Heather Gilbert (Photo: Philip Dembinski)

Congratulations to Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department faculty member Heather Gilbert, coordinator of the Theatre Department’s Theatre Design Program, who has been nominated for a 2023 Tony Award – the Broadway theatre industry’s top prize – for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for the current production of Parade at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Gilbert is also nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical for the same show. Unlike the Tony Awards, which only recognize Broadway productions, the Drama Desk considers all New York City theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off. As previously reported in this blog, Gilbert won the 2020 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play for her Broadway designing debut with the drama The Sound Inside, which ran on Broadway from September 2019 through mid-January of 2020.

Ben Platt in “Parade.” (Photo: Joan Marcus)

Parade, which stars Ben Platt, opened on March 16, 2023, and has a scheduled closing date of August 6. It has also been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.