Shelby Thach is a theatrical and dance lighting designer originally from San Gabriel, California. She is currently a third year MFA lighting design candidate at the University of California, San Diego. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama with Honors in Lighting Design and Technology from the University of California, Irvine in 2019. After graduating, she spent the next year working as a freelance lighting designer and assistant. Shelby has worked in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County areas in both professional and academic productions.
Shelby first gained interest in lighting during her time at UCI when she signed up to work in the electrics crew for one of her school's mainstage productions. From there, she was able to take a variety of undergraduate and graduate level lighting design courses that covered the creative side and the technical side of lighting.
Outside of theatre, Shelby enjoys visiting places she's never been to before, especially museums. One of her favorite types of work to look at is contemporary art, particularly abstract sculptures or installations. Another passion that Shelby keeps up with is wrestling; she likes to visit her former high school to teach students who are new to the sport as often as she can.
