Notre Dame 2010 graduate, Tara Meyer, is the newest member of Notre Dame Regional High School’s Performing and Visual Arts Hall of Fame. She will be inducted on August 8, 2025, at Notre Dame’s Queen of Victory Evening of Excellence, held at Notre Dame’s King Hall.

Meyer is the daughter of the late Tom and Mary Meyer, and sister to Heather (’95), Jean (’98), Thomas (’02) and Catherine (’06).

She currently lives and works in Los Angeles as both a set designer and key costumer.

“I’m part of the costume designer’s team who helps make their vision a reality. As a set costumer, I am working primarily on set with the talent, and as a key costumer I am managing a team of costumers, conducting fittings and shopping,” said Meyer.

Her current notable works include leading teams on two Emmy-award winning productions: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Live and Fox’s The Masked Singer.

Meyer said, “I was thrilled to hear I was being inducted to the ND PAVA Hall of Fame. I am honored to be a source of pride for the school and a role model for the students. Sometimes a career in the arts can seem out of reach and I want students to know that someone like them can achieve their dream.”

During her time at Notre Dame, Meyer was a crew member on many productions: The Sound of Music, Life with Father, Anything Goes, The Pajama Game and My Fair Lady. She was a member of the National Art Honor Society, Backstage Blue, National Art Honor Society, Encore, Band and National Honor Society.

“One of my favorite productions was the play, Life with Father. This show gave me a taste of what it would be like to be part of the costuming process from start to finish and gave me a new respect for the craft,” she said. “It was like seeing the mechanics behind a magic trick.”

Meyer also worked on many productions while attending Southeast Missouri State University, where she majored in performing arts with an emphasis in theatre design and technology. She was awarded Southeast Missouri State University’s Young Alumni Award in 2024.

Meyer is a perfect example that following your dreams, and sometimes altering those dreams to better suit your personality, can lead to success.

“Going into my freshman year at Notre Dame, I was already obsessed with clothes and planned to become a fashion designer,” said Meyer. “I did not realize costuming could be a job until my freshman year in high school. I thought costuming was just a fun pastime I did with my sister. Costuming is a much better fit for me since it combines my love of art, history and clothing. On one project I could be doing futuristic clothes, and on another an animal walkabout suit. It’s always different and keeps me on my toes.”

Meyer is quick to point out that she had help along the way with her career. Her mother was instrumental in supporting and encouraging her decisions, as well as teaching her to sew. She said her mother nurtured her curiosity and had an unwavering faith that she would always land on her feet.

The teachers in high school and college also inspired Meyer.

“The teacher I turned to for inspiration and encouragement during high school was undoubtedly, Miss Cynthia King. She saw my passion and fed the fire. Under her supervision, I was able to create a college portfolio that helped me standout and begin my costuming journey.

She was one of my first mentors and I’m forever grateful for her guidance,” said Meyer.

At SEMO, costume design professor Rhonda Weller-Stilson assured both Meyer and her mother that her dream could be achieved, in part by allowing her to begin to design for the stage as early as her freshman year.

“Under Rhonda’s guidance, my time at Southeast was a dream come true,” said Meyer.

During her last year of college, Meyer says she was at a crossroads. She knew she needed to be in a bigger city to find full-time work as a costumer. Her sister, Cat, suggested a move to Los Angeles to share an apartment, and Meyer jumped at the opportunity.

After assisting on different television shows, she was admitted to the industry’s exclusive costume union and worked on every genre of television. She was eventually promoted to Key Costumer on The Masked Singer where she led a team of fifteen costumers for five seasons.

A normal day for Meyer involves an early start, around 5:00 a.m., on a Monday and usually goes for 10-14 hours. It’s not unheard of for her to have 17-hour days or six-day work weeks. She preps the costumers for the talent and pre-sets the dressing rooms with the costumes needed, as well as helps the talent get ready, and assists with mic placements on the set.

During the shoots, she maintains the look and takes notes of how the costumes are worn. This includes taking photos and keeping track of how the costumes look in every scene, so that when the scenes are shot out of order over a period of days, the costumes will be consistent.

“For example, if a character takes off a jacket in one scene, I have to make sure they’re not wearing it in the next one,” she said. “If it’s a stunt day, I would have more responsibilities like adding bullet holes or fake blood to the costume and showing it to the director for approval. I always carry a set bag with a sewing kit and other tools in case a costume piece needs a quick repair or rigged to preserve a character’s effortless look. You can’t have a cape flying into a hero’s face!”

Meyer said she intends to stay in LA and, if necessary, expand to other costume fields, such as commercials.

When asked if she had any advice to give to the younger generation who might aspire to a career in a similar field, Meyer said, “Never stop learning. Observe more that you talk and have a positive, can-do attitude. Finally, put yourself out there – opportunity will find you when you’re not hiding.”