Costume Design & Technology

As a costume student, you will learn design and construction skills that will enable you to enter either a graduate program in costume design/technology or the professional field: costume figure drawing and rendering, advanced costume construction methods, patterning, millinery, wig and makeup techniques, as well as various fabric painting and dyeing methods. We offer great hands-on opportunities. Each student designs at least one realized production each academic year. We have a comprehensive curriculum that prepares you for a career and offers exciting opportunities such as our Theatre on Location class that takes students to study theatre in New York, London, or Australia.

In addition to designing at least one realized production each academic year and having the opportunity to design for classic, modern, and musical theatre, as well as dance and opera, you will execute special costume technology projects for all Ole Miss Theatre season shows.

Students interested in makeup and wig design learn basic makeup skills, as well as more advanced techniques such as old age, latex scarring, and 3-D prosthetics, and are trained in the art of wig ventilation (wig making) and styling, which is a skill used in regional theatre, opera, film, and television. 
Costume design and technology students also have the opportunity to learn the art of costume crafts and create costume crafts in a classroom setting as well as in a production environment. Costume crafts projects often include three-dimensional pieces such as masks, hats, puppets, and armor and also involve fabric painting and dyeing techniques such as batik, silk screen, airbrush, costume distressing, and specialty dyeing techniques.

We will help place you in summer theatre internship programs that will help build your resume and your skills, and when you leave our program, you will have a professional costume portfolio for job and graduate school interviews. We also offer workshops in which students have the opportunity to meet and work with professionals from the costume industry and to show their individual portfolio and resume to our special guests.

All students take part in a design portfolio review at the end of every semester. This review is used to give you feedback on your portfolios and resume, as well as give you feedback about your work in the BFA program.

Continue to the Lighting Design & Technology Page