About Me
Dallas J. Cook is a Charlotte-based lighting designer and theatrical technician in his final year of undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). Much of his lighting design has been focused in the area of dance, working on UNC Charlotte Department of Dance’s Reach, Open Wounds, Our Many Gifts, Law of Humanity, Verve, Roll With It…, Under the Umbrellas, and Under Construction. For theatre, his work on Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully received a 2024 KCACTF Region IV Nomination for Lighting Design. He is also a 2024 ETC Fred Foster Student Mentee and a 2025 USITT Gateway Mentee.
Recent projects have included 42nd Street and School of Rock at The Naples Players in Naples, Florida. At UNC Charlotte, he designed the 2024 Fall Dance Concert, Measure for Measure, and Walls and Mazes.
Work Experience
IATSE 322 - Charlotte, NC
Theatrical Stagehand
Mar 2022-Present
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Load in and load out touring shows at theatrical venues including the Knight Theater, Belk Theater, and Booth Playhouse
Set up large concert venues such as Spectrum Center, Bank of America Stadium, and PNC Music Pavilion
Work as a theater electrician, audio technician, theater carpenter, weightloader, and general stagehand
UNC Charlotte: Production Arts and Operations - Charlotte, NC
Lead Lighting Lab Worker
Sept 2021-Present
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Supervise student electricians on all UNC Charlotte performing arts productions under Rick Moll, Production Electrician
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Assist in mounting, focusing, circuiting, and programming lighting equipment across three performance spaces
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Help teach new students how to interpret light plots, read paperwork, and work with lighting equipment
UNC Charlotte: Student Activity Center and Venue Management - Charlotte, NC
Audio/Visual Technician
Sept 2021-Present
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Operate sound board, light board, and Show Control for basketball games, football games, and commencement ceremonies
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Set up and monitor audio/visual equipment for salon events
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Conduct general sound, lighting, and video equipment troubleshooting and maintenance
The Naples Players - Naples, FL
Lighting Intern
Jun-Aug 2024
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Served as Co-Lighting Designer for 42nd Street and Lighting Designer for School of Rock
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Set up and maintained lighting equipment for four mainstage productions over the summer season
Cannes Film Festival - Cannes, France
Filmfestivals.com Journalist
May 2024
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Contributed videos, photos, and blog posts to Filmfestivals.com’s subscriber base of over 170,000
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Attended and covered events such as talk sessions with Billy Zane, Meryl Streep, Demi Moore, and George Lucas
Charlotte Ballet – Charlotte, NC
Freelance Technician/ASM
Oct 2022–Mar 2023
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Ran sound board and coordinated backstage communication for multiple performances at the Center for Dance theater
Assisted in transformation of the rehearsal space to performance space through unrolling marley and setting up lighting booms