Photo by Maximillian Tortoriello Photography
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Like many folks, my grandma taught me how to sew, knit, and quilt, and I loved learning from her (her cookies were the next best lessons!). After spending most of my childhood onstage as a ballet dancer, musician, and actor, I was recruited into my first job in a costume shop at a community college. While much of my childhood was spent onstage as a ballet dancer, musician, and actor, I was so much more excited—and relieved—to create and support behind the curtain instead. Now professionally behind the scenes, my passion for this work has only grown with me over the years!
History has always been a great love of mine, and these two passions collided in my teen years with sewing—first, in the form of historical reenactments. The interweaving of history, society, and fashion is a fascinating tapestry, and a solid grasp of fashion history is certainly important when working in theatre. Many productions are set in a time and a place—and yet, many are not. Theatre gives us so many opportunities to explore historically accurate, historically inspired, a combination of eras, modern, abstract, fantasy, and everything-in-between onstage. The devil is always in the details-and knowing how to add that historical detail or personal touch to pieces is what gives costumes a “real feel.” Details are my favorite aspect of costuming; a specific pocket, a cuff, a decoration, etc., all of these and more lend themselves to a better connection between the costume and the performer.
Taking a 2D rendering and figuring out how to translate it into a dimensional, wearable, and functional garment is, by far, the most rewarding and exciting part, aside from seeing the costume onstage, of course! Collaborating with designers to bring their renderings to life is my theatre magic! I take great pride and satisfaction in my work. An environment that is cooperative, respectful, supportive, and creative is where I want to work, and the kind of environment I work hard to contribute to and provide.