CLAREMARIE VERHEYEN'S BIO 2007
Claremarie is currently an associate professor at the University of Houston where she is
their principal costume and make-up designer, instructor, technician and director. During
her forty years as a theatre artist, she has designed over 400 productions including drama,
opera, dance, high-fashion, film, video, television, circus and commercials.
In addition to her academic and commercial work in Houston, she has served as an
executive member and president of the Houston' Theatre Network, an active member and
portfolio commissioner of the National United States Institute for Theatre and
Technology and as a second vice-president for the USITT. Southwest Region. She
regularly offers Commedia Mask workshops and symposiums in museums, colleges and
regional theatres. She is a consultant for the University of Houston’s costume rental
operation. Claremarie has advanced fashion millinery training and went to Italy to
research the original techniques for the creation of Commedia-dell-arte-Masks.
She is on the advisory board of the Houston Community College Fashion and Marketing
Program and regularly offers a class there in Theatrical Costume Design and Technology.
During the summers she teaches a graduate make up course and is a costume designer for
the Houston Children’s Theatre Festival, The Notre Dame Shakespeare Initiative and
Shakespeare by the Book. She also designs for The Alley Theatre, Stages Repertory
Theatre, Main Street Theatre, The Lab Theatre, HCC Central and Stages Children’s
Theatre.
Claremarie has been the featured costume designer at the Texas Education Theatre
Associations' convention and is the recipient of their “University Educator of the Year
Award.” She continues to work on the development of a web delivered Costume History
class offered through the University and offers seminars in resume and portfolio
preparation.
She was the featured designer at the regional convention of the United States Institute of
Technology in Hot Springs Arkansas and is the co-chairman of the annual Design Fest
Competition. Recently she gave a series of workshops on mask technology at the
Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Her latest interest is in providing makeup design and
technology consultation for disaster training in municipal triage exercises. Her makeup
expertise has been utilized by HISD, Houston Ballet/Academy, Rice Opera Workshop
and the University of Houston Downtown.