The costume work behind the scenes for performances at UC Berkeley
In the basement of Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley, there are two storage rooms full of more than 30,000 costume pieces. They contain everything from real World War I gear to Yves Saint Laurent pieces, and for the spring semester, the costumers were hard at work sourcing from these storage rooms. Their main project was preparing for a steampunk-influenced interpretation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” To make these fantastical pieces of attire come to life, costume director Denise Umland leads a team of students, costume technicians, and more who do the invisible work that audiences do not have the privilege of seeing.
The history of the Costume Department
The costume collection began in the 1950s, the ethos of reuse and repurposing starting when the first costume director, Shan Otey, used post-World War II military donations as the first pieces in the collection. Former costume director Wendy Sparks noted that as a result of these donations, silk parachutes were a common costume component for years. Eventually, Otey also utilized local clothing donations to expand the collection. Every costume was made with the intent to use it again, beyond the initial role and production it was made for.
Today, the costume department maintains its mission of creating something exceptional despite limited resources available, whether it’s reused costumes or snagging cheap finds on Amazon:
“For me, it’s a game of how cheap can I go while still having it look rich and beautiful? One of the costumes I made was from an old curtain from the forties. And it’s beautiful. Nobody will know it’s a curtain, except me.” — Wendy Sparks, former costume director
Under Sparks’ direction, the costume department tackled unique challenges and designs, one design being a 2017 production of “Metamorphoses” where actors would be submerged in water during certain moments in the play. Alumni of the department have also implemented the values of creativity with notable success. In 2012, alumnus Paloma Young won the Tony Award in Best Costuming for “Peter and the Starcatcher” and has gone on to costume prominent shows such as the Broadway production of “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” and the West End production of “& Juliet.”
A production timeline of costuming
As someone with experience in performing arts, I’ve been able to see firsthand the entire process of costuming. It’s a constant job that requires a lot of adjustment, and isn’t even completely finished when the show opens!
For “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the first steps would be to ensure that the plan for costume design aligns with the main ideas, visual themes, and overall thesis of the show. For this steampunk take on Shakespeare, costume design is especially important because it is one of the primary visual representations of the environment. The gears, goggles, suits and bowler hats, for example, will help bring a distinct feel to a show that’s over 400 years old, and will help the audience identify the steampunk theme. Thus, the team will begin to think of costumes that could work, and if there isn’t anything, what they could attempt to get elsewhere.
A photo of Nick Bottom’s headgear when he gets turned into a donkey in the middle of the play. Notice how the headpiece, in particular, the bowler hat and goggles, help contribute to the steampunk feel!
Once preliminary costume sketches, costume sourcing, and pre-production are complete, then come the measurements. Costumes always require modifications, and this process of hemming, stitching, and more is done for not only every single actor, but often every single costume piece they have. But the adjustments don’t stop there. Actors may require additional refinements to the costumes after trying them on. Costumes may be swapped out if something isn’t working, or if it’s decided that another costume is a better fit.
Even when the costume fits and doesn’t need any more modifications, the costumers can’t sit back and relax just yet. They will be on call during shows to respond to any sudden problems: a button that pops out, a strap that breaks, a rip in the costume. It’s live theater, so anything could go wrong, and the show must go on if possible. In extreme cases, these costumers are the only thing preventing predicaments that could lead to show stoppages or late entrances. No actor wants to go on stage knowing there’s a costume malfunction, so costumers in the offstage wings are the last line of defense against stressful situations for actors that are not even their fault to begin with.
All of this happens without an audience to view their work, and as a result, the gig is rewarding, but it’s not a walk in the park.
“It might seem like things happen overnight and really quickly, but they do take a lot of work and a lot of effort.” — Neil Lopez, class of 2026, theater and performance studies major, student costume designer for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Did you know UC Berkeley has a massive costume shop? Join us for an exclusive behind the scenes look into our costume collection. The magic is all coming together as the team prepares for their upcoming production of A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.
