labricoleuse | Entries tagged with alumni

I've got another installment of the alumni interviews to share today, this time with Amy A. Page (MFA '10), Costume Director and Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

labricoleuse: For a bit of background for the readers, tell us about the department in which you teach—how many shows, how many students (rough guess is fine), anything that communicates the nature of the academic and theatrical-performance context for your job.

AAP: University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Theatre currently has about 114 undergraduate majors and we are rapidly growing due in part to the addition of a BFA in Musical Theatre in fall of 2015. We do five fully-produced shows including one musical and the Festival of Ten Minute Plays which includes student- and staff-written work. We also have at least four touring shows each year, this year we have five. These touring shows are booked for Friday performances throughout the academic year. Our recent seasons have included Proof, Clybourne Park, Urinetown, Twelfth Night, and Avenue Q.

labricoleuse: Could you describe the costume facilities at your university--how many employees/student workers, what different positions there entail, specialty equipment the shop owns, etc?

AAP: UAB has a lovely Costume Studio that is full of windows We have four large cutting tables, a fitting area, ten Bernina domestic machines, one Pfaff industrial straight stitch machine, four Babylock airthreading overlock machines, two embroidery machines and one Juki industrial serger. Our Craft Room has one large dye vat, a kickpress, a hand press, and a small spray booth with a ventilation hood. We have two costume storage rooms; one is onsite, the other is in another building on campus about a block away.

Our Theatre UAB Costume area is made up of the Costume Director, costume shop manager, faculty designer, 6-8 costume stipend students, 5-8 practicum students who serve on wardrobe crews or work in the shop throughout the semester, and students completing lab hours for THR 125. We have student costume designers every year. These students are mentored by our faculty designer Kim Shnormeier, shop manager Sharon McCoy Morgan, and me.

For each production, costume construction and/or pattern development assignments are thoroughly thought out. We focus on student’s ability levels, their ultimate goals and portfolio development.

labricoleuse: Tell us about the classes you teach—topics, enrollment size, etc. And if it changes each semester, what are you teaching right now?

I teach three sections of costume construction each academic year--the class is capped at ten and fills every semester. Flat pattern drafting and costume crafts are offered every other year. The goals for these courses are gaining knowledge of industry standard terminology and techniques as well as portfolio development. I can teach fifteen in each class. So I am currently teaching two sections of costume construction and serving as Costume Director. I typically drape on two or three of the productions, depending on the season. I mentor students during production work, portfolio development, employment document development, and conduct mock interviews in preparation for SETC job contact service. I enjoy seeing our students get jobs in the field and I love helping them through the process.

I have taught individual study courses in advanced pattern drafting and construction and couture tailoring techniques.

Theatre UAB also offers costume history and period styles, costume design and corset construction courses.

labricoleuse: You recently received a huge donation of antique/vintage clothing. Give us the details on how that has impacted the UAB theatre department!

AAP: Our vintage collection is a study collection. I have used pieces in my costume craft class and for reference for department productions. I look forward to drafting patterns from the vintage garments for reference and research. Kimberly Schnormeier, Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and our faculty costume designer, uses the vintage pieces while teaching costume history and period styles.

http://www.uab.edu/uabmagazine/features/stitching-history - this article has some great photos!

labricoleuse: Can you talk about some of the projects you have worked on recently?

AAP: I am currently collaborating with the UAB Department of Computer and Information Sciences with 3D printing for costume crafts. I look forward to seeing this work come together.

labricoleuse: What is your favorite must-have tool or piece of equipment for the workroom, and why?

AAP: I have to have a kick press and hand press. The kick press with all necessary grommet dies and the hand press with bone cutting and tipping dyes. We make a great deal of corsets here at UAB. Our recent students have at least three corsets in their portfolios.

labricoleuse: What is your background in the area of academia and costume production, and how did you come to teach at UAB?

AAP: I took my first costume class as a freshman in college. Soon I was working in Winthrop University’s costume shop as a teaching assistant and was offered a job after graduation. I worked there for a year while freelancing with professional theatres in Charlotte, NC.

