Jillian is a Philadelphia and NYC area-based costume designer. She grew up in Beacon, NY, in the heart of the beautiful Hudson Valley, with two very creative parents who encouraged her extraordinary interest in art. Jillian has always enjoyed actively working with her hands to create art and was especially drawn to fiber arts. 

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After taking intensive sewing classes during middle school from an experienced costumer, Jillian joined her high school's drama club, the Beacon Players. She designed and constructed costumes for every production staged during her four years at Beacon High School, including a transformation dress for a production of Cinderella.

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​Starting the summer after her sophomore year in high school, Jillian was given the amazing opportunity to work under Costume Designer Charlotte Palmer-Lane at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Jillian worked as a stitcher, and later assistant designer, for five seasons at HVSF (including the current 2023 season).

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Jillian's work with the Beacon Players and HVSF cemented her desire to pursue a career in costume design and she went on to study theater design and production at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama.

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While at CMU, Jillian was lucky enough to experience a lot of theater, both at the university and throughout the Pittsburgh community! She designed and constructed costumes for several CMU productions, including work-study time as a stitcher in the CMU Costume Shop. She also worked at Point Park Playhouse as a stitcher and designed a production of Chicago for Shady Side Academy while completing her undergraduate degree at CMU.

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Jillian graduated from the CMU School of Drama Costume Design Program in May 2023 with University and College Honors. She was honored to be the recipient of the 2023 Elizabeth Schrader Kimberley Costume Design Award from the School of Drama faculty.

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Jillian looks forward to telling thought-provoking and important stories through the medium of clothing. She is also very excited to creatively collaborate with other designers, directors, and actors! Jillian loves traveling and exploring new places, watching lots of theater, and taking in as much art as possible. Nothing excites Jillian more than experiencing  theater productions and visual artwork with the power to shift perceptions and make the viewer think about the world in a new way!