Her work: Costume designer with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s theater department.

On enjoying her work: “I feel really lucky. I get up and spend eight hours every day doing something I think is fun. I’m a 48-year-old woman who still gets to play dress-up. Then when everybody comes out on stage for the first dress rehearsal of a play and the costumes have transformed them into their characters, it’s very gratifying.”

From acting to designing: “Everybody gets their start in theater as an actor. I loved being in the space. I loved everything about it. I was in a couple of plays in high school, and I knew that was what I wanted to do. By the time I’d taken my first acting class at the University of Texas, I wasn’t so sure any more. But I loved being in the theater, and I’d been sewing since I was 15, so designing was a natural switch. There was an excellent undergraduate costume design program there, and that’s where I got my training.”

The UTC program: “We have a really good undergraduate BA program here. Some of our students go on to grad school, but most go out and start working. We do four plays a year, and I fit in up to six professional freelance jobs a year, usually during the summer or over Christmas break. That’s good for the department too, because it allows students to work with me as interns, so they get to see how professional theater is done, which is a lot different from university theater. I thrive on freelance work. It’s great for me too.” Her designs have been used in productions by the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, the Synchronicity Performance Group, and the Georgia Shakespeare Festival.

The world of theater: “It’s important to work in all aspects of it: scenery, lights, direction, writing. That helps keep you aware of what other people are working on. Theater is very collaborative. It’s not just your ideas alone, so it’s helpful to be well-rounded.”

The creative aspect of costume design: “Costume design is a legitimate art form. Actors are taught to dig deep down into their soul and put it out on stage for everyone to look at. As an artist, you have to do that. You have to take that risk, love yourself that much, and come up with something true. It’s truly creating life on stage, and a designer does the same thing. I’m a creative person, so it’s an outlet. And it’s fun. I get to go shopping and look for really neat clothes. I’ve done shows with a budget of $60 and others where I’ve had up to $11,000 to spend on costumes. I like the psychology of it as well, understanding the characters in a play and the dramatic situation they’re in and illustrating that through clothing.”

To see more samples from Sydney's portfolio,
visit www.sydney-roberts.com

Where does the design process start? “I read the play and then research the historical period in which it’s set. A lot of my inspiration comes from the artwork of the period. I like to know everything about the fabric, the trim, and the colors before I start drawing. I don’t want to have to stop in the middle of the creative process to go back and find out how long the sleeves should be. I’ll do the drawings, and then there’s a whole crew of people who make the costumes: drapers, stitchers, craftspeople. Even the directors and actors are involved. I’m an actors’ designer. I love the actors. I design so that they’re happy. That’s my goal.”

Are costumes as important as the acting and script? “Theater is words. I’m a firm believer in the power of words. Theater starts with words, and you can have a meaningful theatrical experience with just two actors reading on stage. Costumes help create the world for the audience to lose themselves in. Generally, people go to the theater to be entertained, and costume is an entertaining form.”