Costumes are an important element helping define the aura of many successful performances. Each costume provides the audience with insight into the character's personality. Wardrobes might often provoke an audience to subconsciously create a predetermined opinion about the show through the fact that appearances are the first noticed aspect of most commodities. IU has costume design studios in the Theatre and Drama department and in the Musical Arts Center, where students can observe this intense process.\nCostumes must be carefully envisioned, designed and assembled. IU students with an interest in costume design have the chance to work in the theater or music costume studio helping make the clothes, props and accessories that are used in IU's opera, ballet and theater productions.\nBoth the Musical Arts Center and the Theatre and Drama department have individual costume design shops, where outfits are constantly being assembled so they are ready in time to be featured in the next show.
Musical Arts Center Costume Shop \nCostume Construction Technology is a two-year Associate of Science degree taken simultaneously with a Bachelor of Science in Apparel Merchandising or a Bachelor of Arts from IU's Individualized Major Program. \nStudents can count time spent designing costumes toward their major. Some students dress singers for their performances and help build costumes. They are allowed to use this time as work study. The work enhances their skills and knowledge of costume crafting. \nStudents have learned a great deal through their experiences working in the costume design shop. Graduate student Eileen Bora started costume design work in August and feels that working on costumes 10 hours a week has enhanced her skills greatly. \n"I've learned a lot here. I learned how to dye and how the costume shop runs. As a performer, it is important to know what goes on behind the scenes," Bora said.\nThe MAC has a costume shop where students work under the guidance of professionals, speeding up the production rate. There are eleven shows a year including three ballets. Students and faculty are always under pressure to manufacture as many costumes as possible to meet the performance deadline.\nThe costume studio in the music department has two resident designers who make the costume sketches. Head of the costume design studio Parwin Farzad then determines the fabric and color and makes draft patterns. The students are taught how to proceed with the next assembly processes, such as couture sewing, dying, tailoring, drafting and dressmaking. \n"The hardest thing is meeting the deadline," Farzad said. "We build two shows a year from scratch. If we're running out of time, we bring others in to work or we rent."\nThe costumes for the ballets are very different from opera costumes. Opera costumes use a lot of velvet and heavy materials like upholstery because it has a lot of patterns and shows up well on stage. Tutus are made of tulle, which enables students to learn how to work well with various fabrics and become comfortable using them. Students are currently working on tutus and leotards for the spring ballet. "Ballade of Baby Doe" will be the next musical performance, premiering February 6th. Besides working with opera and ballet, students are also given the opportunity to work in the Elizabeth Sage Costume Collection.
Theatre and Drama Costumes \nMaster's of Fine Arts costume design students working in the Theatre and Drama department design their own productions at least once a year, assist faculty designers, supervise undergraduate costume students and cut other designers productions. \nTo receive a MFA in costume design for the Theatre and Drama department, one must submit a portfolio stating his or her goals which is then reviewed by the Design and Technology Faculty Committee. If accepted, the curriculum consists of sixty hours of costume production and related courses for theater.\nLinda Pisano, professional designer and head of costume design for the Theatre and Drama department, feels the most important element of costume design is having an understanding of theater as an art. \n"You must read a script and analyze how a character will approach it. "Romeo and Juliet," for instance; it is abstracted. Everyone worked close together with the designer to create the vision," Pisano said.\nThis year the season is contemporary. The designers must look at current fashion trends in order to make the costumes relevant. The next theater performance will be "Proof," which will take place in the IU Auditorium beginning February 6th. The play is modern, and therefore the costumes will be designed based on a modern style.
Experience Gained\nMany students who have excelled in their work in the costume shop and their respective majors have progressed to obtain prestigious positions in design. Recent IU graduates have landed jobs or internships with the staff of the Santa Fe Opera and the Central City Opera. The Classroom Costume Technology program pushes students to intern and work in theaters all over the country.\nWhether an interest is possessed for fashion design, music or theater, the costume design studios at IU give students a greater understanding of the craft of design and insight of everything a performance entails. Music and theater majors gain a valuable perspective of the labor required for costume production. This knowledge is useful to fully grasp the art and concept of design, design students say. Fashion students who work in the costume studio are able to experience situations similar to ones faced in future careers. This hands-on costume design program serves an array of purposes which are beneficial to a variety of students participating in individual fields. \n-- Contact staff writer Mallory Zalkin at mzalkin@indiana.edu.
