Catherine Zuber is a costume designer for the Broadway theater and opera, among other venues. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and has been referred to as "one of theater's most sought-after costume designers on both coasts." Her Broadway credits include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Tony nomination), Born Yesterday (Tony nomination), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Cry-Baby, Dracula, Frozen, Twelfth Night (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Ivanov, Triumph of Love (Drama Desk nomination), The Sound of Music and The Red Shoes among others. She has designed costumes for some 57 Off-Broadway plays and musicals including The Cherry Orchard (2009), The Winter's Tale (2009), As You Like It (2010), The Tempest (2010) and Richard III (2012).
During our Saturday morning chat, Catherine and I did NOT talk about threading needles, but we did talk about:
- How she was terrible at sewing when she started . . . and that did NOT impact her ability to design.
- Why her favorite costumes aren’t the most beautiful.
- Technology’s impact on costume design . . . for better, but also for worse!
- Why costumes for the theater are so much different than costumes for film.
- How 21st-century playwrights are changing how designers must create clothes.
Listen in to Ms. Zuber school me on costume design, and I promise, no matter where costume design ranks on your list of “Theater Things You Know,” it’ll go up after this thirty-five minute Tony winner’s master class.
Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway