Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved with theatre.
I took a very winding road to finally end up in the theatre world. Believe it or not, I started my artistic life as a ceramicist. I originally moved to Kansas City from South Carolina to attend the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) in the ceramics department. Eventually, I ended up in the fiber department at KCAI and began weaving art pieces that dancers performed in. This may sound like a huge leap, but my mother is a quilter and seamstress and I grew up with a plethora of sewing projects littering the house. Fiber arts was a way to branch out when ceramics felt too restrictive.
In order to make a living in the arts, I began building and dyeing costumes for theatre and eventually got seduced by the collaborative nature of the theatre. I went back to school and got my MFA in theatre history and costume design and technology. The joy of costume design is that it incorporates pretty much everything I had previously learned; drawing, textiles, fabric modification, taking a two-dimensional object into three-dimensional, tailoring, patterning, etc. I feel very fortunate to have a very diverse set of skills that have allowed me to work in all aspects of costuming across the world.
Why did you want to be a part of the Artistic Committee at Kansas City Actors Theatre?
I made an important decision eighteen years ago to do two things: establish my theatrical career in Kansas City and raise a family. Kansas City is my artistic home; fortunately it is a city I can both raise a family in and do the job I love. KCAT’s mission and support for Kansas City theatre artists makes that possible. I want to be in a position to contribute to the thriving theatrical community in this city and help produce top-notch theatre for our audiences. I am humbled to be asked to be on the board and artistic committee of KCAT.
What shows have you done for the company?
Looking back, it was a bit of a shock to realize I have designed, built, or assisted on over twelve productions in KCAT’s history. The Island, The Gin Game, Marion Bridge, True West, 5th of July, Talley’s Folly, Billy Bishop Goes to War, Oh! What a Lovely War, God of Carnage, Private Lives, The Cripple of Inishman, Journey’s End. And this season I will design costumes for I’m Not Rappaport and My Old Lady.
What is your favorite role/show you’ve worked on?
That is easy. I worked as the assistant costume designer and maker on a five hour, five-act cornucopia of theatre called “The Lily’s Revenge” at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. We built the costumes over a one-year period and then loaded up a van with the costumes and students and drove out to San Francisco to fit and finish the costumes over two weeks. In one act, everyone was portrayed as a different type of flower and the costumes, designed by Lindsay W. Davis, were absolutely divine to work on. My favorite costume I built was for the lilac flower, which had hundreds of tulle flowers, origami folded and hand stitched on, one by one.
When you are not backstage what do you enjoy doing?
Well, I am the costume technology professor at UMKC in the MFA theatre program. Besides teaching and productions, my sixteen-year-old daughter keeps me very busy these days, (hopefully a driver’s license is in her future!). I am quite sporty and a bit of a gym rat. As my husband is a chef, this is a must, because I love to eat his food. I love playing tennis with my daughter and practicing karate with my husband. But my true passion outside of my job is the study of textiles and weaving. I have worked and lived in Hong Kong, China, and Japan and I love immersing myself in the study of non-western clothing and textiles.
What else would you like the Kansas City community to know about you?
I can’t really think of anything here. Come see my work and enjoy.
Kansas City Actors Theater is a local company hiring local professional artists. Don’t miss out on Season Twelve. Season subscriptions and single tickets available now. Call Central Ticket Office at 816.235.6222 or go online at kcactors.org.
I’m Not Rappaport
by Herb Gardner
August 10-28, 2016
City Stage at Union Station
Directed by Dennis Hennessy
My Old Lady
by Israel Horovitz
January 11-29, 2017
City Stage at Union Station
Directed by Darren Sextro
A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams
September 7 – 25, 2016
City Stage at Union Station
Directed by Sidonie Garrett
The Realistic Joneses
By Will Eno
May 24 – June 11, 2017
City Stage at Union Station
Directed by John Rensenhouse
