Joel Ebarb

M.F.A. Theatre, University of Houston (1997)
B.A. English, Northwestern State University of Louisiana (1990)

Specialization

Design and Production

 

About

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Joel Ebarb received his B.A. in English from Northwestern State University of Louisiana and his M.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Houston.

Ebarb is a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he joined the faculty in 1997 and served as department chair from 2011 to 2015.

From 2015 to 2025, he served as an associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts, and as interim dean during the Fall 2025 semester.

Professor Ebarb specializes in the social history of aesthetics, with additional interests in puppetry and storytelling. He has led multiple study abroad experiences to Cartagena, Colombia; Kilkenny, Ireland; and Beijing, China.

His costume design credits include work with Jean Cocteau Repertory (Off-Broadway); Eclipse Theatre Company and Vittum Theatre (Chicago); Indiana Repertory Theatre; Phoenix Theatre and ShadowApe Theatre Company (Indianapolis); Boarshead Theatre (Lansing, Michigan); Stages Repertory Theatre (Houston); and twenty-three seasons with the Texas Shakespeare Festival. International credits include The Court Theatre (Christchurch, New Zealand) and the Chinese tour of the musical Avenue Q.

He is a former Commissioner of the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) Costume Commission and a longtime contributor to the Prague Quadrennial through OISTAT (International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects, and Technicians).

Ebarb received the Charles B. Murphy Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching in 2011, Purdue University’s highest undergraduate teaching honor. He is a member of the Purdue Teaching Academy and is listed in the Book of Great Teachers.

In 2019, Ebarb was honored by his undergraduate alma mater, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, with induction into The Mrs. H. D. Dear Sr. and Alice E. D. Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts Hall of Fame.

Joel Ebarb is an alumnus of the Eta Omicron chapter of Theta Chi fraternity.