# Erika Van Horsten Krause > Cutter/Draper · Costume Technician · Instructor. Patterns, fittings and builds for theatre, opera and dance. Based in Boston, MA. ## About I'm a Boston-based draper, costume technician and instructor. My passion is pattern creation and achieving the perfect fit. As Cutter/Draper and faculty in Emerson College's Department of Performing Arts, I create patterns for built costumes, guide students through the notes that come out of fittings, and teach Digital Draping alongside traditional technique. At Arena Stage I patterned every garment assigned to my team and led my first hand and stitchers through each build, working in fittings to keep actors comfortable while protecting the designer's vision. At Olney Theatre Center I was the sole draper, guiding apprentices from pattern to tech. As a First Hand at Washington National Opera I cut and built Broadway-level designs across multiple operas on tight deadlines, and draped and led my own team for Faust in 2019. In every shop I keep an organized, clean and safe workspace, and I love teaching the people in it. Currently: Cutter/Draper and Part-Time Faculty, Emerson College, Department of Performing Arts (since 2025). https://emerson.edu/faculty/erika-krause/ ## Work Every piece is credited to its designer; Erika's role on each is given. Images are at the URLs listed. ### 01 Draping: Draping Patterns and build plans for every garment assigned to my team, developed from renderings and fittings with the designer. At Arena Stage as Draper (Washington, D.C.) and at Olney Theatre Center as the sole Cutter/Draper (Olney, MD), where I patterned and cut every build and guided apprentices through construction. - **Jaja's African Hair Braiding** (Arena Stage). Role: Draper. Designer: Dede Ayite. Performer: Victoire Charles. Photo: T. Charles Erickson. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/jajas-african-hair-braiding-1415.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/jajas-african-hair-braiding-2-826.jpg - **Unknown Soldier** (Arena Stage). Role: Draper. Designer: Jacob A. Climer. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/unknown-soldier-1387.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/unknown-soldier-2-664.jpg - **Exclusion** (Arena Stage). Role: Draper. Designer: Sarah Cubbage. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/exclusion-497.jpg - **POTUS** (Arena Stage). Role: Draper. Designer: Ivania Stack. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/potus-1600.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/potus-2-939.jpg - **Ride the Cyclone** (Arena Stage). Role: Draper. Designer: Trevor Bowen. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/ride-the-cyclone-357.jpg - **The High Ground** (Arena Stage). Role: Draper. Designer: Sarita Fellows. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/high-ground-1197.jpg - **Hedwig and the Angry Inch** (Olney Theatre Center). Role: Cutter/Draper. Takeout bag dress. Designer: Jacob A. Climer. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/hedwig-and-the-angry-inch-553.jpg - **Beauty and the Beast** (Olney Theatre Center). Role: Cutter/Draper. Designer: Ivania Stack. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/beauty-and-the-beast-709.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/beauty-and-the-beast-2-1000.jpg ### 02 First Hand: First Hand Cutting the draper's patterns, stitching, relaying notes to stitchers and attending fittings and dress rehearsals. At Washington National Opera (2018 to 2020) across multiple operas on tight deadlines, and earlier at Boston University and Barter Theatre. - **Tosca** (Washington National Opera, 2018/19 season). Role: First Hand. Designer: Lena Rivkina. Draper: Bill Nelson. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/tosca-1580.jpg - **Samson and Delilah** (Washington National Opera, 2019/20 season). Role: First Hand. Designer: Timm Burrow. Draper: Bill Nelson. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/samson-and-delilah-600.jpg - **In the Next Room** (Boston University, Fall 2014). Role: First Hand. Designer: Haley Zimmerman. Draper: Callan Bideau. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/in-the-next-room-1600.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/in-the-next-room-2-1600.jpg - **Kiss Me, Kate!** (Barter Theatre, 2013). Role: First Hand. Designer: Court Watson. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/kiss-me-kate-273.jpg - **Les Misérables** (Barter Theatre, 2013). Role: First Hand. Chorus. Designer: Amanda Aldridge. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/les-miserables-1600.jpg - **A Streetcar Named Desire** (Barter Theatre, 2013). Role: First Hand. Designer: Adrienne Webber. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/a-streetcar-named-desire-1600.jpg ### 03 Construction: Built to Move Stitching and building as draper, first hand and stitcher: 16th-century menswear for a Renaissance faire acting company, and period tailoring for regional theatre. - **Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire 2014** (Zeno Entertainment). Role: Stitcher. Embroidered doublet and cape. Designer: Lily Steiner. Performer: Nathaniel Barber. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/pa-renaissance-faire-2014-doublet-1600.jpg - **Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire 2014** (Zeno Entertainment). Role: Stitcher. Designer: Lily Steiner. Performer: Joe Penn. