Gracie Shreve receives Costume Design Excellence award at Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

Gracie Shreve ’24, who is completing her degree in theatre & dance as well as music  at The College of Wooster, earned the top award for Costume Design Excellence at the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in January 2024 and will compete at the national festival in April.

She received the award for costumes she created for First to Rise, First to Fall, a performance choreographed by Eleanor Boomhower ’25 in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert at the College.  Shreve designed costumes for the four dancers in the piece to convey the idea of stresses felt and managed by college students: “That feeling of going out with your friends during the day and feeling really productive but wanting to crumple up and lay on the floor as soon as you get back to your dorm room,” she explained.

Gracie Shreve ’24 won the Costume Design Excellence for her designs for a piece in the 2023 Fall Dance concert worn here by Teagan Knutson ’25, Anneke Smeenk ’27, Daphne Trillana ’27, and Shannon Dunning ’27.

The costumes projected movement with an earthy undertone, “to look like they were once very beautiful but have been tucked away in a trunk or in the back of a vintage store for a long time,” Shreve said. She created a sense of sentimentality of something once well-loved and gorgeous but including the idea of growth and change across the seasons of life. Varied color palettes and time periods differentiated each of the four seasons.

“A lot of deconstructed items were put back together in a new way, with a lot of small hand-sewn details like bead appliques, ribbons, sequins, and exposed stitching that were used for the audience to see since they sit so close in the round of Freelander’s stage,” she said about the costumes’ details. One of the dresses required hand-gathering several hundred yards of tulle. She loved working as the main technician on the project which became part of her senior portfolio.

As the Kennedy Center conference neared, Wooster faculty members Naoko Skala, assistant professor of theatre & dance and South Asian studies at Wooster, and Suwatana “Pla” Rockland, costume designer and costume shop supervisor for theatre & dance, encouraged many of their students to enter the competitions. “I know our students’ design qualities are very high in the region. I also knew that presenting their work to people outside of the college would be beneficial for them,” said Skala, who taught Shreve in several design courses, worked with her as a designer in many dance concerts and theatre productions, and worked with her last fall as a teaching assistant for the course Asian Theatre: From South to East.

Though Shreve attended the festival last year, where she took dance classes and was awarded a dance scholarship, she did not participate in any competitions. This year was her last year to attend, so she decided to enter the costume design contest. “At least, I can hear what people have to say about my costumes,” she reasoned. The competition included producing a trifold board for display during the conference, a PowerPoint presentation, and a 10-minute conversation with a panel of adjudicators.

From the competition to the workshops and programs offered during the festival, Shreve enjoyed the experience. She had no expectation of winning and was surprised when they called her name. “I didn’t realize what it meant to win a theatre competition, but also the national honor to go to Washington, D.C. and show my work at the national festival. I’m excited,” she said.

“I was delighted to see Gracie’s work and effort were valued and appreciated by the top designers in the industry. She deserves the award and the national recognition,” said Skala, who proudly presented the award to Shreve during the ceremony.

“I think the award helped her gain confidence to step into her career as a costume designer. I am sure she will be successful,” said Rockland, who mentored Shreve in the costume shop and mentored her as an assistant for their work with the Ohio Light Opera, the lyric theater and resident professional company of the College.

Shreve thanked her professors for the preparation and support they have provided at Wooster. Rockland saw her potential in costume design and helped her advance the sewing and design skills she first learned from her grandmother. Skala inspired Shreve to learn about Japanese theatre and urged her to participate in an intensive summer theatre program in Kyoto, Japan.

She incorporated her intrigue with Japanese culture in her senior Independent Study about Butoh, a contemporary dance-theatre form from Japan that began in the late 1950s. Her research focused on exploring its history as a countercultural movement and how today it has created space for dance access and different bodies and identities in the field of dance. A final performance, titled The Moss Bed, will explore themes of her own identity through Butoh technique and influence. She will perform in the Wise Studio in the lower level of Freedlander Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, and Thursday, March 7. Tickets are available by contacting the Box at 330-263-2241 or visiting https://wooster.edu/snippet/tickets/. In addition to her thesis performance, she will choreograph and perform a seven-minute modern dance piece and make seven costumes for the Spring Dance Concert. Shreve also has costumes to complete for the New Works Festival, a collaboration of student work and performances.

“The opportunity to attend the KCACTF will significantly impact her. She will be eligible for various professional learning opportunities, fellowships, and endless opportunities after graduation,” Skala said. Shreve plans to work professionally to gain experience in the field before going back to school for an MFA in dance and a master’s degree in Japanese traditional theatre, which she became interested in thanks to Skala.

The award is significant for Shreve because she competed with students from conservatory and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs. “The regional respondents chose her because of her design quality and presentation,” Skala said. “Her award also brings attention to The College of Wooster, the costume designer and costume shop, the theatre design and technology program and the department. It means that we are providing our students with high-quality education and experiential learning opportunities.”

Featured image: Gracie Shreve ’24 worked with mentor Suwatana “Pla” Rockland, costume designer and costume shop supervisor for theatre & dance to design the award-winning costumes.

Theatre and dance students attended the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in January with Naoko Skala, assistant professor of theatre and dance. Pictured in the front are Skala, Lily Bulman ’25, Gracie Shreve ’24, Adeline Williams ’26, Morgan Hunter ’25, and in the back row, Cam Love ’25, Claire Alderfer ’24, Abigail Rahz ’25, and Keara Lennox ’26.

Posted in News on March 1, 2024.