CHRISTOPHER BOWSER: PRODUCTION DESIGNER
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LIGHTING DESIGN

MAGNIFICENT BIRD/BOOK OF TRAVELERS

Created and performed by Gabe Kahane
​
Directed by Annie Tippe
Scenic Design by Amp feat. Oscar Escobedo
Costumes by Wendy Yang
Sound Design by Garth MacAleavey
PSM Elizabeth Emanuel

September 2024
PETER JAY SHARP THEATER
PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS
Photos by Marc J. Franklin
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LIGHTING AND SCENIC DESIGN

THESE ARE THE CONTENTS OF MY HEAD
(THE ANNIE LENNOX SHOW)

Created and performed by Salty Brine
​
Directed by Shaun Peknic
Arrangements and Music Direction by Ben Langhorst
Costumes by Kate Fry
Stage Managed by Emma Sonricker
Co-produced by Renee Blinkwolt, Lucy Jackson & Devin McCallion Fletcher

25-30 June
JOE'S PUB, THE PUBLIC THEATRE NYC


31 July- 25 August
Presented by Soho Theatre at Assembly Checkpoint
EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL


11-26 April 2025
Soho Theatre, Dean Street
London, UK

​
*****
​Set and lighting designer Christopher Bowser deserves considerable praise for the complex storytelling of the lighting that gives shape and form to the layers unfurling endlessly within Salty’s head.

- LIVVY PERRETT, West End Best Friend

*****
"the pace, scope and sheer bravura is astounding...Brine is a ferociously articulate storyteller, pushing the possibilites of cabaret further while honouring the artists of the past
."
- PAUL VALE, The Stage
​​

*****
"
you can almost feel the steam rise in New Orleans, the cold strength of the rip tide
and the slap of water against the tiles of the local swimming pool as Brine sings through the bars of several gilded cages.
"
-JO LAIDLAW, The List
​
Photos by Da Ping Luo
LIGHTING DESIGN

THREE HOUSES
⁣⁣⁣⁣
music, lyrics, book, + orchestrations by Dave Malloy⁣⁣⁣
directing + choreography by ⁣⁣Annie Tippe⁣⁣
music directing by Or Matias⁣⁣⁣

scenic design by⁣⁣ DOTS⁣⁣⁣
costume design by⁣⁣ Haydee Zelideth
sound design by Nick Kourtides⁣⁣⁣
puppet design by⁣⁣ James Ortiz⁣⁣⁣
puppet directing by⁣⁣ Emma Wiseman
​
PSM Elizabeth Emanuel
⁣⁣
April-June 2024
Signature Theatre Center
Romulus Linney Courtyard Theater
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"I’d been primed for poetry by Bowser’s dreamlike, rich-hued lighting. Glowing, flickering or suddenly illuminating a weird corner of the set, it seems to be wired directly to the music."
- JESSE GREEN, New York Times
​

"the light flickers (of Bowser’s lighting design) feel timed like their own orchestra..."
- CAROLINE CAO, New York Theater Guide

"lit with almost cardiovascular intensity"
- JUAN A RAMIREZ, Theatrely
Photos by Marc J Franklin
​LIGHTING DESIGN

SECURITY BY JULIA XLV
JULIA SCHER: AMERICAN LANDSCAPE

Ortuzar Projects
Tribeca, NYC
March 7 – April 13, 2024


A recreation of the lighting for artist Julia Scher's 2002 piece.
​Programmed effects on a 9 minute loop to correspond to the artist's spoken and atmospheric soundscape.

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Courtesy of the artist and Ortuzar Projects, New York. | Photos: Dario Lasagni | ©Julia Scher


​PRODUCTION DESIGN

BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN: THE SMITHS SHOW
Created and performed by Salty Brine
​
Directed by Shaun Peknic

costume design by Kate Fry

Soho Theatre, Dean Street
London, UK
September 2023
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Photos by Harry Elletson.
​LIGHTING DESIGN

COWBOY BOB
CREATED BY MOLLY BEACH MURPHY, JEANNA PHILLIPS & ANNIE TIPPE
MUSIC & LYRICS BY JEANNA PHILLIPS
BOOK & ADDITIONAL LYRICS BY MOLLY BEACH MURPHY
ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY ALEX THRAILKILL
DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY ANNIE TIPPE


scenic design by Diggle
costume design by Haydee Zelideth
projection design by Stivo Arnoczy
sound design by Jessica Paz
​
Alley Theatre 
Houston, Tx
March 2023
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Production Design: Constellations
by Nick Payne
​directed by Mark Cuddy


​February 2022
Geva Theatre Center Fielding Stage 
Rochester, NY

​costume design by Christina Selian


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Photos by Ron Heerkens Jr.



