Rachael N. Blackwell is a native of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia but now calls Atlanta, GA home, where she serves as the Lighting & Projections Director at the Alliance Theatre.

She received her B.A in Theatre Arts with an emphasis on Technical Theatre from Alabama State University in 2016 and her MFA in Lighting Design & Technology in 2020 from CCM- University of Cincinnati.

Rachael was the 2020 recipient of both the Gilbert Hemsley Lighting Internship and the Judy Dearing Design Competition for Lighting, presented by the Black Theatre Network (BTN) and in 2021, Rachael received an Off Broadway nomination for her New York lighting design of new musical "Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir." In 2024, Rachael received a Suzi Bass award for her lighting design of "Wait Until Dark" with Georgia Ensemble Theatre.

Rachael's main interests lie in working collaboratively with other creatives across the many different mediums of art. She enjoys working on new and original works as well as opportunities that allow her to stay connected to her African American roots.

Rachael currently has design experience in lighting for live events, drama, opera & dance and has worked with Orlando Repertory Theatre, Nashville Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Alley Theatre, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Urban Bush Women, Contra Tiempo Latin Activist Dance Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, San Francisco Opera, Florentine Opera, The VA Arts Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Grand Teton Music Festival.