When some people hear the word “theater arts,” they may envision a broke 20-something college graduate with no prospects in sight.
But they should instead envision someone like Alexa Behm, Illinois Wesleyan graduate, professional costume designer, professor and mother.
“I came to Illinois Wesleyan to be an actor,” Behm said. “And, I stayed as an actor for about a year and a half. But I realized it was the wrong journey for me,” she said.
After getting a job in the theater show sewing, Behm decided to switch paths to costume design.
She credited her decision to former IWU professor Maria McDonald, who passed away on April 26, 2025.
“I assisted her on one show, and I switched majors right after. Marcia completely changed my life,” Behm said.
Behm finished her education at IWU focusing on Theatre Design and Technology.
She graduated in 2016 and moved back to her hometown of Schamburg, where she “looked for any job anyone would give in” related to theater.
During the days, she would do wardrobe and assistant costume design work, and at night work on her own design projects.
Behm ended up working for most of the Chicagoland regional theaters during this time, including The Writers Theater and Marriott Theatre (Lincolnshire,) two of the most well-respected theaters the area has to offer.
“That year built a lot of confidence for me. It taught me that you’re never really above any type of work when you’re in the arts,” Behm said.
“When you are in school, you might have a whole team helping you build costumes,” she said. “But when you are early in your own career, you’re kind of a one-man band. I had to learn how to be resourceful.”
By the end of that year, Behm decided she wanted to go back to school.
“My year and a half at Wesleyan as an actor was transformative,” Behm said.
“I tell people all the time that my experience acting was my best costume design education,” she said.
“Everything I learned about building a character for costume design, I learned from acting,” Behm said.
“But I still felt like there were parts of my education I needed to fill, so I went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), for film, television and theater.”
UCLA opened the doors for Behm’s debut into scripted television costuming, where she would get to work on shows for Paramount Plus and Fox, including 9-1-1 (2018), American Horror Stories (2021) and The Offer (2022).
UCLA would prove to be not only an incredible resource for progressing in her professional career but also her personal life.
While studying in California, Behm would meet her now-husband, Jeff, who works as a lighting designer.
Behm worked behind the scenes of Hollywood for a few years, but eventually she felt like she needed to make a change.
She soon realized what she was missing: theater work.
“TV and film move very fast. There are all sorts of positive parts of those jobs, but most of the decisions have been made before you got there,” Behm said.
“Whereas, in theater, the creators are all in the room making them together, and for me, that’s more fulfilling.”
And the theater was where Behm would continue to thrive. One of her first projects after leaving Hollywood was with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, where she met Rick Dildon, who at the time was artistic director for the Festival.
There, Behm and Dildon connected for the first time, birthing a career that would span numerous shows and multiple U.S. states.
Now, Behm, Jeff, and Dildon are working with the Children’s Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, currently in production for their newest show, Treasure Island.
And Behm’s wins just kept coming. Alongside costume design, Behm started working as a professor, where she is now working full-time for the University of California, Santa Barbara, as their assistant professor of costume design.
And, in late July, Behm’s first child was born.
“This theater has been very supportive of my personal life and my journey in motherhood,” Behm said.
“And for young people who are planning to start a family, especially in an artistic field, you have to surround yourself with people who are really supportive,” she said.
“This show is very close to when I had my baby, but it’s truly a testament to how much I love my job,” Behm said.
“I found a balance with having these wonderful experiences with my new child and still getting to have this piece of myself doing professional work,” she said.
“My husband and I both love our careers and our jobs, and that’s something I want my daughter to see as she grows up. I want her to find something she really loves doing because we’ve been lucky enough to have that,” Behm said.
Behm’s biggest piece of advice for new students was to “trust your gut.”
She advised that students go on a journey as an artist and explore different mediums.
Even though Behm no longer acts nor works in television, she added that these experiences still taught her a lot for her current work.
If Illinois Wesleyan students, family, or friends find themself in the Minneapolis region between September 9 and October 19, 2025, check out Behm’s costume work and the cast of Treasure Island at the Children’s Theater Company.
Behm’s online portfolio can be found on her website, https://www.abehmdesign.com.