I worked professionally in the area of costume construction with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, Carolina Ballet, and Santa Fe Opera, and Playmakers Repertory. I also worked on the The Lion King, Hot Feet, and The Phantom of the Opera with Parsons-Meares in New York. I have professional experience as a costume shop manager, draper, first hand, stitcher, and crafts artisan. I work with the St-Arts summer program as an instructor of stage make-up and technical theatre during the summer.

I was the costume shop manager for both Paramount’s Carowinds and the University of North Carolina Charlotte, and have taught theatrical and couture sewing techniques at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Oklahoma City University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Alabama at Birmingham.

I knew I wanted to teach costume production in a university when I was 18 and was lucky to have some talented mentors along the way: Janet Gray, Professor of Theatre at Winthrop University and Judy Adamson, Costume Director and Head of the Costume Production Program at the University of North Carolina.

I was interested in my current position because of the job description, the faculty, staff, the students and the student-centered approach to education in the UAB Theatre Department. The department has 15 full time faculty to mentor student development as an artist, writer, technologist or a writer. In addition we have four full time professional production specialists. I love my job.

I am fortunate to work in a student-centered department. We make our decisions based on what is best for our students. The faculty work well together and are all experienced professionals. We have a very strong professional staff. Our department is able to model theatre as a collaborative art due to their professional experience and talent as artists and technicians.

labricoleuse: What advice would you give to readers who aspire to teach costume production at the university level?

AAP: Work professionally for several years prior to teaching because students deserve to learn from your professional experiences. Do your research and attend a strong graduate program.

Most of all, make sure you want to teach. Students learn from the professional behavior you model. You must be able to collaborate on projects with students that are learning the process from you. If you are frustrated when you work with an intern during summer stock, perhaps teaching is not for you.

labricoleuse: Can you share a photo of a recent project?

I draped this wine and burgundy bonded bodice for In the Next Room,
designed by Kimberly Shnormeier.
Students patterned and constructed her
corset--Phoebe Miller--and bustle petticoat--Samantha Helms.

labricoleuse: Thanks so much for talking with me, Amy, and sharing all of this great info with my readers! Best of luck for the coming season and academic year.

Hooray, another alumni interview! Recently I e-spoke with Adrienne Corral, MFA '14, about her gig working as a crafts artisan for Feld Entertainment. Feld produces costumes, props, and scenic elements for a whole range of different touring shows, from Disney on Ice and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Q. First up, what is your official title?

A. Costume Specialist : Crafts

Q. For a bit of background for the readers, would you describe the costume facilities at Feld--how many employees, what different positions there entail, specialty equipment the shop owns, etc?

A. The facilities here at Feld are pretty spectacular. We have seperate paints and dye rooms for crafts, as well as a draping station in the main room. The main room consists of 8 potential draping / first hand stations with a 4 × 8 table, an industrial and domestic machine. There are multiple cover stitch machines and sergers on a middle table. We've a tailor, two drapers and two first hands in the sewing room, though our manager often does show work as well.

We have two kind of special jobs here, a Disney Specialist and a Wardrobe Liason. The Disney S pecialist works on the of all the Disney characters (meaning Mickey and crew, not princesses). She works closely with Disney shops to ensure consistency with the parks. Our wardrobe liason is in charge of talking with and taking care of the needs of our 19 touring shows. He helps schedule refurbs, orders show laundry (think Equity underwear), and any other similar issue. There are often show visits involved, which means traveling out to wherever the show is, be that Chicago or Dubai or London.

Q. What is your background in the area of costume production, and how did you land the job at Feld?

I started sewing at a very young age, costumes in particular in high school. I attended FSU for theater and realized quickly that I had no great skill with or affinity for design. I worked at Utah Shakespeare Festival my first summer of graduate school with Ruth George, our Disney person. She was orginally hired to do my job as well as care of the Disney things. The summer after I finished my courses at UNC the job was split in two and she called me about it.

Q. What advice would you give to readers who aspire to work for a company like Feld?

A. Feld is very much a company that hires from the inside. Many of our office staff were performers or stage hands who moved to a sit-down job. We are constantly hiring for our tours (I think a total of 19 or 20 different shows) and at least one of our managers in the shop came off of a circus wardrobe head position.

