Back to you: Kaelyn Marie

Dressing the story

When I was seven years old, I designed my first show: a production of The Three Little Pigs, complete with costumes, props, and scenery.

My brothers and I took on the roles of the adventurous swine while my dad went off-script with his portrayal of the Big Bad Wolf, much to my dismay as director, designer, and playwright.

Our little company, clad in construction paper ears, gave a truly chaotic performance as my mom applauded enthusiastically from the one-woman audience.

As a freshman at Walla Walla University, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in art, but I had no idea what medium to focus on. I declared an art major with a concentration in illustration and hoped that, as time passed, I would discover an art form that truly captured and inspired me. At the end of my first year, I discovered costume design for theater and quickly realized that I had found my passion. It was one of those classic theater moments: you express a little interest, and suddenly you’re in the deep end, designing an entire show. Costume design brought together two of my favorite things: illustration and fashion, and it quickly became clear that this was the art I was meant to pursue.

Because Walla Walla didn’t offer technical theater classes, I had limited formal training. Most of my early design experience was selftaught or figured out through trial and error. I knew I needed to find a way to break into the industry, so I took a nine-month internship in Naples, Florida, and then decided to pursue costume design at the graduate level. I was eager to join a collaborative environment where I could deepen my rendering techniques, immerse myself in intensive research, and grow as a conceptual thinker.

I like to joke that I did more art in my first semester of grad school than in my entire undergraduate career. Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to design several productions for the Clarence Brown theater, including Men on Boats, Kinky Boots, and Inherit the Wind. Each show pushed me to grow in different ways, but my favorite part of the process has always been the people. Theater brings together a beautiful cohort of storytellers, each with a unique voice and background. That sense of community, of creating something meaningful together, continues to inspire me every day.

I graduated with my M.F.A. this May and am currently designing Kiss Me, Kate and Steel Magnolias for the Texas Shakespeare Festival. I’m deeply grateful to the art program at Walla Walla and to my mentors Joel Libby, Matthew Pierce, and David Crawford, who encouraged me to chase what I love. Art has always made sense to me. Creating brings me joy, purpose, and connection, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.