Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Showstoppers! Exhibit Celebrates the Unsung Heroes of the Costume Industry
TheaterMania: The new exhibit Showstoppers! is not only a showcase for dazzling costumes, but also an illuminating tribute to those working behind the scenes to help realize designers' visions. But as live theater re-emerges from its long hibernation, walking through the exhibit is also sobering. Rarely during the pandemic has the plight of the milliners, beaders, sewers, painters, and other artisans of the theater industry received attention.
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Funnily enough, the first taste of theatre I ever got was the Lion King show in Las Vegas. I clearly remember the costumes more than the actual storyline and I remember being struck with awe at the incredibly creative ways the costumes worked to portray the characters and animals. Today, I am studying to become a set designer, however, my first inspiration to pursue theatre was because of costume design. I feel that costumes can also become the set, creating an environment on the stage that is most personal to the character itself. So much can be told about the inner world of a character through their clothes, and I find it very similar to what I feel set design is meant to do in a theatre. I am glad that costume designers are having a space to show off their work, because I feel like it is often something that is often overlooked because of the notion that costumes can simply be bought. I think the fast fashion industry sells so many clothes that the audience often forgets the individual artistry of each shirt, coat, and shoe and that each one was chosen out of design and careful consideration.
I love exhibits like this one, these are the kind of things that truly cemented my love for theater. Of course I adored all the shows my parents took me to, but when we went to the smithsonians and saw their costume collection I truly fell in love with the art form. I could spend hours in an exhibit like this, with my face pressed against the glass. And, Lion King was one of my first broadway loves so this exhibit really makes my heart pang. All too often the costumes are brushed over in the theater, or only the designer is given credit for the work done by a team of dozens of people. When I was a kid I scoured the internet for the rare interview or docu segment about the costume production houses so I could see the walls and walls of fabric and beads. I remember being especially taken by the beading people, who stretched fabric over a wooden frame and just went to town with beads. The inclusion of these exhibits in the lexicon of theater gives me hope that the craftsmen will receive their just deserves.
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