Melanie Burgess is a free-lance Costume Designer and has designed over 170 productions for theatre and opera. In Seattle, she has designed for Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, A Contemporary Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Empty Space Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, New Century Theatre Company, Seattle Public Theatre, ArtsWest, Taproot Theatre and Tacoma Actors Guild. Regionally she has designed for The Guthrie, Arizona Theatre Company, Denver Center of Performing Arts, Children's Theatre Company (Minneapolis), Cincinnati Playhouse, Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Hawaii Opera, Idaho Theatre for Youth and Idaho Repertory Theatre.

Melanie is the recipient of the 2019 Gregory Award for Urinetown and the 2010 Gregory Award for her designs of 42nd Street, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Chasing Nicolette and Twelfth Night, a 2016 nominee for Assassins, a 2015 nominee for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and a 2013 nominee for The Importance of Being Earnest. She has received Seattle Times Footlight Awards for The Ramayana, Act Theatre, 2012; The Hundred Dresses, Seattle Children's Theatre, 2008; The King and I, Village Theatre, 2007; A Winter's Tale, Seattle Shakespeare Company and Wine in the Wilderness, ACT Theatre, 2006; Ming the Rude, Empty Space Theatre, 2003 and Pinocchio, Seattle Children's Theatre, 1995.

Melanie holds a BA in Theatre from Boise State University and an MFA in Costume Design from the University of Washington. She has taught design at Seattle University and is an Associate Professor of design at Cornish College of the Arts. She is a member of USA Local 829.