Naoko Skala is a scenic designer, scenic artist, props artisan, and educator who was raised in Japan. She is an Associate Professor at The College of Wooster in Ohio. Her recent professional credits as a scenic designer are The Heart Sellers (2026), Something Clean (2024) at Dobama Theatre, and Patience (2025) at Ohio Light Opera.
Her two articles, “Introducing Joruri Puppetry” (Winter 2023) and “Experiencing the Japanese Nohgaku Theatre” (Winter 2022), published in Theatre Design and Technology (TD&T), received a USITT Herbert D. Greggs Merit Award of Outstanding Article.
Naoko received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Scene Design from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She also received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from Emporia State University, Kansas, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Literature from Sagami Women’s University in Japan.
Her research focuses on Japanese traditional theatre architecture using virtual 3D technology, and on the preservation of Japanese traditional theatre and practitioners, especially in rural areas.
