About Lara​

In Autumn of 2019 I joined the excellent students, faculty, and staff at Theatre and Dance at the University of Montana as Assistant Professor of Costume Technology and Design.

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Prior to teaching I spent five years working as a draper/tailor with the talented and remarkable costume shop of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival during the year and with the equally wonderful shop of the Santa Fe Opera in the summer - a job I've enjoyed every summer since 2006.  Since 2013 I have also provided technical supervision of costume apprentices at Santa Fe as they design and build scenes.

As an active professional I am available for overhire on a limited basis even today! Recently I enjoyed overhire for specialty projects with designers Susan Tsu, Dede Ayite, and for the Huntington Theatre Company - and I look forward to more of the same.

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Before working with Oregon Shakespeare Festival I was honored to generate the foundation courses for Indiana University's Costume Technology program while working there as Costume Technology Instructor and Draper.  I had always told my colleagues at IU that the only reason I would leave Indiana would be to drape for the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival - and when the opportunity presented itself in 2012 I felt I had to take it.

As a colleague and professor I am dedicated to the pursuit of accuracy, a friendly, functioning team environment, and to the idea that there is no "wrong way," just ways that work better than others depending on the situation - and that you should always choose the best way for that particular situation.

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Reach out to me - I enjoy working with people in any capacity and I delight in helping young professionals!

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