David Holcomb
Managing the creative process requires the ability to listen, understand, reflect and empathize with creative impulses, and how to help enable that creativity within the available financial and human resources.
-David Holcomb
Having been at the School of Drama since 2003, David’s primary focus is the operation of the production laboratory experience. He teaches upper-level production management classes and mentors students in PM positions in their production lab experiences. He also consults on and/or manages data systems used to keep the School of Drama operating efficiently.
David oversees operations for the production laboratory experience for all drama students. He teaches and mentors students in the Production Management program. Previously, he taught Lighting Design classes and coordinates many classes related to the production lab.
A production manager since 1991, he has held long-term management positions with the Hartford Ballet, the University of Iowa, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, as well as shorter stints with Nickelodeon’s live entertainment division and numerous festivals and events.
David’s commitment to management education extends beyond CMU. He is a member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), regularly leading and serving on panels. He is also a senior member of the Production Manager’s Forum (PMF), a group of production managers from around the country. Having gained important knowledge in the early days of the PMF, he now supports and educates newer members of the organization as they transition from school or other areas of the profession into the role of production managers. He is also a founding member of the PMF’s mentorship program and the diversity and inclusion committee, and a member and former chair of the membership committee.
David has a BFA in Lighting Design from Boston University and is a lighting design member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829. He has designed lighting for theater productions ranging from summer stock to Broadway, as well as for opera companies, dance companies, and industrial clients.