As active professionals, Peck School of the Arts faculty thrive in taking their talents off-campus, creating bridges into the community. Among them are theatre faculty members Jason Orlenko (Assistant Professor, Costume Design) and Dana Rochester (Teaching Faculty II, Costumes & Stage Makeup).
Collaborators for nearly two decades, Orlenko and Rochester graduated from UWM in 2008 and have stayed involved in the performing arts ever since. They have found great success in Milwaukee throughout their professional careers, crediting the city’s incredible arts community.
“Milwaukee is a great place to be for a performing arts career,” said Orlenko. “We have such a robust performing arts community, there’s a lot to do when you graduate.”
Orlenko and Rochester keep themselves as busy as possible. In addition to teaching, they oversee costumes for all UWM theater productions while also finding the time to freelance around Milwaukee. Their broad experience has taken them to productions such as West Side Story and You on the Moors Now at UWM and Xanadu at Skylight Theater.
Orlenko and Rochester bring industry experience into their classrooms to teach the importance of collaboration. They also create a strong example of this by creating costumes for campus productions outside of the theater department.
“We have a lot of crossovers with other departments at Peck,” said Rochester. “We have students run wardrobe with dance and music departments often.”
To further foster community, they open their classes to all arts students.
“Not only do we have our designated costume students, but we have a lot of actors who take our courses,” said Orlenko. “It fosters a collaborative effort, which they take into the professional world. They treat everyone backstage as equals, which is great!”
Orlenko and Rochester encourage their students to find connections throughout Milwaukee and beyond, which results in incredible job opportunities.
Recently, their alums have worked at professional theatre companies, including Skylight Theater, Next Act Theater and American Players Theater.
“There is a direct connection to the professional world for our students,” said Orlenko. “Growing that community is important as it ensures there will always be people carrying the torch in the performing arts.”
Up next, Orlenko and Rochester are teaming up for Once Upon A Mattress, which closes the 2023-2024 theatre season at UWM.