Q. Can you talk about some of the projects you have worked on recently?

A lot of the projects I work on are refurbishing jobs. So I often am putting unitards on dress forms and trying to recreate the painting effects orginally put on there by Parsons-Meares or [Eric] Winterling's, or whomever made the garment. If not that its stripping and repainting latex prosthetic masks. I also have a very tight Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) on my contract that makes it so I can't talk specifically about my work on Disney shows. But for the circus, I can. I do a TON of dye work during circus time. Lots of flesh tones and crazy rich colors. Our shop builds the clowns, so it can be hard to look at some of the yardage. I also play milliner for the clowns and make new hats for those clowns who require them. Circus is my favorite part of the year, even if we're working the craziest of hours.

Q. What is your favorite must-have tool or piece of equipment for the work you do, and why?

A. My airbrush. It's the best way to paint the majority of the masks and unitards I have to work on. It's a midrange Iwata, and though they can be a pain to maintain, they are what I use to paint with 90% of the time. Then I would have to say as an extension of that, our 90 gal stand-up air compressor really makes the job easy.

Q. Does Feld have any internship opportunities for those still in school and if so, can you talk a bit about what it involves and how readers might apply?

A. We're starting internships, though I believe they are limited to the University of South Florida - Manatee campus. We don't currently have any costume interns, but I hope that changes soon.

Q. I like to include one image, a stage or workroom shot of something recent or your favorite costume or whatever...

A. The image below is a shot over the top of our third rail of our three-level-tall stock (two stories). It's about the size of an indoor football field. I was on the sccissor lift, restocking.

Thanks, Adrienne! It's always exciting to hear about what our graduates are doing, and to learn about all the different careers out there for professional costume artists. To read more of these kinds of posts, check out the "Interviews" tag.

Super thrilled to return to my (very sporadic) interview series with this fantastic email-chat I recently conducted with costumer Leah Pelz.

In addition to being a recent alumna of the UNC-Chapel Hill Costume Production MFA program (in which i teach) and the inaugural winner of the Barbara Matera Award for Costume Making, Leah is now based in NYC where she works as a first hand for the renowned production house Tricorne LLC, as well as working as a wardrobe swing for the long-running Broadway show, The Lion King.

[FYI: Barbara Matera was a legendary costumiere who ran her NYC shop, Barbara Matera Ltd., for many years, making clothes for theatre, ballet, opera, film, and more. USITT's award in her name was founded by her friend, assistant, and colleague, Judy Adamson, as a tribute to Matera, who passed away in 2001.]

Read on to find out what Leah has to share about these two super-cool jobs of hers!

labricoleuse: For a bit of background for the readers, would you describe the Tricorne shop or studio space--how many employees, what different positions there entail, specialty equipment the shop owns, etc?

LP: There are about 40 employees at Tricorne. Each of the 4-5 drapers, including the owner, Kathy Marshall, have up to three first hands, and the operators, tailors, hand finishers, and beaders are frequently shared amongst the drapers. We have one craft artisan, a shopper, and a few managerial positions.

As for specialty equipment, we have a small dye space, heat press, and ample beading frames.

labricoleuse: What is your background in the area of costume production, and how did you land the job at Tricorne?

LP: I minored in Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University and went on to work as an overhire stitcher at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. One of the drapers there inspired me to pursue my MFA in Costume Production from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which I completed in 2014.

I moved to New York City and interviewed at Tricorne and several other shops right away. Shortly thereafter, Tricorne contacted me about an opening in their shop. The dressmaking skills I acquired at UNC are the same as those used at Tricorne, and my mentor, Judy Adamson, knows Kathy [Marshall] well from the years they worked together in New York at Barbara Matera's.

[Ed. note: Also, in undergrad, Leah majored in...uh, something to do with political science and Slavic languages. All i'm certain of is that she can curse in Hungarian!]

labricoleuse: What advice would you give to readers who aspire to work in Broadway costume production?

LP: A good work ethic and an eagerness to learn can go a long way. Learn to speak confidently about your work and present yourself professionally not only while interviewing, but also in your day to day operations. And expect to juggle many projects at once!

labricoleuse: Can you talk about some of the projects you have worked on recently with Tricorne?

