Michelle Bombe

Michelle Bombe is Professor of Theatre and Department Chair at Hope College, where she has taught since 1991. She serves as resident costume designer and oversees all academic and production aspects of the theatre program.

Her educational background includes:

• MFA in theatre design from University of Texas – Austin (1989)
• B.S. in theatre from University of Evansville (1985)
• A.S. in theatre from Vincennes University (1983)

Bombe specializes in costume history, design history, architecture history, and color theory, emphasizing how historical clothing and design elements create the 'world of the play' for theatrical productions. Her faculty-student research model integrates design preparation with pedagogy, fostering collaborative creativity through over 120 productions. She mentors advanced student designers while maintaining professional design work at Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre.

Her honors include:

• Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for Excellence in Theatre Education (2016)
• Kennedy Center Design Excellence Awards (2016)
• Hope College 25-year service award (2016)
• Lincoln High School Distinguished Alumni Award (2006)
• Vincennes University Outstanding Alumni Award (1987)

Bombe actively contributes to academic governance as former faculty trustee (2008-2012) and committee chair, while holding national leadership roles in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival including National Chair and CEO (2020). Her prison arts work with Shakespeare Behind Bars – documented in the 2005 film 'Shakespeare Behind Bars' – demonstrates her commitment to applied theatre. She received a Great Lakes College Association New Directions Grant (2011) for language study in France and maintains an active outdoor lifestyle including marathon running and international travel.