2 TXST lighting design alumni selected for competitive Hemsley Lighting programs

Two graduates of the theatre design program at Texas State University were selected for two competitive Hemsley Lighting programs, marking the first two students in the university’s history to earn them.

AJ Rose, who received a master of fine arts in theatre, design with an emphasis in lighting design this year, was selected as one of two 2026 Hemsley Lighting interns. Jules Cabrera, who received a bachelor of fine arts in theatre with an emphasis in technical theatre and lighting design in 2023, was selected as the 2026 Howell Binkley Fellow.

“There are an extremely small number of professional lighting design internships that provide meaningful experience and networking opportunities,” said Sarah Maines, director of the School of Theatre, Dance and Film. “The fact that a recent MFA recipient secured one of the Hemsley positions while a BFA alumnus earned the Binkley is an excellent illustration of the caliber of the theatre design training, both graduate and undergraduate, offered at Texas State.” 

As a student at TXST, Rose completed lighting design for productions like Romeo and Juliet, Sweeney Todd, and Cinderella, as well as designed a few of his own shows at the Zach Theater in Austin. 

Rose worked with lighting designer Paul Miller at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in Pittsburgh, and is now working with Rob Denton at the Muny in St. Louis, Missouri. They also worked with Ed McCarthy, Bob Dickinson, and Noah Mitz on an independent study on the Tony Awards. 

“It’s a big honor to say that I was selected as one of the two interns, especially since it takes place over many months in many different places,” Rose said. “This is a huge boost for my resume, gives me immense networking opportunities, and is a great personal experience. I couldn’t do these things without this internship.” 

When Cabrera was a student at TXST, she gained knowledge about scenic design, built production items, learned how to direct scenes, and discovered the techniques of lighting a show.

“There’s a path for everyone to get wherever they want to be, but it’s hard for me to imagine getting here without my experience at Texas State,” Cabrera said. “There’s something about experiencing a faculty member [Trad Burns] who is so in tune with what students need that will push them. The students at Texas State are so locked in and are so driven.”

She recently earned a master of fine arts in lighting design from the University of Cincinnati.

Cabrera is now working with Ryan O’Gara and Amanda Zieve, former associates of the late lighting designer Howell Binkley, to gain exposure of the industry in a commercial setting. 

“When Ryan and Amanda told me that they were ready to move forward with me as the Binkley Fellow, I finally let myself get excited about the idea that I could do it,” Cabrera said. “The whole time I thought, ‘There’s no way. This is just a fun thing to do.’ Then there was the eagerness to get started and all the excitement that comes with it.”

Both Rose and Cabrera credit Trad Burns, lecturer, for his mentorship, shaping their learning of lighting design, and how to apply that knowledge to lighting theater productions.

For the third year in a row, TXST was named a top 25 drama school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter, specifically number 22 this year. Maines said the publicity often goes to musical theater because of its popularity, but the technicians and designers play major roles in those production efforts.

“Musical theater is very flashy and showy, and it therefore gets a lot of the notoriety,” Maines said. “What makes the flashiness, what makes the music heard, and what makes the sparkle are the designers and technicians behind it. It’s their job to be invisible. This is recognition that they play such a heavy hand in elevating this program to the current caliber.”

Visit the TXST School of Theatre, Dance and Film webpage for more information about the program.

The Hemsley Internship provides recent graduates the opportunity to work in a professional repertory situation with resident and guest designers. The Howell Binkley Fellowship offers an individual exposure to New York City based Lighting Designers and the Theatrical Lighting Community, including the worlds of commercial and nonprofit lighting design.