Thursday, Mar 25, 2021

2:00 pm PST

Traditionally, large-budget theatre, film, and television productions didn’t hire or consult with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as producers, directors, writers, performers, designers and technicians– a practice that is starting to change. At the same time, depictions of BIPOC and their cultures in mainstream entertainment are evolving. Previously stereotyped or background characters incongruously held up against the “ideal” body, the industry is shifting to realistic main characters whose bodies and features transcend the Western canon. Using examples of costumes and scenes from iconic plays and productions, this talk will look at how the concept and depiction of the ideal body has shifted and how this plays out in costume design.

Vibrina Coronado is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. She has a Ph.D. in Performance Studies; her dissertation examined the stage costume making process and the craft and artistic skill of costume workers. During her ten years in New York City, she worked in the professional shops that build costumes for Broadway, feature films, dance, the Metropolitan Opera and others. Her teaching included theatre and Native American related courses at City University of New York colleges and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of needlework, clothing, and textiles, she makes Native American regalia and custom clothing and does research and writing about performance, Native Americans, clothing, and cultural competency.