Michaela is Associate Professor of Theater - Costume Design and Technologies at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Massachusetts where she covers courses in costume design, costume technology, theatre history and collaboration. Petrovich also designs for the MCLA Theatre season and manages the costume studio which builds and facilitates the costumes for MCLA Theatre productions. She can be found creating and teaching myriad theatre production crafts that expand to dyeing, theatrical properties, and puppetry. When not working on an upcoming production, Petrovich can be found studying and practicing historic embroidery techniques.
Prior to joining the faculty at MCLA, Petrovich spent the two years as Visiting Assistant Professor of Scenic and Costume Design at the University of Redlands, where she taught Stage Design Fundamentals, Set Design Techniques and Costume Design Techniques. Petrovich also created and taught the topics studio course: “Designing Fantasy”, which attracted a variety of Theatre Arts students (designers, actors and a playwright) as well as students across disciplines (history and creative writing) due to its focus on world building and the role history of dress and architectural styles play in the creation of fantastical realms. She co-taught a May Term studio course, “Designing Doctor Who: The Television Franchise” with Piers D. Britton and former BBC costume designer, June Hudson, as artist in residence.
Before moving into academia, Petrovich spent two years as Staff Costume Design Associate at Seattle Repertory Theatre where she was fortunate to have worked on the new musical, Come From Away, before making it’s debut on Broadway. She also had the pleasure of working with Clint Ramos’ design associate, Christopher Vergara, on the remount of David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim’s revolutionary musical experience, Here Lies Love.
Petrovich completed her MFA in Costume Design at the University of Washington, where she had collaborated with prolific scenic designer, Thomas Lynch, on An Evening of Tennessee Williams One Acts. This collaboration was a defining experience in her graduate experience, and a work of which she is most proud.
Under the mentorship of the late Sarah Nash-Gates, Petrovich began to explore costume history scholarship. Nash-Gates hired her as her researcher for her design work on Oliver! at 5th Avenue Theatre. Petrovich then helped to curate an exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery inspired by the costumes of Downton Abbey for a small group of donors to benefit University of Washington School of Drama. This exhibit included research and garments from the Henry’s collection.
UW Drama Design students traditionally dedicate a quarter during their final year to a professional internship. Michaela instead decided to create an intensive, hands on, independent research project: American Identity Through Dress during the Revolutionary War and World War II. In addition to copious library research, Michaela incorporated weeks of artifact studies and museum research. She produced detailed (written, photographic and sketched) studies from her time in the archives at the Museum of History and Innovation (MOHAI) and Henry Art Galleries clothing archives in Seattle, Washington; Daughters of American Revolution Archives and the Smithsonian Archives in Washington, DC; archives at Colonial Williamsburg, VA.