The Department of Theatre and Film sent three students to the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Costume Design Competition this past March; Briar Edwards, Jessica Collier, and Eleanor Boozer competed on behalf of the university and department.

Edwards entered with 6-8 costume renderings and a “Bible” of research to present. “We could do either theorized or realized productions, so I chose my most recent which was The Importance of Being Earnest. Presenting fully constructed costumes was optional but I wanted to show off how my design came to life, so I brought the Gwendolen I had designed,” he explained.

Collier also entered with work that originated from JSU’s recent production of The Importance of Being Earnest. According to her, the “judges were specifically looking for a strong concept and grasp of the play we were designing, anatomically correct renderings (drawings that represent the human form as well as how real garments are constructed and draped), and extensive research that backs the design concept and period of the play.”

Boozer had “eight costume renderings for A Christmas Carol, inspired by the science fiction subgenre dieselpunk. I created a display of my renderings along with my paperwork and research I did with my theoretical show.”

The competition was all three students’ first time at SETC; each described their participation as an important learning experience. Boozer said she “learned so much about the professional world of theatre and how to properly present [their] artwork.” Edwards and Collier had similar sentiments, as he “learned a lot just by being there” and she mostly enjoyed “[looking] at other students’ work and admiring their design choices.”

All three stated that they learned the most from the critiques of the judges. Edwards was encouraged to look further into the study of period fashions, while Collier was given advice on keeping her drawings of costumes more realistic and authentic with details. Boozer not only took away the critiques from the judges, but also inspiration from the other competitors.

Eleanor Boozer, a Theatre major with a concentration in Production and a minor in Photography, is from Alexandria.

Jessica Collier, a junior from Gadsden, is majoring in Theatre with a concentration in Production while also minoring in Art.

Briar Edwards, a senior from Birmingham, is majoring in Drama and minoring in Photography.