LP: Tricorne's primary niche is dressmaking for leading ladies and chorus women. Lately the entire shop has been working on a seemingly endless number of Romantic tutus and ballet bodices for Sleeping Beauty at the American Ballet Theatre. We've also been very busy with On the Twentieth Century, a Las Vegas show called Showstoppers, the London production of Beautiful, and Aladdin Tokyo.

Some of our biggest recurring projects include Glinda and many of the Emerald City ensemble costumes for Wicked, and a variety of pieces for Matilda, Mamma Mia, Motown, and Kinky Boots.

labricoleuse: What is your favorite must-have tool in your work kit and why?

LP: For practical reasons, my must-have tool would be a good chalky piece of white tracing paper and my shears. My favorite tool, however, is a beautiful wooden handled seam ripper given to me by a friend and educator from graduate school because it gets the job done in style! [Full disclosure: I gave Leah that seam ripper. And she's right, it's really sweet!]

labricoleuse: Does Tricorne have any internship opportunities for those still in school and if so, can you talk a bit about what it involves and how readers might apply?

LP: Tricorne does not have any such program in place.

labricoleuse: You also work as a wardrobe swing for The Lion King. Can you describe what that means for our readers?

LP: I'm one of a handful of substitute dressers, or swings, that the wardrobe head calls upon if one of the regular dressers is unable to work. The staff dressers have their designated track, or list of cues, that they complete for every performance. Some of the tracks are assigned primarily to dressing or tracking items for male or female ensemble members, while others work mostly with principal characters. As a swing, I have gone through training to learn six of the 16 tracks, and am contacted fairly regularly to fill in for any of them as needed, which sometimes is weeks in advance and sometimes with no time to spare!

labricoleuse: Thanks to you and the folks at Tricorne for sharing all of this great info, and also these sweet behind-the-scenes shots of those Sleeping Beauty tutus! Thanks, Leah, and best of luck moving forward with all your amazing projects!

Nearly complete! A process shot of American Ballet Theatre's
Sleeping Beauty, designed by Richard Hudson

Not as complete...another process shot of American Ballet Theatre's
Sleeping Beauty, designed by Richard Hudson

Leah called this "the Tutu Corral"--all the tutus waiting to ship out in one of Tricorne's fitting rooms!

Today brings the second half of my interview with Randy Handley, head of wardrobe for the Cirque du Soleil production Zarkana, currently running in Madrid, Spain. Zarkana travels to Moscow, Russia, in February, then returns to the US for a NY run in the summer of 2012.

Randy is a 2010 graduate of our Costume Production MFA program at UNC-Chapel Hill, and took time out of his busy schedule to respond to my questions. And without further ado, here's part two!

( Read more... )

Super excited to share a new installment of the interview series, this time with Randy Handley, head of wardrobe for the Cirque du Soleil production Zarkana, currently running in Madrid, Spain. Zarkana travels to Moscow, Russia, in February, then returns to the US for a NY run in the summer of 2012.

Randy is a 2010 graduate of our Costume Production MFA program at UNC-Chapel Hill, and took time out of his busy schedule to respond to my questions. He also sent SO many excellent pictures of his shop and the show that I'm splitting the interview into two installments. Here's part one!

( Read more... )

The final installment of the blocked hat multiples is in the works, but while i'm finishing it up, i'd like to share another interview, this time with one of our MFA graduates, B. Daniel Weger, who currently works as the head tailor at the renowned NYC costume house, Eric Winterling Inc. Daniel received his MFA in Costume Production from our program here at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2009.

Prior to his current position, Daniel has worked in various production positions for companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Shakespeare Theatre of DC, Washington National Opera, and Signature Theatre, creating garments for designers such as Tom Ford, Martin Pakledinaz, and Anita Yavitch. I'm so pleased he agreed to participate in the interview series, and it gives me the idea that perhaps i should start a tag to aggregate alumni interviews, since we have a lot of alums doing super-cool interesting work in the field, whose expertise would be excellent to share here.

Before i get into the questions and answers, i want to use this opportunity to spotlight a crowdfunding project of interest: Men of the Cloth, a documentary about the master tailors of Italy by Vicki Vasilopolous. There are nine days left to their fundraising campaign, so please consider donating to help complete this film and preserve the knowledge of these menswear artisans and artists. Here's a video clip about the film:

MEN OF THE CLOTH IndieGoGo Video from Vicki Vasilopoulos on Vimeo.

And, on that note, on to my interview with Daniel.

Q. For a bit of background, would you describe the setup at Winterling's--how many employees, what different positions there entail, etc?

Our shop is a full floor of a building in the Flatiron District. The number of employees fluctuates, especially over the summer when the the Broadway season slows down. Like many shops, there are drapers, tailors, stitchers, and cutters. Eric is of course the business owner, but is also the head draper and patternmaker. The other drapers work closely with Eric to make sure that everyone is following his interpretation/ vision of the designer's wishes.

Q. What are your responsibilities as head tailor?

Depending on the time, there are four or five coat makers, a pant drafter, and a pant maker. I make and grade patterns for men's coats and vests primarily. I work with Eric and the floor manager to make sure that the work is distributed evenly and that deadlines can be met while still adhering to the highest level of quality. In a sense, the position is middle management. It is my job to make sure that the needs and desired techniques are followed through.

Q. Can you talk about some of the projects you have worked on recently?

We work on a number of Broadway musicals. During the season we may construct many new costumes for new musicals, such as Book Of Mormon. Another source of revenue are costume reorders. Long running musicals such as Wicked or Phantom of the Opera regularly need newly constructed looks, and we then pull the original patterns and grade them or make new ones based on previous images and renderings. For the most part, all details need to be considered to remain true to the original garments.

Aside from Broadway, we do contracts for Disney Ice shows, Sea World, popular music artists on tour, and film and television. New York overhead is steep, and the shops will often take on many diverse projects at once. Until a show is in production or on screen, we really don't talk too much or promote any images in order to protect the customer's work. A recent film we worked on was the upcoming Brothers Grimm Snow White, designed by Eiko.

Q. What are some of the specific considerations you have to take into account when creating tailored garments for the stage and screen? Do you have any tips and tricks to share for speeding up parts of the process while retaining quality level?

Unlike many regional theatres I have worked in, New York shops use a lot of fusible interfacing such as tricot. Some fabrics take dye better than others, so it is not out of the question to make suitings out of stabilized spandex. We also use a lot of custom printed polyester. The tailors here use premade canvasses that they beef up with a little extra canvas or felt. With the high volume of suits we make and the often tight turn-around, it is most cost-effective to have these one hand ready to go. As a patternmaker, I come from a theatrical background so I was trained in the theatre. I am accustomed to making suits that include large seam allowances, etc., in order to improve the versatility of the garment. A majority of the tailors who work with me are from the commercial industry, so they bring the techniques of manufactured garments with them. The quality level is very high, the main difference is that the clothes are completed to be used for a single actor, and not to be returned to costume stock to be used and altered over the years.

Q. What advice would you give to readers who aspire to a career in costume tailoring?

I would advise anyone interested in tailoring to jump headlong into studying. American tailoring is virtually non-existent, so the best bet is to work in the theatre. Find tailors with a strong reputation, and be discriminating. There are many more people who consider themselves tailors than have the training to back up their claims. A number of references are available through the Library of Congress online, as well as Google docs. Since most reference materials are fairly vague and include a lot of unedited material, the best way to learn is going to be through trial and error, and making good connections. A great place to start is by tearing apart suits from stock, Goodwill, etc., and see what is going on inside.

Q. What skills do you appreciate in tailor's assistants?

Attention to the steps is crucial in a garment. If a step is left out, there may be little or nothing that can be done to correct a mistake. In some cases this can be incredibly expensive. No one is above overlooking steps either, I have made some very costly mistakes even recently. Thinking ahead is definitely the key. Overall, it seems like people who are good workers do well with a good attitude and a love and respect for the art form.

Q. What is your favorite tailoring tool or piece of equipment?

Good shears seem to be the obvious answer, although good shears only stay good for so long with the materials we in the theatre are required to work with. I think the divisional square probably saves me the time and heartache of having to actually learn to do math.

And, that's the interview! Thanks, Daniel!