The Theatre School’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Costume Technology is designed to train students as theatrical craftsmen, drapers, cutters and costume shop managers. The four-year curriculum in many ways simulates a theatrical craftsman’s professional experience and process. Costume Technology students learn to translate designs into the reality of the garments and clothing actors wear. Students learn a variety of allied arts and crafts and take a progression of business management coursework. Students collaborate with directors, dramaturgs, designers and our professional costume shop staff.
Students learn from a distinguished award-winning faculty of professional designers and artists both in the classroom and through individual guidance and advising during production work. Students receive formal and informal feedback from faculty through portfolio presentations and exhibits of their work each year.
First Year. The first year design curriculum is taken in collaboration with other design and technical students and is an immersion into the culture of production and design. Students explore thinking metaphorically and abstractly with an appreciation of design and technology as an aesthetic distinct from other art forms. Students learn the basics of draping and cutting and specialized sewing techniques for costuming while beginning a drawing progression and take course work in stage make-up. Students complete three production crew assignments which will usually include one or two assignments in their area of study and one or two in another area of production.
Second Year. Students focus on the vocabulary and historical precedent of costuming and costuming techniques as well as explore creative responses to plays and characters. Students continue their drawing progression with rendering and explore period style elements through a survey of art, architecture, fashion and furniture. Students work throughout the year as assistants to draper cutters for productions in our public season.
Third Year. Students focus on honing their craft skills with a variety of materials and explore the issues related to costume shop management including coursework in business management, human resources and ethics. Students work as draper cutters for our public production season and work collaboratively with designers to implement and construct their designs.
Fourth Year. The fourth year is a transition year, both further developing students abilities and preparing students to enter the profession. In class projects are primarily independent studies tailored to individual student interest and career goals. Production work continues on our public production season and students have the option of a professional internship of their choosing.
Graduate Showcase. At the end of each year, The Theatre School hosts an event to showcase the work of our graduating students. Under the guidance of the faculty, graduating students prepare a showcase exhibit of their portfolio – which is presented in Chicago for artistic directors and other members of the theatre, film and television industries. The Graduate Showcase includes alumni networking events to introduce and connect our graduates to our large alumni network.
Liberal Studies. In addition to the costume technology training curriculum, students complete 52 quarterly credit hours (13 courses) in liberal studies. Courses are taken in theatre history, English composition and rhetoric, quantitative reasoning, philosophy, religion, lab or quantitative sciences, world history, multiculturalism and electives. These liberal studies courses are scheduled during the first three years of the program.
Evaluation. Every student receives quarterly evaluation and feedback from the faculty each year. Students’ evaluations are based on discipline, collaboration, professional potential and progress in the program. Based on this evaluation, students are continued from year to year at the invitation of the faculty. There are no pre-determined limits on the number of students returning to technical programs. An invitation to return to the third year of a technical program is for the duration of the respective program provided that all academic requirements are met, and that professional discipline is acceptable.
