Janet has worked as a draper/cutter for A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario; Romeo And Juliet at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin; Under The Biltmore Clock for American Playhouse on PBS; and for many Chicago productions including Die Fledermaus for the Ruth Page Dance Company, The Guilt Of Lilian Sloan for the Lyric Opera School, The Libertine at Steppenwolf, and Philadelphia Story at the Court Theatre. She is also the costume curator of the Evanston History Center where she has mounted numerous exhibits. She frequently lectures on fashion history and social custom. An expert on costume construction, she was commissioned by the Chicago Historical Society to make a reproduction of a suit worn by John Adams for "We The People," the permanent exhibition on the Constitution of the U.S. ​​​​Janet Messmer retired from her position as Head of Costume Technology at The Theatre School in Spring of 2014. ​​​​​​​​​​​​