Bio:

Elyse Grimaldi is a costume designer and crafts artisan pursuing her MFA in Costume Production at Carnegie Mellon University. Her enthusiasms include sculpting, mask making, leather craft, fabric dyeing, painting, and decorative wire structures.

Initially a self-taught stitcher, she developed a passion for creative dress while outfitting friends for myriad costumed events, which led to the pursuit of a BS in Theater Arts from Portland State University. Prior to her graduate education, Elyse designed costumes in Portland, Oregon and its surrounding regions for over five years.

Elyse is a recipient of the 2019 Portland Drammy Award for Outstanding Costume Design, in addition to the Phyllis and Tom Burnam Award for Outstanding Contributions to the School of Theater + Film at Portland State University. Her recent work includes costume design for The Bakkhai, _____ The Wolf, and Escaped Alone at Shaking the Tree Theatre, millinery for Quantum Theatre’s Far Away, as well as serving as crafts assistant for Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and puppet maker for Babel at Carnegie Mellon University.