Heather Crocker Aulenback
Professor of Costume and Scenic Design

Biography

Heather Crocker Aulenback (she/her/hers) is the Professor of Costume and Scenic Design in the Theatre Arts Program. She teaches Costume Design, Scenic Design, Scenography, Introduction to Theatre, Drawing and Rendering for the Stage, Make-Up and Mask Design and Application, Production Workshop, and is the Costume and Scenic Designer for the program’s main stage shows. For over a decade she has actively designed for The Chester Theatre Company, and past credits have included work with Capital Repertory Company and New Century Theatre. Before joining the Westfield State Faculty, she served as lecturer and resident artist in costume and scenic design at The University of New Hampshire. She received her MFA in Costume Design in 2009 with a minor in Art History, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she holds multiple design credits and where she also received her BA in Theatre. In addition to her work in design, she has also trained as an actor and in 2002 worked as a voice over artist for Microsoft’s MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries computer game. Professor Crocker Aulenback is also trained in scenic painting, make-up design and application, wig dressing, visual art, draping, millinery, crafting, fabric manipulation, and wardrobe. She enjoys spending time in the outdoors and escaping zombies with her husband and two children.

Education

  • M.F.A. in Costume Design (with a Concentration in Theater), University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2009
  • B.A. in Humanities and Fine Arts, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2005

Courses Taught

  • Costume Design

  • Scenic Design

  • Scenography

  • Introduction to Theatre

  • Drawing and Rendering for the Stage

  • Make-Up and Mask Design and Application

  • Production Workshop