Michael Zellmann-Rohrer ’10

When one considers that during his time at Harvard College, Michael W. Zellmann-Rohrer ’10 has served as lighting designer for over 40 college theater productions, a fellow technician’s description of Zellmann-Rohrer as “a bright spot among others” becomes fitting in more ways than one. And in recognition for both the figurative and literal illumination which Zellmann-Rohrer has provided to the theater community, the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) has selected him as this year’s recipient of the Louise Donovan Award for work behind the scenes in the arts and the Alan Symonds Award for outstanding technical achievement in theater.

Zellmann-Rohrer came to Harvard with very little experience in lighting design. “I had done some design in high school on a very small scale,” he explains, “but I never had any formal lessons. During my freshman spring I just started assisting on all kinds of shows and learned that way.” But according to Beth G. Shields ’10, former president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club (and Zellmann-Rohrer’s girlfriend), Zellmann-Rohrer’s knack for lighting design has never been hindered by a lack of formal training. “Michael possesses a phenomenal talent as a designer,” she says. “He’s incredibly creative, and he can solve the most difficult challenges that come up in any show.”

According to J. Michael Griggs, Technical Director of the Loeb Drama Center, the most impressive aspects of Zellmann-Rohrer’s lighting career are the sheer quantity of productions on which he has served and the calm with which he manages his responsibilities. During the last four years, Zellmann-Rohrer often has worked on multiple shows at the same time, and yet, Griggs explains, “He never complains. He’ll often be the only one in the theater, fixing everything quietly until it’s finished, and then it just seems to happen like magic.” When asked how he juggles such an intense workload, Zellmann-Rohrer simply replies, “I always tried to think of it as a hobby or a fun extracurricular. I got through those stressful times by remembering that it was supposed to be fun, and also with the help of the great people in the Harvard theater community.”

Zellmann-Rohrer has become an integral part of Harvard theater during the last four years. “Everyone in the theater here knows Michael,” Griggs says. “He can be kind of shy, but somehow he appears here and there around campus and shows just seem to get lit.” In addition to his omnipresence, Shields adds, Zellmann-Rohrer has made a significant impact by mentoring other student technicians. “Michael has a real dedication to helping others,” she says. “He’s great at stepping back and helping other designers figure out what they want to happen, and then letting that happen.”

Zellmann-Rohrer, a Classics concentrator in Mather House, says he plans to pursue a PhD in Classics after graduation and does not foresee a future in lighting design. “I don’t think I’m committed to do it professionally,” he says, “but I still intend to see as much theater as possible. I’ll definitely miss it.” And the Harvard theater community is sure to reciprocate the feeling, says Shields. “Whenever Michael isn’t doing the lighting for a show, the theater feels empty without him,” she says. “Most people who have seen a Harvard theater production have been inspired by him, whether they realize it or not. He will be sorely missed.”