Born and raised in Perth Western Australia, Matthew Marshall is an internationally acclaimed lighting designer and a graduate of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) Production & Design course. With over 25 years of practice, he is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most versatile and collaborative lighting designers, working across opera, theatre, dance, contemporary performance, festivals, large-scale installations, and major events.
Matthew has designed for most of Australia’s major producing companies and festivals including Opera Australia, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, Bell Shakespeare, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Black Swan State Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company.
Internationally, his work has been presented at The Royal Swedish Opera (Stockholm), Finnish National Opera (Helsinki), Oper Leipzig, Festspiele Ludwigshafen and Kampnagel (Germany), the Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre and Roundhouse (London), Le Manège & L’Espal – Scène Nationale (France), Concertgebouw Bruges (Belgium) and Teatro Central (Seville). His productions have toured extensively throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Pacific.
In the United States, Matthew’s production's of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE & CINDERELLA have had multiple seasons with Seattle Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, & San Diego Opera DIDO & AENEAS (CIRCA/Opera Queensland) recently played at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston South Carolina. Other US engagements include TCHAIKOVSKY (Tulsa Ballet) & BAND OF MAGICIANS (Tropicana Casino Las Vegas).
Recent main stage credits include & JULIET NEW ZEALND TOUR (G&T Productions). PROMISES & WILD BEASTS (Perth Festival), MORGONSTJÄRNAN (Finnish National Opera), THE 39 STEPS (Gooding/Woodward), TRIPLE BILL (Queensland Ballet), THE FAIRY QUEEN (Pinchgut Opera), DIDO & AENEAS (Opera Queensland/Opera Australia), GATSBY AT THE GREEN LIGHT (Sydney Opera House/Caper & Crow/Brisbane Festival), THE CHILDREN, OIL (Black Swan State Theatre Company), IL TABARRO (Sydney Festival/Victorian Opera), DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN (Opera Australia), LE COMTE ORY, COSI FAN TUTTE, THE UNRULY TOURISTS, MACBETH, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, TURN OF THE SCREW (New Zealand Opera), VIGIL: AWAKEN (Sydney Festival), VELVET REWIRED (Organised Pandemonium), BALLET AT THE QUARRY & GOLDBERG VARIATIONS (West Australian Ballet), EIREBOURNE (Mellen Events/Mpire), THE CROWD & I (Australian Chamber Orchestra), WINTERREISE (Musica Viva), DARK MOFO NIGHT MASS (DarkLab), CITY OF LIGHTS (Perth Festival), Tim Minchin's THE ABSENCE OF YOU music video, LA BOHÉME the outdoor Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Opera Australia), AMERICAN IDIOT Australian National Tour (Shake & Stir/QPAC), ATHALIA (Pinchgut Opera), ASKUNGEN (Royal Swedish Opera), CARMEN (Oper Leipzig).
His celebrated production VELVET (Organised Pandemonium), created in 2015 has toured globally and featured on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel & Breakaway ships. Its re-imagined companion work VELVET REWIRED premiered in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent at Adelaide Fringe 2020 before touring nationally. In 2026 VELVET INFERNO will premiere at the Sydney Opera House.
Matthew’s installation and event designs include PARRTJIMA FESTIVAL OF LIGHT (Grumpy Sailor/We Are Gather), ART & ABOUT (City of Sydney), THE DOMAIN (Sydney Festival) including Triple J’s 40th Birthday BEAT THE DRUM, BEAT BOX a light show installation at Dream World on the Gold Coast (DJB Worldwide Events) and BVLGARI’s 130th anniversary showcase in Sydney (Rizer Events).
Notable theatre highlights include THIS IS OUR YOUTH at the Sydney Opera House, starring film and television actors Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Emily Barclay; the Australian Premiere of AMERICAN IDIOT (Shake & Stir/QPAC) featuring a rotating cast of Australian rock icons Chris Cheney of The Living End, Phil Jamieson of Grinspoon and Sarah McLeod of The Superjesus as St Jimmy; and the opening of Auckland Theatre Company's ASB WATERFRONT THEATRE in 2016 with the musical BILLY ELLIOT. While working with New Zealand Opera, Matthew met New Zealand music legend Tim Finn which led to creative collaborations on THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TIM FINN (Live Nation) & TIM FINN PLAYS ESCAPADE (Empire Touring) touring across Australia and New Zealand.
His work has been recognised with two Helpmann Awards nominations for Best Lighting Design (2012 and 2017), multiple Australian Production Design Guild Award nominations, and the Good Design Awards Gold and Best in Class in 2025 for Parrtjima Festival of Light. He was also the lighting designer for the 2018 Helpmann Awards Ceremony broadcast live on ABC Australia from the set of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Matthew is also a respected educator and mentor, teaching at WAAPA and NIDA, and internationally at the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy SPAA (UAE). He served as an Awards Judge for the Australian Production Design Guild from 2017–2026.
Upcoming projects include TANNHÄUSER (Opera Australia) directed by Sir David McVicar at Arts Centre Melbourne & TCHAIKOVSKY (Richmond Ballet) with Richmond Symphony at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond USA. VELVET INFERNO is currently playing the Sydney Opera House and FUCCBOIS (Soft Tread) is playing Edinburgh, London & Sydney.