Wesley Cornwell is a PhD student in Theatre and Performance in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He studies the history and theory of twentieth century performance in its philosophical, architectural, and technological contexts. His dissertation traces the emergence and professionalization of lighting design in order to better understand the relationship between technological change, aesthetic imagination, and creative labor.

Wesley maintains an ongoing practice as a scenic and lighting designer for theater and live performance. He contributed to the futureStage project at Harvard’s metaLAB, and his designs have been seen at Off-Broadway and indie theaters, including Pershing Square Signature Center, Theater Row, American Theater of Actors, The Tank, Theater for the New City, Under St. Marks, The Brick, and more.

He holds an MDes from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and a BA in Anthropology and Theatre from Princeton, where he was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts.

Get in touch: hello@wfcornwell.com