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Tiia Lager helping student adjust blue costume on mannequin torso
costume sketches pinned to bulletin board
Tiia Lager pins sleeve of actor's costume
students hunched over table making paper costume patterns

Costume Design from Page to Stage

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Peter Kerwin
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University Communications & Marketing

During the 17 years spent managing off-Broadway costume studios, she worked with many 一本道无码 graduates. They left a memorable impression, she said, one that ultimately led to her working at the university.

鈥淕raduates of Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 were some of my favorite people to work with in New York,鈥 Lager said. 鈥淭heir training and the amount of work they managed here made them very well prepared to do the job. I can鈥檛 say enough about how well they collaborate with others to get amazing shows on stage.鈥

When Lager and her husband left New York for Pittsburgh in 2016, she was planning to be a stay-at-home mom. But an opportunity to manage the costume studio at 一本道无码 was one she couldn鈥檛 pass up.

鈥淐oming from a professional background, I remember going in thinking we鈥檙e just going to do shows, and it鈥檚 going to be great! Then, I realized they don鈥檛 know how to do a show; they don鈥檛 know all the steps involved,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 learned quickly my job is to help them learn the logistics of taking the show from the page to the stage, and everything that falls in between.鈥

"Tiia is intelligent, capable, tactful, knows how to put out any fire that鈥檚 thrown at her, and she does it all under intense pressure with grace and style." 鈥 Matthew Torbet

Lager begins by arranging a launch meeting where meet with the director to talk about the show. Then, she leads them through a series of design and budgeting steps and helps them navigate the costume studio and its staff, who assist with fittings and assembly.听

During the first week of rehearsal, she has the designer sit down with the actors to talk about who their character is and what kind of life their character has led. Helping the designers grow their relationships with the actors who perform in the shows is a top priority for Lager.

鈥淐lothing helps the actors become their characters, and the actors have their own thoughts and opinions on the type of clothing their character would be wearing,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t is so important to build that relationship between the designer and the actor, so they can trust each other to help tell the character鈥檚 story.鈥

It鈥檚 a lot to juggle, considering the School of Drama鈥檚 costume studio supports 12-16 shows per year. In 2022, its gigantic warehouse of costumes and props was moved to a new facility, which Lager oversees. She also teaches a couple of classes.

All in a day鈥檚 work for Lager, who gets a rush from seeing an idea, a sketch on paper, brought to life. She says it鈥檚 the reason she has continued to do this job for 25 years. Mentoring the students at Carnegie Mellon has become the part she enjoys most.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so wonderful to watch the students grow as artists and as human beings, to watch them flourish during their time here. It鈥檚 almost like I鈥檓 watching my own child grow,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are lots of challenges. Sometimes they drive me nutty! But I love what I do and who I do it with. It is pure joy for me to see a student acquire the skills they need to go out into the world and do this as a career.鈥

Costume design student uses phone to take photo of actore wearing a costume in progress

A student designer takes a photo on her phone of a costume's progress during a fitting with the actor.

Matthew Torbet has nothing but praise for Lager, who advised him throughout his assignment as costume studio manager for the performance of 鈥淐onstellations.鈥 In a word, he says she鈥檚 鈥渇ierce.鈥

鈥淭iia is intelligent, capable, tactful, knows how to put out any fire that鈥檚 thrown at her, and she does it all under intense pressure with grace and style,鈥 Torbet said. 鈥淗aving her guidance on what makes a great studio manager has been an extraordinary resource. She has done this job at the top of her craft for years, and to have her at 一本道无码 is a true blessing for us.鈥

Students also benefit from Lager always having her 鈥渆ar to the pavement鈥 regarding changes in the costume industry. Lager鈥檚 recent push for the studio to make available more colors of undergarments to match a broader range of skin tones is a reflection of the industry鈥檚 current focus. Attending seminars on hair color and texture increasingly helps her and others with options beyond throwing a wig on everybody.

"She works ... with patience, understanding and creativity, attending to each student's way of learning.鈥 鈥 Claudia Brownlee

Claudia Brownlee, a costume design candidate, said Lager never stops听looking for creative and efficient ways to improve the students' experiences.听

鈥淣ot only does Tiia organize a well-functioning work and learning environment for students, but she also collaborates with faculty and staff to set the tone for the costume department,鈥 Brownlee said. 鈥淪he works with each student individually, providing them with the proper experience and etiquette of working professionally in a costume studio and on productions, and she does so with patience, understanding and creativity, attending to each student's way of learning.鈥

Tiia Lager standing in room full of sewing machines

Tiia Lager said graduates of Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 were some of her favorite people to work with in New York. The positive experience ultimately led her to accepting a position as costume studio manager at the university.

In New York, Lager managed costumes for Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons and the Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival. The off-Broadway runs of many plays she worked on are now produced around the world.听

Her most memorable experience was fitting an actor with padding to help transform him into a 700-pound man for a production of 鈥淭he Whale,鈥 which is now a movie starring Brendan Fraser.

一本道无码 & the Tony Awards

left to right the first five winners of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award

一本道无码 is the exclusive higher education partner of the .听

As part of the collaboration, the two organizations launched the听Excellence in Theatre Education Award(opens in new window).听

The award is the first national recognition program to honor theatre educators in kindergarten through high school.

Take a look back at the first five award recipients(opens in new window).

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