Vice Chair of Communications

Professor Laura Vitale is a multidisciplinary artist and educator serving as Assistant Professor in Costume Design and Technology at Nazareth University. Her diverse artistic background and broad technical training inform a dynamic teaching style that empowers students to explore their unique creative voices, master specialized skills, and confidently navigate a wide range of career paths in the theatre arts.

Vitale has previously taught at The College of William & Mary and Lehigh University, and has served as a guest lecturer at multiple institutions on topics including Costume History, AI Art, and Emerging Costume Technologies.

She received the 2023 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for her work on Head Over Heels at Richmond Triangle Players. Other recent Richmond design credits include Hammockland (independent film), Hairspray (Beaty Theatre), Sound of the Guns (Firehouse Theatre), Log Cabin (RTP), Bright Star (William & Mary), and All’s Well That Ends Well (Richmond Shakespeare).

As the Costume Design Apprentice at Sarasota Opera in 2020, Vitale worked alongside resident designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan —celebrated for his design residency with Ringling Circus Clown College — during Sarasota Opera’s acquisition of the Malabar Costume rental stock. That same year, she served as Production Designer and Mentor for the interactive VR project Virtual Sensory Convergence at the Moss Arts Center, contributing to a published academic article on the research, technology, and creative development behind the piece.

Vitale began her theatrical journey as a performer and continues to draw inspiration from her multidisciplinary training across gymnastics, martial arts, dance, voice, violin, piano, fine arts, digital arts, film, puppetry, immersive installation, technical theatre, and more.