Patricia McIlrath Endowed Associate Professor of Theatre and Division of Theatre Chair, Brandon R McWilliams joined the Conservatory’s Division of Theatre as Associate Professor of Costume Design from Texas State University where he was Head of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor of Costume Design. He received his MFA in Costume Design from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. As a practitioner, he has designed costumes for the past twenty years, and is the recipient of the Zelma H. Weisfeld USITT Costume Design Award and two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Shrader Kimberly Award in Costume Design.
Brandon worked with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) as Executive Associate to former President & CEO Sandra Gibson, as well as the Development Manager for the national service organization. While at Arts Presenters, Brandon worked on the development of Gateway to the Americas/Puertas de las Americas, a program partnering with Cultural Contact (US-Mexico Fund for Culture) to create new opportunities for Latin America to expand its presence in the realm of international presenting. He also had a hand in the creation of the Cultural Exchange Fund, a travel grant program assisting in the early stages of international collaborations between artists, presenters, and artist managers.
Brandon's work in theatrical design has been on display at the Prague Quadrennial and featured in publications such as Theatre Design & Technology, Playbill, Texas Monthly, and American Theatre. He has held faculty appointments at Salisbury University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Louisiana State University, and Texas State University.