ALY RENEE AMIDEI

As a theater-maker and educator, it is my privilege and responsibility to engage the artists making the art and the audience experiencing the art. I believe that theatre-makers, theatre-goers, and theatre educators need to push against the notion that “what is different is risky” because it is through artistic risk that we have the greatest chance for growth. I have a dedication to diversity and inclusion in my classroom which extends to and is reinforced by my creative research. Each semester, I choose a variety of scripts that bring a wide spectrum of voices and perspectives into my classroom and design projects. I require student designers to cast all of their hypothetical projects with a focus on inclusion and diversity in gender expression, body types and abilities, age, race, and ethnicity. When diversity is at the core of how you work, it becomes a natural element in the creation of theatre and therefore, what is created is a more vibrant and honest reflection of the world in which we live. 

​

Theatre is a vital art form and an important tool for self-discovery. My undergraduate experience in a small liberal arts education taught me the value of interdisciplinary learning and the need to get students to step outside of comfort zones. I like to joke that I was ‘forced to act and dance’ while in college but the experience of being on stage as an actor and dancer has definitely made me a better costume designer and artisan. Engaging in artistic risks is important to any student’s growth but critical to the cultivation of an artist. I argue that today’s theatre artist needs to be ‘cross-trained’ to prosper. The modern cross-trained artist needs to be an expert in their specific concentration, but also should be equally ready to function in peripheral areas at a high level. 

 

As a former artistic director and production manager, I am keenly aware of the importance of budget management and take great care to deliver designs on time and within fiscal constraints. I model this in my design work at the university and incorporate this into my design classes as well. I am as equally strong a maker as I am a designer and feel that being able to successfully execute the technical aspects of costume design will make you a more employable and stronger designer overall. However, it is also important to not just excel in your area of focus. I believe future designers need to be competent in the business of performing arts, of grant writing, and of citizenship to an arts community and the audience. 

​

With a focus on creating cross-trained designers, I vary my teaching methods in the classroom in order to serve the many different learning styles and prior experiences of the undergraduate and graduate student. In addition to hands-on class workshops and demonstrations, I also provide supplemental digital material (video tutorials and web articles to name a few) to give each student access to a wide variety of information on each topic and more freedom to learn at their own pace. I leave some options within each project to tailor it to the specific learning outcome goals for the individual student. For example, in both Stage Makeup and Costume Design II, I allow students to choose their own scripts for certain projects so they have the opportunity to work on something that really interests them.