Character in cloth and concrete: a costume and scenic design portfolio

Fashion and architectural history will tell you that modes of dress and the places that we live, work and play in matter. We not only dress ourselves, but we dress the spaces we live in. Costume design provides an intimate view into both the inner world of a character and the outer forces that impact how people present. A costume designer interprets time periods, gender, racial and ethnic identity, and so much more to create a character. A scenic designer takes these factors and translates them to scenery—the color of a wall, the quality of a floor, or how a character dresses their spaces. Scenery and costumes also have the power to become characters of their own. These modes of storytelling presented on stage and in film are integral to our understanding of the world. They help us to answer the who, what, and why of a world while also providing a reflection of what is going on in that society at that time. This thesis portfolio includes production photos and descriptions of both costume and scenic designs that I have done at the University of Iowa, or abroad with the support of the Department of Theatre Arts. Also included are renderings and sketches from various design courses. This portfolio also includes insights into the creative development and execution of each design and project, including a post-mortem of both lessons learned and triumphs recounted. The entire breadth of my thesis portfolio can be found at the link: http://ir.uiowa.edu/theatre_d_folio/.