Theater is a collaborative process.  That is what makes it exciting.  That is what makes it vital.  Playwright, director, actor, designer - all have their piece of the puzzle.  It is only when we come together that these disparate pieces become a whole.

I know when I have done my job.  When actor and clothing click and a character is born - that is what I live for.  When an actor dons his costume and his stance, his expression, his demeanor have become the character.  I believe costumes are the most emotionally involved design element, and the most actor-centric.  Actors wear costumes, move in them, inhabit them in a completely visceral way.  I am not a fashion designer, nor a sculptor working in fabric and buckram, foam and felt.  Everything I create is grounded in the text, which connects me with not only the other designers and performers working alongside me, but the audience who will ultimately consume what we create.

I am a dramaturg as well.  It is my duty to know exactly what was being worn in the time and place a play is set.  But that’s not all; I have to know what was going on in the characters’ worlds.  Are they wealthy?  Impoverished?  Do they live in Russia?  Or France?  How old are they, and how stylish?  Only then can I decide how much historical accuracy goes on stage.  Sometimes, a play is scrupulously exact.  Sometimes it is a blend of several periods, or a period and modern.  Sometimes it is entirely invented.

As a teaching artist, instilling a love of learning and passion for research is important to me.  Helping students grow as artists, storytellers, collaborators and technicians is unbelievably rewarding.  Working with young actors and designers means I am continually seeing theater through fresh eyes.