ABOUT
Chicago-Based Theatrical Designer | Teaching Artist
G. "Max" Maxin IV has created over 290 designs on over 185 professional & educational productions and is the Resident Lighting Designer & a Teaching Artist for the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Before that, he was an instructor at Northeastern Illinois University for 7 years and received an Instructor Excellence Award in 2019. Max won a Lou Award for Best Lighting for Into the Woods (Big Noise), has 2 Equity & 6 Non-Equity Jeff nominations, and has designed on 3 Non-Equity Jeff Award Winning Best Musicals. One of the founding members of Another Door Theatre Project, he worked for 3 years as Head of Production/Resident Scenographer. Max also spent 2 summers designing lighting for La Musica Lirica, a touring opera company in Novafeltria, Italy. Favorite past design projects at Porchlight, Kokandy, Mercury, Gift Theatre, Black Ensemble, American Blues, Hell in a Handbag, Cincinnati Shakespeare, Theatre at the Center, Black Button Eyes, BoHo, Steppenwolf Garage, City Lit, Another Door, CCPA, NEIU, Northwestern, & DePaul.
Click HERE for Curriculum Vitae OR Click HERE to contact Max & request a Résumé!
Reviews
"If you're interested in immersive design trends, check out the work here of G. Max Maxin IV, who somehow has crammed 120 seats into every corner of this space while staging the entire show on a runway so narrow as to hold only 1 chair... Maxin, who also did the lights and projections, is working without much of a budget either. Big, big talent."
Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune Review for American Psycho, Kokandy, 2023
"G. “Max” Maxin IV has designed some of the most evocative and imaginative video projections I have ever seen."
Dan Zeff, Chicagoland Theatre Review for Pippin, Mercury Chicago, 2018
"G. 'Max' Maxin IV's lighting is wonderful, setting various moods at different times throughout the play."
Karen Topham, Chicago Onstage review for Cyrano, BoHo, 2018
"...G. 'Max' Maxin IV's lights provide that 'pop' of Broadway-style spectacle that easily makes audience members giddy for more."
Hilary Holbrook, PerformInk review for Urinetown, BoHo, 2017
"G. 'Max' Maxin IV's gorgeous back wall projections resemble a comic book brought to life, and operate as a character on their own."
Elizabeth Ellis, PerformInk review for The Invisible Scarlet O'Neill, Babes With Blades, 2017
Photo by G. "Max" Maxin IV
Photo by Anna Sodziak
Photo by G. "Max" Maxin IV
"Dripping in Glamour: From your first moment of stepping into Rivendell's intimate space, you are transported to the 1930's. The intricate art deco set design is incredible and fun to follow..."
Andrea Pikscher, BuzzOnstage review for Design for Living, 2015
"G. 'Max' Maxin IV's scenic and media design provides cunning video counterpart to the live action throughout the show."
Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune review for Angry Fags, 2015
"The set design by (G.) Max Maxin (IV) fills the stage and the scene adaptations are clever. It was a great use of such a small space."
Lazlo Collins, Chicago Theatre Review for Spamalot, 2013
