For more than four decades, audiences have admired UMD Theatre’s stunning costumes without always knowing the steady hand behind them. That hand belongs to Laura Piotrowski, whose artistry and precision have shaped the look of countless productions and guided generations of theatre students.
Her final design project, Anne of Green Gables, opening October 10 at UMD’s Marshall Performing Arts Center, serves as both a celebration of her craft and a farewell to the stage she’s helped bring to life for decades. Tickets are available at destinationduluth.co/UMDTheatreTickets.
Looking for anything from a Shakespearean king’s royal garments to an adorable cow costume? Ask any theatre director in town the name of the costumer they would call first for advice, a design, or a rental for nearly any show. The answer would undeniably be UMD’s Costume Shop Supervisor for over 40 years, Laura Piotrowski.
Most days, Laura can be found in the midst of piles of colorful fabrics, buttons, laces, and pattern pieces, surrounded by students. While she will remain as the costume shop supervisor until the end of the school year, her final show designing costumes for UMD is their fall production of Anne of Green Gables.
As she prepares to step away from the costume shop, Piotrowski reflects on how her lifelong passion for theatre began.
Path to a Life of Costumes
Piotrowski was born in southern Illinois in a little town on the Mississippi River called Grand Tower. She later lived on a dairy farm on the Iowa border, and then moved to Fayette, Missouri, where she stayed until she went to graduate school in Illinois.
Acting in plays from grade school through college, she gradually realized she “just didn’t have the memory for lines, and I liked backstage work. I’ve sewn since I was in junior high, so it was familiar to me.”
“After high school, I had planned on joining the army like my sister, Doris, but then I got a scholarship to the local college… I decided to try it, because if I didn’t like it, I could leave, whereas if I joined the army, I would have to stay in it for three years.”
“It turned out that I loved college. I was directing a scene of Oedipus, and I had pulled together some costumes for it. The professor was very impressed with my costumes… I found myself buying costume books and thinking, ‘Why did I buy that? I’ll never use it!’ I finally listened to my subconscious, I guess.”
Piotrowski earned a BA in Speech/Drama from Central Methodist College and went on to Western Illinois University, where she received an MFA in Costume Design. Laura then came to UMD, where she worked for a few summers in the costume shop before getting a permanent job as the Costume Shop Supervisor.
In her job, she handles the costume budget, maintains the shop and equipment, and does the majority of patterning and cutting out of costumes. Making sure that the costumes get done on time for each show, Laura also takes care of costume rentals to other theatres and schools.
After decades of designing and making costumes, Laura noted how her job is never boring. “I love the variety that one finds in theatre and costuming. Every play and cast are different… I enjoy both designing and making costumes. I love the challenge of figuring out how to build something when there is no pattern for it.”
“I also love working with different time periods and fabrics,” she added. “I might never personally wear something like that, but it interests me so much. It’s a funny thing–I am not interested in fashion, but costume design is a different story.”
“I enjoy bouncing ideas off the director and design team. I like the give and take as we develop what the show is going to look like. And the students are one of the best things about this job. They keep introducing me to new things, which helps to keep me from hardening of the mind! I love to see them get excited about applying what they’ve learned.”
Noting that theatre teaches life skills, she said, “It’s especially gratifying when former students come back for a visit and tell me that they’ve made clothing for themselves or someone else or that they now know how to fix their own clothing.”
Looking forward to her retirement, she said, “I have lots of projects that I’ve put aside for years. I hope to do some of those. I belong to the Duluth Fiber Guild, so I want to practice more of the things I’ve learned there, such as weaving and spinning. I have a lot of quilts in mind that I want to do. I also want to play in my yard and garden and get out to walk through Duluth’s lovely parks.”
She doesn’t completely rule out doing costumes for other arts organizations. “I think there is so much out there–so many outlets for creativity in theatre, music, art, crafts… The dedication and time that artists put into their work is amazing. There are so many talented people here.”
It feels fitting that her final design project brings her full circle—to a classic story about imagination, resilience, and finding one’s place in the world.
Anne of Green Gables
Of shows like Anne of Green Gables, Laura says, “I love doing period shows. I like the silhouette and the details of the period. Anne has a lot of fun characters to portray, young and old. It’s been a challenge to do costumes for Anne and her friends because they have to progress from age twelve to seventeen in the show.”
“I really enjoy teaching my students about period costumes. It’s such an opportunity for them to learn new techniques and to discover the joys of period details and research. I have a wonderful student crew for this show, and they are doing a great job!”
Director of Anne of Green Gables, Julie Ahasay, is honored to work with Piotrowski on her final design show for UMD. “Laura has been doing this for over 40 years, and yet her enthusiasm and love for what she does keep on shining. Watching her mentor the students who work alongside her, is wonderful, and they admire and respect her so much.”
“Every ruffle, every feather, every button is thoughtfully chosen and beautifully sewn,” Ahasay added, “Her costumes don’t just dress the actors, they illuminate the characters. It’s been a true privilege to work with Laura on Anne of Green Gables.”
Information on Anne of Green Gables
By Peter DeLaurier
Directed by Guest Artist Julie Ahasay
Marshall Performing Arts Center – Mainstage Theatre
Oct 10–11 | 7:30 PM
Oct 12 | 2:00 PM
Oct 15–17 | 7:30 PM
Oct 18 | 2:00 PM (ASL Performance) & 7:30 PM
Buy tickets here:
destinationduluth.co/UMDTheatreTickets
When aging brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert send word to an orphanage in Nova Scotia for a boy to help them on the farm, they get more than they bargained for: hot-headed, 11-year-old Anne Shirley. Over the course of six years, this imaginative, brilliant, and energetic girl wins their hearts and turns a stodgy, rural Canadian community into a bright world of kindred spirits. This swift yet theatrical adaptation of the classic novel is an all-ages crowd-pleaser.
