Born on June 10, 1976, in Munich, MvV has become a well-known figure in theater and lighting design. With a career spanning over two decades, she has made significant contributions to various renowned theaters in Germany and internationa

She worked with Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich, the Münchner Kammerspiele, and at the German Pavilion during EXPO 2000 in Hanover. Since 2001, she has been active as a lighting designer, collaborating with the Theater Dortmund, the Junge Ensemble Stuttgart, the Münchner Residenztheater, and the Bavarian State Opera. From 2002 to 2010, she regularly worked for the Ruhrtriennale, collaborating with directors such as Alvis Hermanis, Alain Platel, Robert Wilson, and the Catalan theater group La Fura dels Baus. From 2009 to 2014, she served as the Deputy Head of Lighting at Schauspiel Hannover, where she worked with Lars-Ole Walburg, Tina Lanik, Tom Kühnel, and Heike M. Goetze. She periodically supports school theater projects, youth dance initiatives, gala concerts, and festival productions in theater and dance. In 2012, she developed the lighting for "Tristan and Isolde" at Stadttheater Minden with Matthias von Stegmann, and in 2013, she accompanied Olivier Tambosi to the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. From the summer of 2014 until the beginning of the 2015/16 season, she was the Deputy Head of the Lighting Department at Luzerner Theater.

From September 2015 to September 2017, she served as the lighting master at the Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen, where she was responsible for the lighting in Bridget Breiner's ballet "Prospero's Island," as well as for lighting and projections for Kevin O'Day's "The Little Match Girl," and currently for the ballet evening "The Rest is Dance" with choreographers Marguerite Donlon, Renato Paroni de Castro, and Pontus Lidberg. This collaboration has also taken her to Ireland and Germany with other joint productions such as "The Last Life Boat."

In November 2017, she staged the four-part ballet evening "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue" featuring choreographies by David Davson, Uwe Scholz, Bridget Breiner, and Jirí Kylián for the Musiktheater im Revier.
In addition to her focus on dance, she has increasingly developed lighting concepts for music theater, most recently spotlighting the visually stunning production of "Don Giovanni" in Gelsenkirchen, as well as Ben Baur's beautiful "Il Trovatore" at the Graz Opera, and this April's "Il Pirata" at the Theater St. Gallen.

Her freelance work as a lighting designer has led her to various productions at the Theater Augsburg, Theater Hagen, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and to the premieres of the music theater "Penelopeia - a different Story" in Zurich and Basel.

After Gelsenkirchen, she worked as a lighting inspector and designer at the Staatstheater Stuttgart from 2017 to 2019, where she focused particularly on productions for the Stuttgarter Ballett, such as "Romeo and Juliet," as well as various opera productions like "Don Pasquale."

From April 2019 to September 2024, she served as the Head of Department and Principal Lighting Designer at Mainfranken Theater Würzburg. In this role, she played a key role in planning and implementing new construction and renovation projects and was responsible for the lighting design of numerous successful productions, including "Rigoletto," "Eugene Onegin," "Riss durch die Welt," "Once Upon a Time," "Evita," "Hansel and Gretel," "Götterdämmerung," "The Golden Dragon," and "Emilia Galotti."

With her impressive list of engagements, including the Luzerner Theater, Schauspiel Hannover, and Schauspiel Dortmund, MvV has gained diverse experience in lighting design for theater, ballet, and music theater. Her work has also received accolades, including the German Theater Prize "Der Faust" with „Noch 5 Minuten“ from the JES Stuttgart in 2009.

In addition to her practical work, she has excelled through continuous further education, including master's degrees in event technology with a focus on lighting and stage. Her technical skills, combined with her creative vision, make her a sought-after expert in the industry.
In her free time, MvV is involved in various cultural projects and enjoys activities such as cycling, hiking, and playing music. Her passion for theater and the arts is reflected in every project she undertakes, inspiring both audiences and her teams.

Mariella von Vequel-Westernach is an innovative lighting designer who enriches the theater landscape with her expertise and commitment, consistently setting new standards with her passion for theater.