Carrie Lawrence
College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
Department of Theatre Arts
Lecturer, Costume Shop Manager
Home Town:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus Locations: Moscow
With UI Since 2007
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Masters of Fine Arts, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Theatre Design: Costume and Lighting, 1998
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Bachelor of Arts, St. Olaf College - Fine Arts: Music and Visual Art, 1995. Ancient Studies: Religion and Performing Arts, 2000
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Teaching English as a Second Language Certification, Worldport ESL, 2002
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Costume Technology
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Costume Design
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Period tailoring techniques
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Pattern development
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Redefinition of how clothing fits the body
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Leather mask making
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Ethnic Clothing/Costume history: Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, United States, American Flamenco Dance, Middle East
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Relationships between religion, ritual and the performing arts
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Needle arts and their practical applications
Carrie is currently the Costume Shop Manager, and oversees all aspects of the costume production phase for each play at the University of Idaho. She is often the head draper and creates patterns for the costumes, or mentors student drapers towards the same goal, as well as managing the administrative aspect to the shop. She also mentors students in many of the other aspects of costume technology, like sewing, crafting and otherwise creatively realizing costume designs. The costume technology class she teaches each semester brings a new group of students into the costume shop where part of what they learn is directly connected to the productions being produced.
Carrie's background is primarily as a costume designer with a heavy emphasis in costume technology, with experience in both professional and academic worlds. Much of her work has been concentrated in the Midwest: Opera Theatre St. Louis, St. Louis Community College, Stages St. Louis, Bradley University and The Guthrie Theatre, also Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and the American University in Cairo. Currently, she is working on outside projects that focus on useful projects with broad mainstream application (working with MaryJanes Farm), as well as a student focus: making the process of making costumes modernly accessible.
- “Enlarging a Scale Pattern,” MaryJanes Farm, Feb-Mar 2009, pp.34-35
- “Unique Dress Forms,” MaryJanes Farm, Dec-Jan 2009, pp. 90-91
Carrie's complete CV
- MaryJane’sFarm Project development: 1940’s belts: a recreation
of period pieces that are knitted and crocheted. Moscow, ID, USA. A
collaboration with MaryJane Butters to recreate 1940’s crocheted belts
in an updated format for both knitting and crocheting, using modern
techniques and materials. May 2009-In process
- Costume Design for High School Musical at Idaho
Repertory Theatre. Moscow, ID, USA. Executing and implementing all
design aspects for High School Musical. Extensive collaboration
with actors and technical staff to realize this very large and
expressive show. May 2009-July 2009
- Workshop: "Making Economical and Accurate Dress Forms."
Moscow, ID USA. This workshop was given as part of the Kennedy Center
American College Theatre Festival, Region VII conference located on the
University of Idaho campus. This workshop was a development of the
theatrical application of my earlier research on unique dress forms. It
offered ideas, directions and a demonstration about how to implement
making dress forms in a costume shop setting. Jan 2009-Feb 20, 2009
- Workshop: "Dyeing in Small Spaces." Moscow, ID USA. This
workshop was given as part of the Kennedy Center American College
Theatre Festival, Region VII conference located on the University of
Idaho campus. This workshop offered tips and ideas about ways to
approach dyeing in small or otherwise inadequate spaces, giving how-to
directions for an economical dye mixing box, and a class project ideal
to teaching and illustrating some methods of dyeing with immediate
results for theatres without classroom space in their dye-room.
Demonstration and hands-on experience included. Jan 2009-Feb 17, 2009
- MaryJane’sFarm Project development: Enlarging a Scale
Pattern. Moscow, ID, USA. This was a how-to project article that
developed as a need to educate readers how to enlarge a scaled down
pattern in a magazine format to a full size pattern piece. This seemed a
logical direction due to the overwhelming interest of readers
requesting more information about patterns and making their own
enlargements. It is an adaptation of a technique I teach in my class.
Nov-Dec 2008
- MaryJane’sFarm Project development: Unique Dress Forms. Moscow,
ID, USA. This was a how-to project article developed out of an
investigation of creating unique human fitting shaped dress forms. Many
possibilities surfaced, and two became the most viable to present to the
largest audience: the duct taped form and the paper taped form.
September 2008
- Draper at Opera Theatre St. Louis. St. Louis, MO, USA.
Implementing designs for 4 operas: Mikado, La Traviata, Anna
Karinina, I Puritani. Worked with designers to create patterns and
finish details, conducted fittings, supervised a work team of 4 people
to sew, tailor and alter costumes. May 2007-July 2007
- Costume Design for The Diary of Anne Frank at St. Louis
Community College, Florissant Valley. St. Louis, MO, USA. Executing and
implementing all design aspects for The Diary of Anne Frank.
Worked with student and faculty cast. Feb 2007-April 2007
- Costume Design for “A” My Name Will Always Be Alice at
St. Louis Community College, Meramec. St. Louis, MO, USA. Executing and
implementing all design aspects for “A” My Name Will Always Be Alice.
A musical compilation of 2 previous musicals. The challenge was to make
it look unique, interesting and contemporary on a modest budget. Mar
2007-April 2007
- Costume Design for Jesus Hopped the “A” Train at St.
Louis Community College, Meramec. St. Louis, MO, USA. Executing and
implementing all design aspects for Jesus Hopped the “A” Train”.
Interesting challenge to research as limited photo documentation of
Riker Jail inmates available. Dec 2006-Feb 2007
- Costume Design for Lysistrata at St. Louis Community
College, Meramec. St. Louis, MO, USA. Executing and implementing all
design aspects for Lysistrata. Invented hairpiece technique and
used extensive custom dyeing to enhance designs. Sept 2006-Nov 2006
- ESL tutor through St. Louis Community College Extension Programs. St.
Louis, MO, USA. Worked 1-2 evenings a week with adults learning English
as a second language. Focused on vocabulary building, grammar skills,
conversation, acculturation and basic writing. Students wear primarily
Bosnian, Latino, Albanian and Iranian in origin. Fall 2004-Fall 2006
