U of U Department of Theatre

Karen Porcher

Properties Designer
Set Decoration

Karen Porcher has been designing and providing props for the Theatre Department productions for over 18 years. She began her career with the University of Utah as Assistant Prop Master for Pioneer Memorial Theatre, now Pioneer Theatre Company. After eight years with PTC, she was invited to work on a number of student productions for the Babcock Theatre. Karen found that she enjoyed the spontaneity and honesty of working with students, in a more experimental setting, and soon became a permanent member of the Theatre Department Staff.

Karen has always felt that she has a "dream job," and she looks forward to mentoring any student who is curious about a career in theatre props. Her passion is set-decorating, and she loves working with designers to help co-create their artistic vision. She has collaborated on over 100 productions in the Babcock and Lab Theatres, including the premier production of Idioglossia, which was made into the movie, Nell, starring Jodie Foster. She has also worked on productions such as Kiss of the Spider Woman, which was performed at the Kennedy Center, and last year, Rhinoceros, which was also a part of the Kennedy Center/ACTF's Region VIII Competition.