"If only I'd been alive long enough to see Josh's lighting, I would have never gone back to the theatre." -A. Linocln
Josh Weckesser was born and raised in Normal (Illinois), a fact that he did not find odd at the time. Josh feel in love with lighting at the top of a lift suffering from severe vertigo. He has yet to find the ground. Josh moved to Chicago in 2003 and has been (moon) lighting ever since. Focusing on live performance Josh's work is primarily seen in Chicago, but has also been seen nationally and internationally.
Moving primarily in circles of dance Josh has worked closely with Molly Shanahan / Mad Shak Dance Company for four years as resident lighting designer / core collaborator on projects such as Eye Cycle and My Name is a Blackbird. Both of these projects being long-term in-depth collaborative ventures with multiple instillations and incarnations. Josh has also worked with Shanahan on smaller projects such as Arena/Wishlap and The Poems of Replaceable Kings, among others.
Josh also works closely with John Schmitz who produces the Dance Chicago festival. Josh has been involved in the festival for since 2003, becoming the lead lighting designer / production stage manager in 2005. Dance Chicago remains the only festival of its size and scope in the nation, featuring over three hundred dance companies and 30 performances in five weeks.
In the summer of 2007 Josh accompined Hromovytsia Ukrainian Dance Ensemble on their tour of Europe as lighting designer / techinal director. He also works with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago since 2006 as assistant lighting director. Josh has also worked with Dance Loop Chicago, The Seldoms, and Adler Danz Theatre Project, among others.
On the theatre side Josh has skipped the light fantastic with such companies as The Side Project, Apple Tree Theatre and The Mill, among others. He has a history of working with new and established scripts. Some of the cannon Josh has worked on is She Stoops to Conquor, The Bald Soprano, Annie
and No Exit, among others.
Josh is an artistic assosate of Lumen Siccum, a productoin company headed by Margaret L. Nelson dedicated to providing design and techinal support to small and medium dance companies and making improved production affordable to all.
Lastly, Josh is the figure head of the greatest annual show ever: The Josh Weckesser Dance Spectacular. In his free time Josh enjoys reading books recomended by friends, watching Chicago Bears football and pie. Pecan, among others.
