Ms. Cubbage’s grandfather was a theater director and lighting designer, and she grew up with drafting templates mixed in with her crayons. This early exposure, and an attraction to danger and beauty, led her to join the stage crew in high school and college. There she could engage in the 4-D painting that is lighting design, and crawl across a 40-foot-high grid in a climbing harness.

Since earning degrees from Grinnell College and Ohio University, she’s had an award-winning career with credits that span more than a decade in regional theater (in Seattle since 2015) and Broadway. She has also designed lighting for live music (from punk to platinum-certified) nation-wide, at venues ranging from high end jazz clubs to huge outdoor festivals. Her light installations at art galleries and special events have earned awards and art grants. Gwen taught lighting design at Seattle University for several years.

In 2021, Gwen moved, with her wife and friends, to the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. When not converting the top floor of a barn into a loft apartment, Gwen can be found hiking through the surrounding forest, greeting the resident eagles, salmon, bears, and lost mountain bikers. Additional on-site projects include developing a visual arts studio on the barn’s main floor, a dance/yoga/martial arts space, music practice and recording facilities, and lodging for multiple guests, for an artist-residency program opening in the Fall of 2022.

CONTACT GWEN