​Production Design: Animal Wisdom Film
​

by Heather Christian
stage direction by Emilyn Kowaleski
film direction by Amber McGinnis
​ 
 filmed March 2021, Streaming May-June 2021
filmed at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Washington DC

percussion design by Eric Farber

costume design by Heather McDevitt-Barton
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"Superb set design...a level of coziness meets church meets seance meets whatever Christian needs...
Bowser creates a visual feast for the eyes in every second of the production."

-Broadway World


"Bowser's acoustics-friendly set design creates an intimate sanctuary on screen,
​while his lighting seems to be powered by the intensity of the music."

- TheaterMania


​Lighting Design: OCTET
​

by Dave Malloy
directed by Annie Tippe

scenic design by Amy Rubin + Brittany Vasta
costume design by Brenda Abbandandolo
​ 
April-June 2019
Signature Theatre Center
Romulus Linney Courtyard Theater
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Scenic & Lighting Design: THE UNDERTOW
​

by Claire Rothrock Ryann Weir and Nate Weida 
directed by Andrew Neisler
​ 
December 2018
Playwrights Horizons Theater School
Robert Moss Theater

prop design by Kaitlyn Horpedahl

costume design by Melissa Ng
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Photos by Marcus Middleton.
Lighting Design: FOLK WANDERING
​

by Jaclyn Backhaus, Andrew Neisler, Blake Allen, Mike Brun, Andrew R. Butler, Joel Esher, Alex Fast, Jo Lampert, Barrie McLain, Annie Tippe, and Dominique Toney 
directed by Andrew Neisler
​ 
February/March 2018
Pipeline Theater Company
Mezzanine Theater
ARTNY Theaters

scenic design by Carolyn Mraz

costume design by Heather McDevitt-Barton
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Photos by Suzi Sadler.
​
Production Design: SECRET SUPPER THE MUSICAL
book by T. Adamson
music by Jeanna Phillips
directed by Andrew Neisler

Spring Street Social Society
November 2017
The Africa Center

styling by Nikki Pettus
Photos by Sam Ortiz.
​
Scenic Design: BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL
August 2017
Cape Repertory Theatre

by Lee Hall & Elton John
directed by Maura Hanlon
Photos by: Bob Tucker/Focalpoint Studio

Scenic Design: Fool for Love

March 2017
Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
Lee Strasberg Theatre

July 2017
International Theatre School Festival
Warsaw, Poland

by Sam Shepard
directed by Shaun Peknic
Photos by Bjorn Bolinder.

Scenic Design: Urinetown, The Musical

March 2017
Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
Lee Strasberg Theatre

directed by Rob Heller
Photos by Marcus Middleton.
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Scenic Design: The Red Room

July 2016
TBG Theatre
The Shelter NYC

by Morgan McGuire
directed by JennyBeth Snyder
lighting by Joe Cantalupo
costumes by Heather McDevitt Barton

The Hodges have gathered at a family house in the northern reaches of California. As the sentencing of their son and brother’s murderer nears, questions of justice and forgiveness arise and the family seeks to sift through what has been lost. As they pull at the threads of these questions, new truths begin to unravel.

Photos by Michael Kingsbaker.

Playing Hot: Scenic Design

June 2016
Gym at Judson Church
Pipeline Theatre Company

by Kevin Armento
directed by Jaki Bradley

Set within a brassy dance hall, PLAYING HOT deconstructs the incredible story of the birth of jazz in New Orleans. Retracing the rise and fall of Buddy Bolden, the little-known trumpeter who pioneered the radical sound that would become America’s Art Form, the show is neither biography nor period piece, neither play nor musical, but an explosive theatrical event in the style of jazz. A live brass band joins a dynamic ensemble to riff on everything from Mardi Gras and Public Enemy, to questions of appropriation and the cult of celebrity.
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Photos by Marcus Middleton.
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Mermaiden: Scenic Design

