Claremarie, a successful freelance designer and technician, is currently a Professor at the University of Houston where she is their faculty costume history and make-up designer, instructor and technician. During her 40 years as a theater artist, she has designed more than 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. Claremarie has advanced fashion millinery training and went to Italy to research the original techniques for the creation of Commedia-dell-arte-Masks. She was presented with the Outstanding Lifetime Service Award from the USITT SW this spring.

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 Theater, Stages Repertory Theatre,The Lab Theatre, HCC Central and Stages Children’s Theatre and Houston Repertory 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.

The UH School of Theatre & Dance produces plays, dance concerts, studio productions, a new play festival, and school shows through the Theatre for Young Audiences program. The school performs in the Wortham Theatre and the Quintero Theatre. The Houston Shakespeare Festival is a professional project of the school, which is produced each summer at Miller Outdoor Theatre. The UH School of Theatre & Dance offers bachelors and master's degrees in theater and teacher certifications in dance. Its graduate program offers a Master of Arts in theater and a Master of Fine Arts in theater with specializations in acting, design and technology, and costume technology.

She chose this career because of her love for the theater. She could not act, but she loved to sew, so she found her career to be the perfect fit for her. Every May, she flies to New York for the month and sees 15 plays during her stay. She loves to go to Broadway to see the latest productions.

She prepared for her career by earning a dual master's degree. She received a Master of Fine Art in costume design and technology from the California Institute of the Arts, and she received a Master of Arts in theater design and technology from Illinois State University. She has also earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and French education from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, and she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater from The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

The biggest challenge that she has overcome has been working in a male-dominated field.

She always keeps her head level and her nose clean.

Her greatest accomplishment was becoming a successful freelance designer.

After 50 years in the industry, she plans on retiring soon.

She was inspired by the fact that her position is her passion, which means that she loves what she does.

She wants to be remembered as a surviving female freelance designer.

United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Texas  (U.S.I.T.T. TX); Costume Society of America (CSA); Theatre Network of Houston (TNH); Houston Association of Film and Television (HAFT); Texas Education Theatre Association; University of Houston's Women's Association; Theatre Network of Houston; American Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE); Theatre Network of Houston and Houston Association of Fiber Artists

She has received numerous awards for my work.

She is very involved through her church in Elijah Rising. Elijah Rising is about ending human trafficking by equipping a new breed of justice warrior for prayer, awareness and intervention in the spirit of Isaiah 1:17. She helped to raise money, and the group recently purchased Kendall Farms, which houses and rehabilitates women to lead a successful life.

Theater; Traveling