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/pa-renaissance-faire-2014-fight-1600.jpg - **Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire 2014** (Zeno Entertainment). Role: Stitcher. Designer: Lily Steiner. Performer: Todd Smith. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/pa-renaissance-faire-2014-sword-648.jpg - **Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire 2016** (Zeno Entertainment). Role: Draper. Designer: Lily Steiner. Draper: Jessi Alice Eichberger. Performer: Troy Butler. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/pa-renaissance-faire-2016-1120.jpg - **Peter Pan** (Northern Stage, 2012). Role: Wardrobe Supervisor. Captain Hook's jacket. Designer: Sarah Cubbage. Performer: Bill Evans. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/captain-hook-jacket-1112.jpg - **Sleuth** (Northern Stage, 2012). Role: Wardrobe Supervisor. Quilted smoking jacket, detail. Designer: Tim Mackabee. Performer: Bill Evans. Photo: Oscar Blustin. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/sleuth-quilted-jacket-960.jpg ### 04 Millinery and Wigs: Hats, Hair and Faces Blocked and buckram millinery, wig styling and maintenance, and running prosthetics and effects through performance. - **Far Away** (University of Maryland, Baltimore County). Role: Milliner. Oversized brocade bow headpiece. Designer: Isabelle Tabet. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/far-away-1600.jpg - **Garrison Cap**. Role: Milliner. Photo: Denise Wallace-Spriggs. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/garrison-cap-1529.jpg - **Edwardian Hat**. Role: Milliner. Buckram, silk dupioni, velvet trim. Photo: Denise Wallace-Spriggs. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/edwardian-hat-1529.jpg - **Cardinal Wolsey's Biretta** (Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, 2014). Role: Milliner. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/cardinal-wolseys-biretta-1600.jpg - **Born Yesterday** (Northern Stage, 2012). Role: Wig styling. Designer: Amy Pedigo-Otto. Performer: Emily Stockdale. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/born-yesterday-1120.jpg - **Peter Pan** (Northern Stage). Role: Wardrobe Supervisor. Lost Boys animal hats. Designer: Sarah Cubbage. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/peter-pan-lost-boys-1600.jpg - **Sleuth** (Northern Stage, 2012). Role: Wardrobe Supervisor. False nose and moustache applied at intermission. Designer: Tim Mackabee. Photo: Oscar Blustin. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/sleuth-disguise-960.jpg - **Sleuth** (Northern Stage, 2012). Role: Wardrobe Supervisor. Edible blood packets, made in-house. Designer: Tim Mackabee. Photo: Oscar Blustin. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/sleuth-stage-blood-960.jpg ### 05 Crafts and Effects: Padding, Props and Paint Body padding and prosthetics built to be worn for a full outdoor season, painted footwear, and papier-mache props. - **Prosthetic Breasts** (Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire). Role: Crafts. Built on a harness for a full outdoor season. Designer: Lily Steiner. Performer: Angie Fennell. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/prosthetic-breasts-1242.jpg - **Painted Kuhmaulschuh Shoes**. Role: Crafts. 16th-century "cow mouth" shoes, painted. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/painted-kuhmaulschuh-shoes-816.jpg - **Fat Suit** (Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire). Role: Crafts. One-inch car foam cut and glued into an egg shape; 75-inch waistline. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/fat-suit-1600.jpg - **Komodo Dragon Piñata** (Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls). Role: Props Master. Papier-mache. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/komodo-dragon-pinata-1280.jpg ### 06 MFA Thesis: Draping for the Dynamic Body MFA thesis, Boston University, 2017. I built body-modification suits for friends of typical size, then draped period garments over their new silhouettes: Richard III, and an 18th-century gown from one of the earliest known styles of maternity wear. - **Richard III** (Boston University, 2017). Role: Draper. Padded body suit, doublet, breeches and quilted jerkin. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/thesis-richard-iii-603.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/thesis-richard-iii-2-789.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/thesis-richard-iii-3-499.jpg - **18th-Century Maternity Gown** (Boston University, 2017). Role: Draper. Pregnancy belly, corset and panniers under a silk gown. Images: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/thesis-maternity-gown-462.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/thesis-maternity-gown-2-361.jpg, https://erikakrausecostumes.com/images/thesis-maternity-gown-3-673.jpg ## Teaching I teach Digital Draping at Emerson College alongside traditional technique, and I make YouTube tutorials on basic CLO3D methods for costume makers who are new to 3D patterning: six so far, from a bodice sloper to collars, hoods and hats. Course: Digital Draping, Emerson College, Department of Performing Arts. Pattern drafting and draping in CLO3D for design and production students, taught next to the traditional cutting-table methods it builds on. - Sloper: Drafting a bodice sloper in CLO3D's 2D pattern window, using Ingham and Covey's The Costume Technician's Handbook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPLyz4O_-Pc - Sleeve Sloper: Drafting a sleeve sloper and converting it to a two-piece sleeve, from The Costume Technician's Handbook. