User:Matthews.natalie17

Natalie Matthews
Natalie Grace Matthews (born June 13th, 1999) is an American theatrical lighting designer and electrician. Since she was a teenager, Natalie has been involved in the lighting side of plays and musicals.

Early Life
Natalie was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, fifth child to Richard Matthews and Theresa Mergl (née Smigelski), and grew up in Southgate, Michigan for her early years. Her exposure and subsequent interest in theatre began when she moved to Maryland with her mother, step-father, and siblings in 2006.

Education and Career
By the time she graduated High School in 2017 from Clarksburg High School in Clarksburg, Maryland; Matthews had become a member of the International Thespian Society, won several awards for Excellence in Technical Portfolio at various county and state theatre festivals, and had gained the interest of varying theatre departments from Maryland universities.

From 2017 to 2021 Natalie went to University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she would major in theatre with a focus in design and production and minor in psychology. At UMBC Matthews participated in the theatre department's shows, including renowned playwright Susan McCully's Girls on a Dirt Pile, where she was Master Electrician during the play's time at both UMBC and University of Maryland College Park (UMD) whilst Girls on a Dirt Pile was involved in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF).

After her time at UMBC for her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Matthews would take a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then would continue her education at The University of Texas at Austin where she would get her M.F.A. in lighting design.