Katie Dowse
Katie Dowse is a Costume Designer and Maker with credits spanning three continents, two hemispheres, and five time zones. She was born in England but has since lived on both coasts of the U.S. as well as Australia. She received her BA with a double major and honors in Theatre Design and Environment & Ecology, and her MFA in Theatre Design with an emphasis in costumes from Temple University.
Her professional experience includes a decade of freelance design, two West Coast premiers, managing the costume shop at Maine State Music Theatre and Centre REP, running the events costume department at Theme Traders in London, teaching costume design at Temple University, Illinois Wesleyan University, CSU Dominguez Hills, and now Santa Clara University.
Costume Design credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, (Maine State Music Theatre), The Pajama Game (42nd St Moon), Into the Woods (Berkeley Playhouse), Dine on Dance (Karlovsky Company and Dance), Pericles (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), American Psycho and Heathers: The Musical (Ray of Light Theatre). Katie Dowse is a Theatre Bay Area, SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, and BroadwayWorld Best Costume Design Nominee.
Katie believes that one can never stop looking at the larger picture, but that to understand the mechanisms of the world we must turn toward individual relationships. This theory holds true for her approach to theatre design as well as life. Her teaching style is based on a foundation of individual attention, tailored teaching styles, and open communication. She also uses what she lovingly refers to as ‘the Picasso Method’: her students will learn design practices and historical parameters inside and out, and then be encouraged to break the rules with intent.
Additional Interests 3D Printing, draping, cutting, patterning, dyeing, painting, baking and cake decorating, animal behavior, and traveling.