Roberta Doylend stands in front of a wall of fabric in her Dramatic Arts costume shop.

Roberta Doylend is head of wardrobe for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. She facilitates costumes and properties sourcing and construction for productions and classes in the Department of Dramatic Arts (DART). She also co-teaches technical theatre courses. She has 25 years of experience as a professional costume designer, cutter and builder in Canada and abroad. She has worked at Brock since September 2008, when she moved here from Vancouver Island.

What do you like about your job?

I like that it isn’t just a job. I love working in theatre and feel blessed that I get to teach and share my knowledge with the students; their enthusiasm, energy and creative spirits keep me on my toes! My costume shop is a bright, welcoming space where the students learn the tools of my trade. I like that DART is a growing department and we are all looking forward to the new facility in downtown St. Catharines.

What do you do for fun?

I do enjoy hiking in nature and exploring the Niagara region. It helps that I have a terrier named Miss Bit that insists on going for walks and is single-handedly trying to take on all chipmunks and squirrels in the region.

I also enjoy road trips and travel to new places, exploring the culture and meeting new people.

Where did you go on your last vacation?

My last “vacation” was a road trip to Prince Edward Island this past summer to design Johnny Belinda and Pygmalion for a small theatre company. The vacation was the drive there and back and I worked a crazy four weeks getting the show’s build and made many new friends on that incredible island.