Theater News

Gentleman's Guide, On the Town, and Newsies Costumers Featured on New Ensemblist

Wardrobe folks talk about how they get Broadway performers to look so good onstage.

Mo Brady and Nikka Graff Lanzarone have released the 42nd episode of their Broadway-themed podcast, The Ensemblist, focusing on costumer people behind A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Newsies, and On the Town.

Listeners will get the chance to hear from three different roles in the Broadway wardrobe realm: designing costumes, supervising the wardrobe crew, and helping dress actors on a day-to-day basis. John Michael Dias, Tree Lonon, and Tobin Ost share their memories of getting started in the world of wardrobe, the process of opening a Broadway show from a costume perspective, the kind of upkeep it really takes for all those costume pieces, and quick changes.

Dias transitions back and forth between acting and working on wardrobe crews. He talks about how his involvement with the costuming side of productions started at a young age. Lonon has worked on over 20 Broadway shows and explains the daily rituals, both onstage and off, that come with being a dresser, as well as how quick changes are carefully orchestrated. Ost discusses how both the script and interactions with ensemble members during the rehearsal process help influence costume design decisions.

To download episodes of The Ensemblist, click here.

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On the Town

Closed: September 6, 2015