College Best Dressed: Molly Werner

How long have you been working at Santa Maria College and what is your role?
I have been at Santa Maria since February 2016, so just over four years.

My official role title has changed a few times. I was hired as the Performing Arts Assistant, but I am now the Costume and Wardrobe Coordinator, which is more in line with my duties and specialty knowledge of costume for stage.

Where does your passion lie?
I love art and making things, writing about making things and researching people in history who’ve made and said things about the world around them.

What study have you done?
When I first left high school, I was offered a place at UWA to study a Bachelor of Science, but I decided to take a gap year instead. 

When I returned, I applied to do the Advanced Diploma of Live Production and Management Services (Costume) course at WAAPA and spent three years there. 

When I finished that course, I enrolled at UWA to study a combined degree in Fine Art and History of Art because I wanted to gain a better conceptual grounding for my interest in costume design.

I’m currently writing my 4th Year Honours dissertation in the History of Art discipline and am hoping to go into further study following that.

What is something new that you are working on this year?
I am organising a rotating exhibition in the Performing Arts foyer that focusses on a selection of plays put on at the College since 1986. 

We actually have an amazing and extensive stock of costumes that have been collected throughout the College’s history which no one really gets to see. Since the College’s Master Plan includes a new theatre space, I thought it might perhaps be a good time to reflect on and remember some of the embedded histories and importance of the performing arts for the College community.