Robert Thomson

Robert Thomson is one of Canada’s most prolific and versatile lighting designers. He has received numerous awards over his 40+ year career including five Dora Mavor Moore Awards and the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in Theatre in 2012. For The National Ballet of Canada, Robert served as Resident Lighting Designer for 12 seasons. His designs include The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Manon and Swan Lake. Over 13 seasons at Stratford Festival, Robert designed 29 productions. During his 24 seasons at Shaw Festival, he is credited with 55 productions. He designed Canadian Opera Company’s globally acclaimed Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung, directed by Robert Lepage, for which he received the 2026 Dora Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design in the Opera division. He has worked with a diverse range of companies including National Arts Centre, Canadian Stage, Citadel Theatre, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Goodman Theatre, Hartford Stage, American Ballet Theatre, Seattle Opera, Geneva Opera, Boston Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. Robert is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama.