Q. What is your background re: costume design and what made you fall in love with the craft?
A. I knew I wanted to be a costume designer since I was 14 years old, I like to think that 6 year-old me would be happy to know that I still play dress up even as an adult. I would say that I fell in love with costume design because it allows me to dabble in all the things I've always been fascinated by: art, storytelling, history, fashion and psychology. When it came time to choose a career I decided to study Art History for my Bachelor's Degree at UCLA, I thought it would give me a broader perspective through which to approach my design. I use that background daily when I do costume research.
Q. How closely do you work with input from the actors in each role when designing a costume plot for a particular show?
A. So typically my design is close to complete by the time we meet actors at first rehearsal. However, I always explain to actors that my job is to support the work they also do in rehearsals. That first day they will see what the director and I think speaks to their character but then when we get into fittings I love to hear their feedback and their thoughts on the character and find ways to implement it in my design. I find that a costume only works if it works with the actor and their vision as well. Our work is collaborative and ultimately the actor is the one who has to sell the design.
Q. What is something our North Coast Rep audience would be surprised to learn about your creative design process?
A. I think most people think a costume designer is a seamstress, while I do of course know how to sew, primarily my work happens on the front end, coming up with the creative vision, then it is handed of to much more expert technicians. My work requires months of research and text analysis, making visual choices that speak to the story and the characters. Those choices may sometimes speak more to a contemporary sensibility than historical accuracy. We make creative choices primarily to tell a story, not to create a museum level presentation of history.
