Craig Choma
Chancie Ferris Booth Distinguished Service Professor of Theatre
Meet Professor Choma
he, him, his
I am currently interested in immersive theatrical experiences. These experiences cover a broad spectrum of entertainment types and forms, including, but not limited to: escape rooms, theme parks, haunted houses, immersive art projects like Meow Wolf’s “House of Eternal Return” in New Mexico, and immersive theatre companies like Punchdrunk in London. The common element in all these examples is that storytelling is at the core of the experience, and that each particular story is experienced in an active and immersive way by the audience stepping into the world of the story instead of the more common, passive way of viewing from a comfortable distance/separation. Modern storytellers are using 21st century cutting edge design tools, multimedia, and technologies to help tell their stories in previously inconceivable and completely immersive ways.
I am also interested in the current possibilities of immersive storytelling using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. This approach creates virtual environments of specific locations in which audience members can interact and share space with the characters in the story via VR headset. This merging of technology and storytelling, while in its infancy, has great potential to completely change theatre production and performance as we know it.
Years at Knox: 1996 to present
Email Professor Choma: schoma@knox.edu
Education
M.F.A., Scenic and Lighting Design, 1996, Carnegie Mellon University.
B.A., Theatre and Philosophy, 1993, Knox College.
Teaching Interests
Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Videography Design, Scenic Art, Technical Direction.
Full Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Selected Professional Accomplishments
Presentations
"Dance & Design: Fostering Collaboration through Curriculum." National Dance Education Organization Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2011.
"Collage, Metaphor & Fusion: Collaborating Across the Disciplines." International Conference on the Arts & Humanities, Hawaii, 2009.
Selected Scenic Design
Antigone, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2025.
She Kills Monsters, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2025.
Twilight Bowl, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024.
The Coast Starlight, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024.
Clyde’s, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024.
Silent Sky, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2023.
The Wolves, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2023.
The Curious Incident of the Dog… Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2023.
The Language Archive, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2022.
Dear Elizabeth, Knox College, Galesburg IL, 2022.
We Are Pussy Riot (or P.R. is Everything), Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2022.
The Thanksgiving Play, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2021.
The How and the Why, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2021.
Tommy, Prairie Players Civic Theatre, Galesburg, IL, 2020.
A Doll’s House, Part 2 Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2019.
The Laramie Project, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2019.
The Children’s Hour, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2019.
Before Sunrise, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2018.
The Glass Menagerie, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2018.
Merchant on Venice, Vitalist/Rasaka, Chicago, 2018.
Learning Plays, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2018.
The Drowning Girls, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2017.
The Importance of Being Earnest, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2017.
Richard III, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2017.
It’s A Wonderful Life, Metropolis Theatre, Arlington Heights, IL. 2016.
Multitudes, Vitalist/Rasaka/IVP, Chicago, 2016.
The Nether, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2016.
The Skin of Our Teeth, Curtain Players, Galena, OH, 2016.
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2016.
The Secret In The Wings, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2016.
The Island Of Slaves, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2015.
Rapture, Blister, Burn, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2015.
Mosque Alert, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2015.
Selected Lighting Design
Antigone, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2025.
She Kills Monsters, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2025.
Twilight Bowl, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024.
The Coast Starlight, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024.
Clyde’s, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2024.
Silent Sky, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2023.
The Wolves, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2023.
The Language Archive, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2022.
Dear Elizabeth, Knox College, Galesburg IL, 2022.
The Thanksgiving Play, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2021.
The How and the Why, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2021.
A Doll’s House, Part 2 Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2019.
New Plays Festival, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2019.
The Laramie Project, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2019.
The Children’s Hour, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2019.
Before Sunrise, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2018.
The Glass Menagerie, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2018.
Learning Plays, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2018.
The Drowning Girls, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2017.
The Importance of Being Earnest, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2017.
Richard III, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2017.
The Nether, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2016.
Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2016.
The Secret In The Wings, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2016.
The Island Of Slaves, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2015.
Rapture, Blister, Burn, Knox College, Galesburg, IL, 2015.
Mosque Alert, Knox College, Galesburg, IL 2015.
Campus & Community Involvement
- Technical Director and advisor for all departmental and non-departmental activities in Harbach Theatre, Knox College.
- Facilities Manager & Maintenance Coordinator for two theatre spaces and all related equipment, Knox College.
- Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), Knox College Campus representative, 2016-2018.
- Chair, Instructional Support Committee, 2016-2017.