J. Michael Gillette is a Professor Emeritus from the Department of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Arizona. Over his thirty-three-year teaching career he taught stage lighting, media lighting, scenic design, sound design and technical production, and designed over a hundred productions. He is also the author of Theatrical Design and Production.

Michael McNamara is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Purdue University and has taught theatrical lighting at the graduate and undergraduate levels for over fifteen years. He has worked as a professional lighting designer for more than twenty-five years, including eight years as an Assistant Lighting Designer with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center where he worked on over fifty productions. He is a Jeff Award winner and a member of United Scenic Artists.