I am a Teacher, Costume Designer, Cutter/Draper and Costume Shop Manager whose work includes live theatre, dance, opera, filmed performance and corporate events. Presently, I am currently expanding my knowledge and skills of live entertainment administration as Patron Services Manager for the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, a 1,166 seat historical theater, and Grossinger Motors Arena, a 7,000 seat indoor arena in Bloomington, IL. Current abilities in theater and entertainment administration include community engagement to develop new relationships with area schools and corporate organizations, assisting with the decision process of future artists for season line-ups, managing and directing customer service needs between patrons and staff, reporting budgetary needs, managing daily sales reports, and creating/publishing all events for two venues within Ticketmaster.
Prior to my current position, I taught the following costume courses and managed the costume shop for five years at Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts:
I work comfortably with professional artists and students alike. I believe in the importance of developing a comprehensive understanding of all elements of technical theatre mentoring students in the importance of all positions. I have worked professional wardrobe and dresser positions with the I.A.T.S.E. Local #193. I am a strong proponent for teaching a basic understanding regarding the “business side” of theatre. I strive to promote specific skills with design and acting students that are imperative to survive in a creative and yet difficult performance related career. However, I also enjoy creating fantastic and off-the-wall productions thinking outside the box urging everyone to push the limits of what they can do. My professional designs include two recent productions of diverse casting for Measure for Measure with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and Michigan Shakespeare Festival. Other university costume designs include Faculty Choreographed Dance Concerts, a filmed production of Wilderness by Seth Bockley and Ann Hamburger, and Sweat by Lynn Nottage. I received the 2020 National Award in Design Excellence - Costume Design Honorable Mention from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the Costume Design of Sweat at The Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University. I now hold a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre - Costume Design from Illinois State University and an Master of Business Administration from The Citadel Military College of South Carolina with concentration in Project Management. |