Heather Gilbert is an award-winning lighting designer, based in Chicago.

Her work includes the Tony Award winning Broadway production of PARADE, by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry, directed by Michael Arden, starring Micaela Diamond and Ben Platt. Heather was nominated for a Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for PARADE. Recent work includes the Broadway production of THE SOUND INSIDE, by Adam Rapp, directed by David Cromer, and starring Mary-Louise Parker at Studio 54 for which she won the Drama Desk Award, was an honoree for the Outer Critics Circle, and was nominated for a Tony Award.

Other productions with David Cromer include DEAD OUTLAW for Audible at Minetta Lane Theatre, OUR TOWN at the Almeida Theatre in London, where it was produced following runs in Chicago, New York, LA, Boston, and Kansas City; BUG at Steppenwolf Theatre (Jeff Award for Best Lighting Design); A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at Writers Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival, and RENT at American Theatre Company/AboutFace Theatre in Chicago.

Heather designed MS BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT with Tina Landau at Steppenwolf, DANCE NATION with Lee Sunday Evans at Steppenwolf Theatre, and THE NICETIES at Writers Theatre with Marti Lyons, as well as the Bingham Theatre shows at the 2019 Humana Festival including HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF, THE CORPSE WASHER, and WE'VE COME TO BELIEVE.

Regionally, Heather’s designs have been seen at Studio Theatre in DC, Magic Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Huntington Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Kansas City Rep, Alley Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Writers Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre, and many more. Other international credits include PEDRO PARAMO with Teatro Buendia in Montreal and A PERFECT GANESH at Singapore Repertory Theatre.

Heather works frequently with acclaimed directors such as Devon DeMayo, Joanie Schultz, Jonathan Berry, David Cromer, Sean Graney, Ron OJ Parson and many others. In 2012, Heather received the 3Arts Award in Chicago. She was a recipient of the prestigious NEA/TCG Career Development Grant for Designers from TCG. Heather received her BA from Trinity University in San Antonio and her MFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. Since 2006, she has served as the head of the lighting program at Columbia College Chicago.

Currently Heather is working on THE HISTORY PLAYS: Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V at the Guthrie, directed by Joe Haj, and LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD at Steppenwolf, directed by Joe Mantello.