Costume Designer and Technician/Japanese Theater Specialist

Resume posted by Kate in Theatre.

Desired position type: Any
Location: San Francisco California, United States

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Summary

I am a costume designer and technician with specialized experience in costume crafts and traditional Japanese theater, as well as a wide range of skills in various forms of art and performance.

One of my greatest strengths is my ability to pick up new skills quickly and learn well on-the-job. As a result of my unique experiences studying at the University of Hawai’i and my Fulbright grant research on kabuki traditions in Japan, I have had the opportunity to work on traditional theater productions from China, Japan, Bali and native Hawai’i. All of these productions required me to learn highly specialized skills unique to each art form in a relatively short amount of time, and also helped me to develop strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.

What I love most about theater work, is that there is always something new to learn. Through my graduate coursework, professional experience, and personal projects I have developed a strong foundation in a wide variety of skills, upon which I am always looking to expand. Working with costume crafts specifically has helped me to develop a confident approach to unfamiliar challenges. Whether it be a mobile centaur body, a menagerie of cartoon animal heads or learning to weave chainmail, my creative problem-solving abilities have enabled me to be successful and create work that I can be proud of.

Education

University of Hawai’i, Mānoa

Honolulu HI (2013-17)

Master of Fine Arts Degree in Costume Design

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Indiana PA (2008-12)

Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies, Minor in Studio Art

Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku

Hirakata, Osaka, Japan (2011-12)

One-year study abroad program for Japanese language and culture

Experience

Fulbright Scholar (October 2017-October 2018)

Museum Nakasendou and Aioi-za Theater
Mizunami, Gifu, Japan

Independent research project titled “Immersive Study of the Practice and Preservation of Kabuki in Modern Japan” for which I studied, worked and performed with 3 generations of kabuki practitioners in Mizunami City, Gifu Prefecture, a thriving center for regional kabuki for 200 years.

Through this work I learned how to

  • Identify and dress the most commonly used costume pieces
  • Clean, repair, store and construct traditional Japanese garments
  • Identify character types based on costumes, wigs and makeup

I also participated in workshops for

  • Gold thread embroidery
  • Kumadori makeup application,
  • Shamisen (traditional three-stringed instrument)
  • Nihon buyou dance

I performed in Aioi-za Theater’s annual production Sodehagi Saimon as the character Hachimantarou Yoshiie, and Museum Nakasendou’s annual dance recital as Fuji Musume.

Costume Crafts Artisan

Trollwood Performing Arts School
Fargo, North Dakota
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
The Little Mermaid (2016)
Mary Poppins (2015)

A seasonal position held for three consecutive summers.

My responsibilities included

  • Construction and maintenance of costume craft pieces
  • Working collaboratively with the costume shop
  • Setting build schedules with the shop manager and costume designer
  • Organizing supplies and inventory
  • Instructing adult and child volunteers
  • Patterning and building large-scale thermoplastic and foam costume pieces

Graduate Assistant (May 2014-January 2017)

University of Hawai’i, Mānoa
Honolulu, HI

With seasons of 4 Mainstage shows and 4 lab theater shows, which included dance concerts and traditional Asian and Pacific theater productions, our small staff of mostly student workers was accustomed to working with busy schedules, tight budgets, and adapting quickly to a variety of unique challenges. My responsibilities in this position included

  • Assistant to the shop manager and costume design professor
  • Building and maintaining costume stock
  • Delegating and overseeing work in the costume shop
  • Managing and assisting with measurements, fittings, stock pulls, and various organizational tasks
  • Serving as a leader and role model for other students

Costume Design Experience

University of Hawaii

  • Twelfth Night (Apr 2107), Dir. Paul Mitri
  • Memory House Dreams (Jan 2017), Choreo. Mareva Minerbi
  • Shazam! Dance and Science (Apr 2016),Choreo. Yukie Shiroma
  • One Flea Spare (Mar 2016), Dir. Stacy Ray
  • Sunday in the Park with George (Oct 2015), Dir. Paul Mitri
  • Dancing Off the Page (Apr 2015), Choreo. Erick Stern
  • Taming of the Shrew (Mar 2015), Dir. Kim Shire

Leeward Community College

  • Merry Men (Jan 2016), Dir. Ashley Demoville

Honolulu Theater for Youth (assistant costume designer)

  • A Bollywood Robin Hood (Aug 2014), Designer, Cheri Vasek

 

Costume Shop Experience

Indiana Area Junior High School

  • Argonauts: Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece (Nov 2017), Costume Crafts, Supervisor, Tegan McCune

University of Hawaii

  • Power and Folly: Japanese Satire for the 21st Century (Apr 2017), Costume Maintenance, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • Battle of the Monkey Kings (Jan 2016), Costume Crafts, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • Gorilla (Dec 2015), Costume Construction, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • La’ieikawai (Feb 2015), Costume Construction, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • Blythe Spirit (Oct 2014), Costume Construction, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • The Very Persistent Gappers of Fripp (Apr 2014), Costume Construction, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals (Feb 2014), Hairdresser, Dir. Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak
  • Big Love (Oct 2013), Costume Construction, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer
  • The Wild Party (Sep 2013), Costume Construction, Shop Mngr. Hannah Schauer

Honolulu Theater for Youth

  • Thumbelina (Mar 2017), Costume Crafts, Designer, Kathleen Doyle

 

Performance Experience

Traditional Japanese Theater

Aioi-za Theater and Museum Nakasendou

  • Sodehagi Saimon (Sep 2018),Hachiman Taro Yoshiie, Dir. Sachie Oguri
  • Fuji Musume (Mar 2018), Fuji Musume, Dir. Sachie Oguri

 University of Hawai’i

  • Power and Folly: Japanese Satire for the 21st Century(Apr 2017), Yamabushi 2, Dir. Julie Iezzi
  • Nihon Buyou Pau Hana Recital (2014, 15, 16), Instructor, Howard Asao

Western Dance and Theater

University of Hawai’i

  • Shazam! Dance and Science (Apr 2016), Choreo. Yukie Shiroma
  • Echo (Jan 2015), Choreo. Mareva Minerbi
  • Upside Reverie (Oct 2014), Dir. Mareva Minerbi

Hawai’i Fringe Festival

  • Psychotropics (Feb 2015), Choreo. Mareva Minerbi, Ruby MacDougall

Skills

  • Sewing (10+ Years)
  • Crafting and Sculptural Construction (10+ Years)
  • Draping (5 Years)
  • Pattern Drafting (5 Years)
  • Millinery (5 Years)
  • Drawing/Painting (10+Years)
  • Dance/Singing (10+ Years)

Spoken Languages

    Japanese (Working Proficiency), Native English Speaker

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Costume Designer and Technician/Japanese Theater Specialist Resume

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