Costume Shop Supervisor Larissa McConnell works with some of the garments for “Blithe Spirit.” The costumes for the production are from designs by Jessica Lustig, making use of and/or altering vintage 1940s patterns.
For alumna Larissa McConnell, her return to SUNY Fredonia really is a dream come true.
McConnell joined the Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance in August of 2025 as costume shop supervisor.
“This is my real dream job,” she said.
McConnell earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design, with a focus in costumes, from Fredonia in 1999.
“I had so many opportunities to do, learn and practice my craft,” she said of her time as a student.
The theater degree was the second McConnell had earned from Fredonia, following a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education/Earth Science. She was working as substitute teacher and had returned to campus to start a master’s degree in Education.
“I didn’t really know how amazing Fredonia really was until I got to grad school and compared experiences with my peers. It turned out I had so much more experience under my belt.” - Larissa McConnell
However, a suggestion from a friend (who later became her husband) ended up sending McConnell down a different path.
At that time, she was involved with a medieval reenactment group and discovered a passion for creating costumes. Thus, the friend suggested McConnell consider pursuing Costume Design instead of Education.
“I talked with Dr. Bob Klausen [then head of Theatre and Dance] and got into the B.F.A. Design program,” McConnell said.
She fondly recalls her time as a Fredonia student learning from Costume Shop Supervisor Laurel Walford and technical faculty members including Steve Rees and the late Gary Eckhart. In addition to the knowledge she gained, McConnell said the atmosphere at Fredonia stood out.
“It was a family here,” McConnell said, noting the enduring friendships she made.
With her Fredonia degree in hand, McConnell went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2010. During graduate school, McConnell’s appreciation of Fredonia grew.
“I didn’t really know how amazing Fredonia really was until I got to grad school and compared experiences with my peers,” McConnell said. “It turned out I had so much more experience under my belt.”
After graduate school, McConnell began a 14-year run teaching, designing and managing the costume shop at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN.
“It started as an adjunct position and grew from there,” she said.
As much as McConnell loved her work in Minnesota, the Orchard Park native found herself longing to return to western New York.
“I love the area and the people,” she said. “I wanted to come home, so I started looking for job opportunities.”
As fate would have it, the costume shop position at Fredonia was open. McConnell reached out to Dixon Reynolds, who was then professor of Costume Design for the Department of Theatre and Dance, to learn more.
“I went through the process and got the job,” she said. “I had one year left on my contract [at Gustavus Adolphus College], but they were willing to wait for me.”
McConnell said she enjoys working with the students as they take what they learn in the classroom to the costume shop and ultimately to the stage, often with the Walter Gloor Mainstage Series productions.
“I love to watch students make the connection between the classroom and the stage — helping them to the next step and watching them grow,” McConnell said.
In addition to working with students, McConnell finds inspiration in being involved with the productions themselves.
“I love live theater,” McConnell said. “It’s exhilarating and can be so unpredictable.”
McConnell resides in Dunkirk with her husband, Jeff, and “two quirky cats.” She has “a continuing passion for the arts” and spend free time working on embroidery and “all manner of fiber arts and jewelry design.”
She spends summers working with the Chautauqua Opera and other theater companies around the country. In addition, she is a new member of the North Shore Arts Alliance (NSAA), a Fredonia-based organization supporting visual artists in Chautauqua County and is looking forward to pursuing more local art opportunities.
