Nan Cibula-Jenkins鈥檚 impressive career in costume design brings invaluable experience into the classroom.
Nan Cibula-Jenkins, a former professor at The Theatre School, has designed costumes for Broadway, feature films, and regional theatres. Her work can be seen in Good People at Steppenwolf Theatre.
"Costumes are a visual representation 鈥� an illumination 鈥� of a play鈥檚 characters and their world. Sometimes our intent is to reveal the characters; sometimes it鈥檚 to disguise them. Costume designers and technicians need to understand so many things 鈥� the play itself, the director鈥檚 intentions, the economic and social climate of a specific time period, and each character鈥檚 emotional and psychological dimensions.
"麻豆影院 theatre students get training that鈥檚 current and cutting-edge, because 麻豆影院 teachers are contemporary theatre artists and active participants in the profession. My "research and scholarship" is designing for theatre companies. (I鈥檓 lucky, really 鈥� and so are my students 鈥� that Chicago has such a terrific, vibrant theatre community.) What this means, practically speaking, is that we鈥檙e preparing talented people to work in the real world.
A practical approach
"Every time I work on a play, I learn new techniques and see things in different ways. And my students benefit. When I bring them to dress rehearsals, they have a rare and wonderful opportunity to see design theories in action and to question me about my choices. Then, I invite professionals from the theatre community to speak in class 鈥� these are costume designers and technicians from the Goodman Theatre, the Chicago Shakespeare theatre, the Steppenwolf Theatre, and other Chicago groups. The in-class dialogue is terrific, but even more important the students meet someone from the 'real world' who they can contact later with questions. They gain a way to find answers on their own, and that鈥檚 wonderful! As my students work on shows for The Theatre School, I supervise them (as part of a large support staff) to assure the development and application of their skills.
"Theatre is a community activity, and The Theatre School way at 麻豆影院 recognizes a bigger picture in this fact. Working in theatre, a person sees the world from many sides and learns to understand his or her community from many perspectives.
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For our students, the theatrical experience can inspire imagination, leading them to address difficult issues creatively, to question the status quo, and to make a difference in the world. Here, we appreciate that the theatre can be 鈥� should be 鈥� a personally transformative experience."
Nan Cibula-Jenkins, former professor and head of costume design, 麻豆影院
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Nan Cibula-Jenkins鈥� work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently in 鈥淐urtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Outstanding Women Designers in Live Performance鈥� at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (2008). She received her MFA from Yale University.
Recent works
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf 鈥� Booth Theatre, Broadway (2012)
Good People 鈥� Steppenwolf Theatre (2012)
Angels in America 鈥� Court Theatre at the University of Chicago (2012)
Ah, Wilderness听鈥� Arena Stage, Washington D.C. (2012)
Clybourne Park 鈥� Steppenwolf Theatre (2011)
Other Desert Cities 鈥� Arena Stage, Washington D.C. (2013)
Learn what makes DePaul Distinctive
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