Fit for Greatness: UMD Costume Designers Dress It Up
Imagine a theatrical production set in a sumptuous Victorian manor. The lights dim, and the audience waits in hushed anticipation as a few notes of a song filter through the speakers. The first actor comes onstage in … a hoodie and jeans?
Costume designers work for months to create an immersive experience for audiences. Both UMD’s mainstage and Stage 2 productions require dedicated teams of students and staff to bring the show to life.
Costume Construction Instructor Alice Shafer sews grommets onto a dress for UMD’s production of Cabaret. Photo by Anja Placzek
“Clothing tells you about who a character is the same way that set tells you about the world that you’re living in,” said Ro Feitl, a third year UMD student who recently worked on costuming Stage 2’s production of Stop Kiss. “The way that characters interact with their clothing gives a lot to world building.”
Feitl enjoys the research that goes into creating historical designs. Stop Kiss is set in the 1990s, but many characters wear pieces that are vintage for that time, spanning from the 1950s to the 1970s. Feitl explained that these costumes, such as the protagonist’s black coat that appears in numerous scenes, are major parts of the characters’ identities.
A rack of pieces in the UMD Costume Shop ranging through several decades. Photo by Anja Placzek
UMD’s Costume Shop provides a plethora of pre-made options for shows like Stop Kiss. The older dresses in the shop date back to the 1930s. Second year costume design student Morgan Ryals, who recently worked on The Ice Fishing Play, showed off the collection of rooms that make up the shop.
“This is our room of bodies,” Ryals joked, gesturing to a small room filled with dress forms.
Located in the basement of the Marshall Performing Arts Center, the Costume Shop is filled to the brim with racks of clothing separated by decade and garment type, tables of sewing machines and a dizzying array of colorful fabrics.
Morgan Ryals poses with a dress form in the UMD Costume Shop. Photo by Anja Placzek
Such a full space can make it hard to keep track of each costume piece, especially for shows with fantasy elements like The Tempest, where the creation process becomes more complex.
Cody Manh Do (left) plays Ariel and Katherine Warmka (right) plays Miranda in UMD’s production of The Tempest. Photo by Morgan Ryals
Third year costume design student Kade Gau highlighted his struggle to delegate tasks and his issues fixating on small details while working on The Tempest. It took him months to find the correct fabric for one of the spirit characters’ vests.
“I had a metaphor system for myself,” Gau said. “When I found myself going down little rabbit holes.”
“I would stop myself and say Kade, that’s a tree. You have an entire forest around you,” Gau continued. “Deal with the forest, then we can get down to the trees.”
But costuming can be difficult in more ways than one. The clothing will be put on display whether the designer feels confident or not and there is vulnerability that comes with this inevitable showcase, according to Gau.
Luke Pfluger (left) plays Boganashla and Zsofi Eastvold (right) plays Prospero in UMD’s production of The Tempest. Photo by Morgan Ryals
“You are designing essentially a piece of art, and that’s a piece of you,” Gau said. “You are putting a huge chunk of your soul onstage.”
Gau, Feitl and Ryals pointed to faculty support as an important resource in this creative process. Costume Shop Supervisor Laura Piotrowski and Associate Professor of Costume Design/Makeup Caitlin Quinn have overseen many aspiring designers.
“The students really inspire me,” Quinn said. “I feel like I learn so much just existing in a collegiate environment.”
The instructors both enjoy this scholarly relationship and witnessing the improvements their students have made over the years.
Cindy Hansen plays Irene in UMD’s production of The Ice Fishing Play. Photo by Morgan Ryals
“I really like working with the students,” Piotrowski said. “It’s so satisfying to know that I’ve helped them get the skills they need.”
Piotrowski encourages undergraduates to take full advantage of their classes as a safe environment for growth before stepping into the workplace. That goes for everyone, not just the students in the theater department.