Robert Cohen - Theatre, Brief Version-McGraw-Hill Education (2016)

124 Chapter 5 Designers and Technicians
character.” Zuber particularly loves
designing fantasy plays, “where I
have a project that must come mainly
from my imagination, and where I can
therefore go more ‘over the top.’ That’s
absolutely thrilling!”
But no designer works wholly on
her own, and Zuber is quick to point
out that costume design is a “real
collaboration” with those technicians
who actually pattern, cut, drape, and
sew the costumes that she draws.
“Costume designers are very dependent
on the people who make the clothes.
We show them the sketch and they
interpret and build it—and the really
great ones take it a step further.”
Technology has come to the aid
of costume designers as it has all the
design arts, and Zuber now finds her
process greatly enhanced by Photoshop
in particular. “I sketch freehand, then
scan it into the computer, and then
add color—and if the director doesn’t
like the color I can change it right
away. After that, I can manipulate it any
way I want. I can put all the costumes
together on one page, and if I see that
one character stands out inappropriately,
or doesn’t stand out enough, I can
change this very quickly. When I was
designing the last act of Cherry Orchard
[at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in
2008], I could show the director all the
characters onstage together just as
they would be in the play. And on a
separate page I can trace each individual
character’s journey so the director can
see the character’s trajectory through
the play, so the director can say ‘this
character should be messier here,’ or
something like that. Photoshop is a
fantastic tool to show what the designs
will look like onstage in all these formats.”
Zuber adores her profession: “I love
being a costume designer! You’re learning
something new with each show, meeting
new people, and the greatest thing is that
it leaves beautiful, indelible memories.
Of course, it’s a lot of hard work, and
while some people coming to New York
may have stars in their eyes, they should
know it’s not very glamorous. Sometimes
we have to laugh at how ridiculous our
work conditions can be—just look at this
room [referring to the cluttered basement
workplace] for instance! But if you really
have a love for it, and a passion, there’s
absolutely nothing like it!”
9. Zuber’s exuberant 1940s lounging wear for Harry Brock (played by Jim Belushi) and Billie
Dawn (Nina Arianda) in Garson Kanin’s 1946 Born Yesterday, revived on Broadway in 2011,
earned her an eleventh Tony nomination. © Carol Rosegg
10. Costume design is not all glamour, of course. Here’s the principal cast of Broadway’s 2014 The
Bridges of Madison County, taking their final bows. The play is set in Iowa farmland in 1965; the
costumes are consequently “plain clothing” but the differences between them—in color, fabric,
and patterns—make each character immediately distinguishable. © Walter McBride/Getty Images