PROFESSIONAL COSTUME PROGRAM
Do you dream of working in the glamor and bright lights of Hollywood?
The Theatre Academy Costume Program prepares costume professionals through hands-on training for theatre and film.
Why? Actors and directors ALWAYS need costumes to define and express their characters.
What we do:
- Collaborate with studios, shops, and employers in theatre, television, film, and entertainment to ensure our classes grow the skills they're looking for.
- Help students develop new skills and strengthen them through practical experience creating costumes.
What you will do:
- Learn new skills needed for the entertainment industry, and practice putting your skills to use for plays, film, and video productions every semester.
- You do not need a theatre background, or have to complete an AA (unless you want to, or to transfer to a university program). This is a certificate program.
Pretty Fire, costumes by students Stephanie Cano and Victoria Mellado
Jobs, Opportunities, and Internships for LACC Costume Students
The LACC Costume Design Program is widely recognized in the entertainment industry for producing skilled and talented designers, design assistants, and all manner of wardrobe professionals. Our graduates are working in the entertainment business in places including:
- American Film Institute
- Center Theatre Group
- Cirque du Soleil
- Disney Productions, Disneyland
- Eastern Costume
- HBO (Home Box Office)
- Los Angeles Opera
- Netflix
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival
- Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
- Santa Monica Playhouse
- Santa Fe Opera
- Showtime
- Lee Strasberg Institute
- Universal Pictures, Universal Studios
- Warner Brothers Studio
- Western Costume
What topics are covered?
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Costume design - theatre, film, video, and costume styling
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Costume history - research, resourcing, budgeting, shopping
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Sketching - character/inspiration boards, swatching
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Costume pattern drafting and draping, fabric selection, cutting, fitting, construction
What skills are developed?
- How to read a play - breakdown a script, breakdown character and actor needs
- How to communicate your design, both traditional and computer illustration techniques = developing your portfolio and resume
- Utilizing production meetings, with director, shop staff, wardrobe crew
- Wardrobe skills - navigating costume storage, pulling a show, selecting and creating accessories, costume alteration and maintenance
- Theatre discipline and procedures - shop organization, managing a crew, striking a show
- Costume dyeing, distressing, painting, batiking
- Character makeup, hair & wigs
Mask project - Chaille Dalley
More questions?
Call, email, or schedule a visit to see us in action. Talk to us.
Leave a message: (323) 953-4000 X2970
How is all this possible?
No secret short-cuts—it takes hands-on, practical, experiential learning. Lab time is spent to develop skills needed for the mounting of live theatrical productions, the best training ground for a costume designer in any type of entertainment.
This is a highly selective and challenging course. Acceptance into the program is not a guarantee of continuance. From the initial interview and portfolio review, the student is constantly evaluated and challenged to meet and exceed standards. A student who cannot meet assignments while in constant production may be discontinued. The periodic evaluations are retained as source material to use in recommendations for future education and job applications.
At the completion of all the required program courses, the 2-year Professional Certificate for Theatrical Costuming is awarded. During the optional third-year program, the design student will concentrate on independent theater, film and video projects to advance the transition into the profession while utilizing the resources of the Academy.
A measure of the success of this intense, hands-on approach may be seen in our design majors' repeated advancement to the final round of the Television Academy's Summer Internship competition, including the 2018 winner, German Flores. This coveted award includes three 2-week internships with television costume designers.
The Kennedy Center / American College Theatre Festival competition is another example of our costume design majors competing with design students from 4-year institutions or graduate studies. The overall national winner in 2018 was Christina Bayer from LACC Theatre Academy.
Many career opportunities are available to graduates of the program:
- Costume design in theater, film, video, commercials, theme parks, and games
- Apprenticing with an established designer
- Film, television, or video costuming, assisting, or wardrobe
- Work in a professional costume shop or costume rental house, theme park, or cruise ship
See some of the jobs and opportunities Costume Graduates have gone on to.
All prospective Academy students are required to apply for admission to the Theatre Academy.
Apply to the LACC Theatre Academy
Call, email, or schedule a visit to see us in action.
COSTUME DESIGN PROGRAM
Eddie Bledsoe
bledsoje@laccd.edu
Course Descriptions
Academic Programs: Theater Arts / Theatre Academy [PDF] (Theater awards & certificates, p. 76)
College Catalog (Theater class descriptions pp. 191-197)
Class Schedules
Class Schedule
Spring 2023
Related Links
Follow @LACCTheatre on Twitter
Life at LACC
Learn more about the Theater Arts program at LACC by following our Student Blogger Rachel!
THEATER DEPARTMENT
Department Office
TA 208
To leave a message:
Phone: (323) 953-4000, ext.2970
Email: lacc-theaterarts@laccd.edu
Visitors and playgoers, please visit LACCD Check-In before arriving
Theater Department Box Office:
To leave a message:
Phone: (323) 953-4000 ext.2990
Email: boxoffice@lacitycollege.edu
Acting Program:
Costume Design Program:
Eddie Bledsoe
Email: bledsoje@laccd.edu
Department Chair:
Eddie Bledsoe
bledsoje@laccd.edu
Technical Theater Entertainment Technology Program:
TA 202
Johnny Garofalo
Email: garofaja@lacitycollege.edu