Esther Van Eek

Esther Van Eek, a proud member of the Associated Designers of Canada, designs costumes, millinery, masks, and props in Canada and the USA. She holds a BFA in Visual Art and an MFA in Production Design graduating with distinction from the George Washington University. An award-winning designer and educator, Van Eek teaches design and production courses including Intro to Theatre, Costume Design, Drawing for the Theatre, and Stage Make-up at the University of Windsor, and mentors up-and-coming designers. She collaborated with several costume designers to write The Art and Practice of Costume Design (Routledge, 2016). 


Esther serves on the Board of Directors of the CITT/ICTS (Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology) and is the Vice-Commissioner of Design for USITT’s Costume Commission.

In addition to the University Players, Esther has designed for Shakespeare and Company, Washington Stage Guild, Studio Theatre, the Folger Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre's Academy of Classical Acting, Didactic Theatre, University of Maryland, Post Productions, Windsor Feminist Theatre, and the U.S. Army. Selected design credits include: Doubt (Post Productions), The Taming, Accomplice, Heroes, Parasite Drag (Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA); Tinker Bell, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Mr. Burns, Tartuffe (University Players).

When not designing or teaching, Esther continues her artistic practice as a printmaker and painter.