sun, Something’s Afoot, Hansel et Gretel, Histoire du Soldat & Mahogonny Songspiel and for the Summer Studio seasons including The Glass Menagerie, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Broadway, My Three Angels, and Parfumerie. Locally in Champaign-Urbana, David has designed Rantoul & Die and Parasite Drag at the Station Theatre and Oklahoma! and Crazy for You with the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company. David is currently implementing an energy-efficient lighting system comprised of LED, HID, and Plasma light sources in the Armory Theatre in Champaign, Illinois.