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBdHaBmFdT8 - Pants Sloper: A pants sloper in CLO3D, drafted from Helen Joseph-Armstrong's Patternmaking for Fashion Design. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Y9P_iy93c - 3D Draping Tool: Customizing the avatar and draping directly on the body with CLO3D's 3D draping pen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHkv-wRxtE - Corsets: Patterning a Georgian corset and pannier in CLO3D from Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT2OuchF46c - Collars, Hoods and Hats: Creating collars, hoods and hats in CLO3D, using drafts from Ingham and Covey's The Costume Technician's Handbook, Joseph-Armstrong's Patternmaking for Fashion Design and Dreher's From the Neck Up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px4LAhCyJIk ## Press - Emerson Today: 200 Hours for 30 Seconds: The Craft Behind Sweet Charity's Good Fairy Dress (April 2026). "Performing Arts Cutter/Draper Erika Krause guided the process, while actress Emily Barnett '26, who wears the dress, played a key role in fittings.". https://emerson.edu/news/200-hours-for-30-seconds-the-craft-behind-sweet-charitys-good-fairy-dress - The Washingtonian: A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at the Washington National Opera's Costume Shop (October 2018). Pictured at work in the shop. https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/10/10/a-behind-the-scenes-peek-at-the-washington-national-operas-costume-shop/ - DCist: Washington National Opera Shifts From Making Costumes To Making Masks For Local Hospitals (March 2020). https://dcist.com/story/20/03/30/washington-national-opera-shifts-from-making-costumes-to-making-masks-for-local-hospitals/ ## Profiles - Emerson College faculty page: https://emerson.edu/faculty/erika-krause/ - YouTube (CLO3D tutorials): https://www.youtube.com/@erikakrause3044 ## Resume ## Experience ### Cutter/Draper and Part-Time Faculty, Emerson College, Department of Performing Arts Current · Boston, MA Pattern and build costumes for Emerson Stage productions, lead students through fitting notes, and teach Digital Draping (CLO3D) alongside traditional technique. Productions: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Julius Caesar, The Great God Pan, Sweet Charity, Barbecue, Starting Here, Starting Now ### Draper, Arena Stage Nov 2022–2025 · Washington, D.C. Patterned every garment assigned to my team and led my first hand and stitchers through each build, working in fittings to keep actors comfortable while protecting the designer's vision. Productions: Ride the Cyclone, The High Ground, Exclusion, POTUS, Swept Away, Mindplay, Tempestuous Elements, Unknown Soldier, The Migration, Jaja's African Hair Braiding ### Cutter/Draper, Olney Theatre Center Sep 2021–Nov 2022 · Olney, MD Sole draper: patterned and cut every build and guided apprentices through construction, flexing plans to have garments ready for fittings and tech. Productions: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Beauty and the Beast ### First Hand, Washington National Opera Jul 2018–Aug 2020 · Washington, D.C. Cut the draper's patterns, stitched, relayed notes to stitchers and attended fittings and dress rehearsals across multiple operas on tight deadlines. Draper for Faust (2019), leading my own team. Productions: Faust (draper, 2019), Tosca, Samson and Delilah ### Assistant Costume Shop Manager, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Aug 2017–Jul 2018 · Catonsville, MD ### Draper, Stonehill College Mar 2017–Apr 2017 · Easton, MA Productions: As You Like It ### Intern, then Junior Stitcher, Boston Ballet Sep 2016–Dec 2016 · Boston, MA Productions: The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty ### Costume Design Assistant, American Shakespeare Center Aug 2016–Sep 2016 · Staunton, VA Two Gentlemen of Verona, designer Tricia Emlet. Productions: Two Gentlemen of Verona ### Draper, First Hand, Stitcher, Zeno Entertainment (Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire) 2014–2016 · Manheim, PA Three summer seasons of 16th-century menswear for the faire's acting company: stitcher (2014), first hand (2015), draper (2016). ### First Hand, Barter Theatre Apr 2013–May 2014 · Abingdon, VA Productions: Kiss Me, Kate!, Les Misérables, A Streetcar Named Desire ### Wardrobe Supervisor, Northern Stage Sep 2012–Mar 2013 · White River Junction, VT Productions: Sleuth, Peter Pan, Born Yesterday ### Stitcher, Dresser, TriArts Sharon Playhouse May 2012–Aug 2012 · Sharon, CT ### Costume Intern, Wolf Trap Opera May 2011–Aug 2011 · Vienna, VA Productions: Le Donne Curiose, The Tales of Hoffmann, Sweeney Todd ### Costume Shop Assistant, James Madison University, School of Theatre and Dance Sep 2009–May 2012 · Harrisonburg, VA ## Education - MFA, Costume Production, Boston University, 2017 - BA, Theatre, James Madison University, 2012 (Minor in Women's and Gender Studies) ## Special skills - Draping and flat patterning - Digital pattern drafting (CLO3D) - Historic and modern tailoring - 16th-century menswear - Bridal - Fabric manipulation - Millinery - Wig styling and maintenance - Prosthetic application - Casting and mold making - Body padding and modification - Shoe painting - Wardrobe and dressing - Industrial and domestic sewing and overlock machines - Papier-mache and props - Teaching References available on request. ## Contact Email: krauseen@gmail.com Location: Boston, MA Portfolio PDF: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/erika-krause-costume-portfolio.pdf Structured data: https://erikakrausecostumes.com/resume.json (JSON Resume), https://erikakrausecostumes.com/resume.md