Did you know UC Berkeley has a massive costume shop? Join us for an exclusive behind the scenes look into our costume collection. The magic is all coming together as the team prepares for their upcoming production of A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.
✨A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM ✨
March 12-15, 2026
Durham Studio Theater
Tickets are available at tickets.berkeley.edu
Are you ready for some mischief? As we move through an ever-tangled world of uncertainty, Shakespeare’s fever dream of a play feels especially timely. A Midsummer Night’s Dream invites us to embrace the wonder of human existence, explore who we are becoming, and relish the fire and messiness of love in all its forms—reminding us that joy, connection, and clarity are always within reach.
Follow @berkeleytdps for all things theater! 🎭
#UCBerkeley #UCBerkeleyLife #Theater #AMidSummerNightsDream #Berkeley
✨A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM ✨
March 12-15, 2026
Durham Studio Theater
Tickets are available at tickets.berkeley.edu
Are you ready for some mischief? As we move through an ever-tangled world of uncertainty, Shakespeare’s fever dream of a play feels especially timely. A Midsummer Night’s Dream invites us to embrace the wonder of human existence, explore who we are becoming, and relish the fire and messiness of love in all its forms—reminding us that joy, connection, and clarity are always within reach.
Follow @berkeleytdps for all things theater! 🎭
#UCBerkeley #UCBerkeleyLife #Theater #AMidSummerNightsDream #Berkeley
What sourcing looks like
The most integral part of the costume collection is finding, keeping, and reusing costume pieces. This is intended to gradually expand your collection, and this is why UC Berkeley’s costume department has been able to collect tens of thousands of pieces. As a result, the same costume piece will often see use in multiple productions, sometimes in the same year. To reference an instance of this, I’ve witnessed what at first was a Russian aristocrat coat for a musical get turned into a ringleader costume for a circus-themed music showcase. This same piece saw life through two very different productions and was used by separate performers, who were quite different in terms of height and build.
While Berkeley’s costume department has a plethora of options, the costuming needs may be so specific that they have to look beyond what they have in storage. This is where donations, obscure internet finds, and even student assistance help. College productions in particular can often end up having a lot of costume pieces that performers bring in themselves. I have yet to be part of a production at Berkeley where I, or someone else, didn’t either use something they owned or borrow a costume piece from someone else in the production. Even on the most prominent performing stages this can also happen. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “RENT” became known for its hyperrealistic style, partly thanks to its costuming, where the designer encouraged the actors to keep wearing certain attire that they had shown up in during the rehearsal process.
Another costume piece for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The floral design of the top is meant to convey the magic and mystical nature of the forest where all of the mischief occurs!
Whether it’s the fairy wings that have to be constructed and put together, or the costume pieces that get modified to look more like steampunk attire, sourcing is a constant evaluation of what you have, what you could adjust, and searching for what could make the costume feel complete and representative of the vision.
Support local arts
If you want to get involved, the costume department offers undergraduate technical courses and work-study experience. They are always looking for donations, so giving clothes and other costume pieces to your local arts company, theater club, or any other arts organization will always be greatly appreciated! Arts historically struggle with funding and resources, so having a community ready to contribute to the cause is what keeps these costume departments alive and allows the audience to see the beautiful clothing on display. So, the next time you see a play, a movie, TV show, or whatever entertainment it may be, remember those who put countless hours into making a costume that catches your eye. Since clothing is so ingrained with the human experience, it’s not something that’s always given great attention to by the audience, but the universal function of clothes is why costumers should get their flowers. The ones wearing the costumes quite literally would not have anything if it weren’t for the magic of fabric, buttons, needles, and thread!
Nolan Zils, Class of 2027, is majoring in media studies and minoring in creative writing and journalism. Cover photo by Rachel Holmes.
Want more?
- Explore the numerous theater arts options available in Berkeley!
- Meet another arts group on campus, the Carillon Guild!
- Read Milana’s article about a Berkeley Art Studio Class!