Who I am

Biography
Joe Burke a projection and lighting design for theatre and live performance.

Joe Burke is an award-winning designer known for his collaborative, story-driven approach to live performance and visual design. Working across theatre, corporate events, exhibits, installations, and music performance, he partners with producers and creative teams to develop designs that are both conceptually grounded and precisely executed.

Centering his practice on projection and lighting design, Joe approaches each project as a creative partner—translating ideas into a cohesive visual language through image, motion, and light. His work has been realized in venues internationally, supporting productions that demand both artistic depth and technical clarity.

Originally from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, Joe began his training in lighting design at Kent State University before continuing his studies in theatrical design after relocating to Illinois in 2012. During his graduate residency at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he expanded his practice into digital media and projections, developing a distinct approach to integrating visual content into live performance. After earning his MFA, he established his career in Chicago and continues to work across disciplines.

Joe is the founder of Video Craft, a collaborative studio specializing in custom visual content and projection design. The studio develops original artwork and integrated visual systems tailored to each project, aligning aesthetic exploration with practical execution.

In addition to his studio work, Joe contributes to the Black Box Guild, creating video resources for use in projection and film workflows. Across all projects, he brings a flexible, collaborative mindset—adapting his aesthetic to serve each production while maintaining a high standard of craft, communication, and reliability.

Theatre highlights include:

  • pre-Broadway run and world premiere of August Rush (Paramount Theatre)

  • Midwest premier of Hope, Part II of a Mexican Trilogy (Teatro Vista)

  • Midwest premier of The Total Bent (Haven Theatre)

  • Midwest premier of Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Theater Wit!)

  • World premiere of Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre)

  • The Christians (Steppenwolf Theatre)

  • The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-time (Steppenwolf Theatre)

Musical performance highlights include:

  • Metamorphosis, a collaboration between Third Coast Percussion and Movement Art Is

  • El Derecho De Vivir, a multimedia concert exploring Chilean brass band music and the social history of Chile.

  • Paddle to The Sea, a multimedia experience collaboratively composed and performed by Third Coast Percussion.

Visual art presentations include:

  • Seven Soliloquies (Art on theMart)

  • Folxtales (University of Illinois Urbana Champaign); Poetry Found (The Poetry Foundation)

Exhibit highlights include:

  • The world premiere of The Hunger Games Exhibition (Imagine Exhibitions)

  • Spy: The Secret World Of Espionage (Base Entertainment)

  • Sea Monsters (Base Entertainment)

Collaborating Companies: A-squared Theatre Workshop, Base Entertainment, Blumenthal Arts, Burke Brothers Sound, Case Western Reserve University, Chamber Opera Chicago, Cleveland’s Playhouse Square, Cleveland Public Theatre, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Denison University, Imagine Exhibitions Incorporated, Freeman AV, Museum of Contemporary Art-Chicago, North Park University Opera, Northwestern University, Paramount Theatre, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, Theatre Wit!, The House Theatre of Chicago, theMart, The Poetry Foundation, The Yard, Third Coast Percussion, Travesty Dance Group, Broadway Sacramento at Music Circus, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Steep Theatre, and Writers' Theatre.

Joe holds a Master of Fine Arts from Illinois Theatre at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Kent State University. He was the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award for his projection design of Elf The Musical. In 2014 he was the recipient of The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 3, Theatre Design Excellence in Lighting Design Award. He has been a guest speaker at many institutions including Kent State University, the University of Illinois, and Northern Illinois University.

Awards

2018 Joseph Jefferson Award - Projection Design - Elf The Musical

Nominations

2018 Joseph Jefferson Award - Projection Design - Women Laughing Alone With Salad

2015 Joseph Jefferson Award - Projections/Video Design - 1984