November 2015
Commercial Space at Madison Square Garden
​Spring Street Social Society

by T. Adamson
directed by Andrew Neisler

Toilet Fire: Scenic and Lighting Design

October-November 2015
Abrons Arts Center

by Eliza Bent
directed by Kevin Laibson

Toilet Fire: Rectums in the Rectory is Eliza Bent’s ceremony and celebration of the one thing that unites us all: our need to go. Using the structure of an ancient religious ritual to talk about matters of digestion, philosophy, and faith, Toilet Fire: Rectums in the Rectory, performed by Bent and Alaina Ferris, explodes with song, audience participation, and unexpected textual twists. By the end of this tour-de-toots, the trappings of a religious service fall away and Toilet Fire reverts to a more traditional solo show structure with the real Eliza Bent talking and ultimately asking: How can we best relieve suffering? There will be puns. There will be poo.
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"Bowser's starkly angled lighting constantly reshapes the space, conjuring up an atmosphere of mystery; certain scenes are daringly played in total darkness, adding to the general tension. Lighting and sound work together beautifully in a nightmarish sequence set in a train station, rendered as a labyrinth dominated by the sound of a train engine." -Lighting and Sound America

The Gray Man: Lighting Design

September- October 2015
Walker Space
Pipeline Theatre Company

by Andrew Farmer
directed by Andrew Neisler

"Bowser's lighting gives the play everything it needs to hold an audience in fear and suspense; he knows precisely how much or how little light a scene needs. One chilling sequence in particular takes place lit only by a dim lantern." -StageBuddy
Photos by Suzi Sadler

Ghost Quartet:
Production and Lighting Design

Premier October 2014
Bushwick Starr
Encore January-March 2015
The Heath at the McKittrick Hotel

by Dave Malloy
directed by Annie Tippe

Ghost Quartet is Brent Arnold, Brittain Ashford, Gelsey Bell, and Dave Malloy

A song cycle about love death and whiskey
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Photos by Ryan Jensen.
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I HEARD SEX NOISES: SCENIC DESIGN

February 2015
Ars Nova Project Residency
Written + Performed by Andrew Farmer, Claire Rothrock + Ryann Weir
Directed by Annie Tippe

Orgies. Drugs. Arson. Lawn Gnomes. Best in Show meets The Crucible in this mockumentary look at the Roosevelt Island Garden Club’s descent into chaos. Inspired by true events covered in The New York Times. The rest we made up.

Photos by Marielle Solan.
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Tape:
Lighting Design

May 2013
Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute
Marilyn Monroe Theatre

by Stephen Belber
directed by Andrew Neisler

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Lighting Design:
A Four-Letter Word


September 2012
Lakeside Arts Center at the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England 

This new play based on the life and works of Allen Ginsberg explores what might have inspired the great beat poet to create his epic poem, Howl. The piece received its world premier at the World Event Young Artists Festival.

by Jess R. Burkle
directed by Tony Speciale

Lighting Design:
Minq Vaadka's Narcischism: un Cabaret D'adieu


August/September 2011
Robert Moss Theater: 440 Studios, NYC

Equal parts concert spectacle and musical narrative, MINQ VAADKAʼS NARCISCHISM is a hyper-stylized journey deep into the psyche of a tortured performance artist. 

by Adam Cochoran and Barrie McClain
directed by Chantel Pascente.


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Lighting Design:
First Ladies Project

September 2011
Robert Moss Theater: 440 Studios, NYC

First Ladies Project dives deep into 1776’s America with Martha Washington and resurfaces with Michelle Obama, coursing through the White House and unearthing the stories of this entirely American and oft-forgotten sorority.

collaboratively written by and starring Kim Blanck, Dana Clinkman, Claire Downs, Ryann Weir, and Annie Tippe
directed by Annie Tippe

Lighting Design: 
The Queen of the May and her Harvest Kings

April 2011
Galapagos Art Space- Dumbo, Brooklyn
September 2011
Robert Moss Theater- 440 Studios, NYC

a competition

by Evan Watkins and Andrew Farmer
directed by Jordan Fein




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Lighting and Scenic Design: 
Our Farm

January 2011
Underground Arts Philadelphia

The Theatrical Assembly of Self-Realized Animals is out to prove their independence from mankind by exposing the lies of a slanderous novel. But when things go wrong, the stage quickly becomes a slaughterhouse and every actor is on the chopping block.

by Andrew Farmer
directed by Andrew Neisler
Photos by Christopher Bowser
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