I am a designer who lives for the details; the small parts that make the whole. I design humans from the inside out; a human architect. My design process begins the moment I close my eyes; their lives unfurl before me, I can visualize the world they live in, from the streets they walk down to the people they see; the people they might try to impress, and the ones they don’t think twice about; I wonder what makes them insecure, what makes them feel powerful; from the shoes on their feet to the scuffs on the tip of the toes. Each person from the principles to the ensemble has something unique to only them, a little secret, I sometimes call it, perhaps a coin in a pocket that recalls a memory, a frayed hem as a reminder of a past mishap, or a silver ring hung low on a chain maybe a gift from a past lover. All the details make a wholly unique character.
I’ve always been a “people-watcher”; I snap photos of “interesting” and “ordinary” people on the streets and the trains, I sketch families in airports and couples at the park, I tear pages from magazines in waiting rooms and newspapers abandoned on a bench. I collect photography from thrift shops and antique shops; I have photos of dapper men from the early 1900s in crips starch collars, women draped in furs from the 1940s, and children in play clothes caked with dirt from 1970. I aim to stay curious and open to the world around me. I hope my perception of the world and its people is reflected on the stage in the humans I help bring to life.
The world is a vast and magnificent research library.
I have worked as a costume designer, costume associate, and costume design assistant in Washington DC at Arena Stage, Chicago, IL at The Goodman Theatre, and in New York City. I hold an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama for costume design, a B.F.A. from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts for costume design and technology, and an A.A. from Casper College in theatre design.
For work inquiries please email: Aprilmhickman@outlook.com