Susan H. (Naum) Sherwin

Susan H. Sherwin received her B.A. degree with high honors from Michigan State University. She pursued her M.F.A. degree at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. While there, she received two awards for her work at the Hilberry Theatre. The Detroit Free Press named her thesis production, Much Ado About Nothing, the best show of 1994. Her costume designs for Nothing Sacred, won a national design competition at United States Institute for Theatre Technology, and were published in their National publication as one of the top eight student designs of the 1994.

After graduation she freelanced in the Detroit area. She designed at Jeff Daniel’s’ Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea Michigan. Among other world premiers, she designed costumes for Mr. Daniel’s’ Thy Kingdom’s Coming. Before coming to Stevens Point she worked as an assistant costume coordinator at Meadowbrook Theatre, a LORT B house. Her specialty in her field is the design and construction of costume crafts such as hats, wigs, and masks. She has a national publication for her designs and instructions for masks made of watercolor paper used in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

She presented two workshops at the National U.S.I.T.T. conference. Drawing on Computers for Costume Class in New Orleans, Susan chaired and presented with a panel of three other experts on the uses of computer drawing for a costume designer. She also presented the survey she designed, complied, and had analyzed on the current environment of computers in costume shops across the U.S. At the Denver, Colorado U.S.I.T.T. National Conference, she was a member of the panel of professionals demonstrating the computer drawing program, PAINTER. She also presented a Leather Mask Making Workshop, Detroit, MI as graduate seminar.

Her recent productions at USWP include The Miser, The Elephant Man, The Country Wife, Seussical, Aida, Discovery of America, The Pirates of Penzance, Joined at the Head, Romeo and Juliet, and many pieces for Danstage.

susherwi@uwsp.edu