Stitching together creativity and community at W&M’s costume shop

The theatre & performance costume shop builds students' costume-making skills while cultivating a community of theatre professionals.

Dominic DiNunzio '28 is the First Hand at the costume shop, the lead assistant responsible for creating garments worn on stage for W&M theatre performances. (Photo by Shelby Mertens)

The following story originally appeared on the website for the W&M College of Arts & Sciences. - Ed.

Dominic DiNunzio '28 begins every costume project by sketching a pattern.

DiNunzio, who began volunteering in the William & Mary costume shop during the first semester of his first year, is now first hand, the lead assistant responsible for cutting fabric, stitching, patterning and altering garments, bringing the vision of a costume to life.

Under the direction of Corey Strickland '17, who also worked as a first hand as an undergraduate, DiNunzio constructs the most visible costumes for theatre productions at William & Mary. These productions are largely student-run, with all the costumes created by students.

DiNunzio began sewing five years ago, taking classes with a craftsman guild in Pittsburgh. Since then, DiNunzio has continued to hone his craft and now even makes his own clothes.

I started making scale models of historical figures and then I figured if I could do this for a six-inch-tall person, I could probably do it for myself," DiNunzio said. "That's when I began sewing for myself, and then from there I was able to start learning how to work on other people too."

The work of a first hand requires strong sewing skills and comprehensive knowledge of various kinds of fabrics.

"In the world of theatre, people who have the hands-on skills in areas such as costume construction, scenic builds, or light rigging are in high demand," Joan Gavaler said, chair of the theatre & performance department and professor of dance. "I'm proud of the students, faculty and staff such as Corey and Dominic, who work hard to make our productions a success."

"Machinal," directed by visiting assistant teaching professor Bryan Schmidt, is premiering April 23-26 at the Glenn Close Theatre. The play is a 1930s feminist work that explores the different ways that women of the time period were ignored or defeated by a patriarchal society. The costuming process began at the end of March.

"Clothing really does reflect the time period in which a show takes place," DiNunzio said. "It's the 1930s, and you have to start rationing, including for cloth because it was expensive."

While DiNunzio strives to create historically accurate costumes, it is also important to balance what is understandable to the audience.

"When you go to see a show, you know that's clearly a soldier because he's wearing a uniform. Even if the uniform isn't completely historically accurate, you will understand what you're looking at," DiNunzio said.

When creating costumes for period pieces, DiNunzio will often use resources such as pattern books from the Library of Congress. For "Machinal," DiNunzio is using a pattern book from the early 1900s. "There's a lot of research involved," DiNunzio said.

Next, after sketching a pattern, DiNunzio will trace it onto a cotton fabric called muslin.

"We put it on the actor or actress afterwards, and that's when we really get the work done of making sure that this paper pattern fits them," DiNunzio said. "Maybe the arm side is too tight, or maybe it's too loose. If they're doing a lot of up and down movement with their arms, you might want the arm side to be higher to give them more mobility. There's a lot of different levels to pay attention to."

Once the muslin mockup is complete and DiNunzio has made the necessary alterations from the fitting, he begins piecing together the actual costume. A final fitting with the cast member takes place, and DiNunzio adds the last touches - such as buttons - before the costume is then handed off and ready to be donned on stage.

For "Machinal," DiNunzio constructed a navy-blue jacket for the lead protagonist, Helen Jones, a young woman who is convicted and excuted for murdering her husband. The costume is worn during the scene when Jones, played by Allison Monfalcone '28, is on trial in a court room.

"In episode eight, the blazer becomes its own kind of mask. The navy isn't quite mourning black. It's more professional, more controlled, like she's trying to perform normalcy rather than grieve," Monfalcone said. "It's tailored just tightly enough to feel restrictive, and that physical constraint, paired with her increasingly disheveled appearance, really highlights how much she's coming apart underneath."

DiNunzio works to bring these theatrical components to life through his costumes.

"It's also nice that I have a good mentor in Corey," DiNunzio said. "It's a nice community that we have here. … I know several students who will come back and volunteer or just visit. Corey does a good job at building community."

Strickland was introduced to the costume shop during his costume patterning and construction class, where he was mentored by Patricia Wesp '97, theatre professor emeritus and faculty costume designer.

"I was a student from a farm in Virginia who liked to sew, and Professor Wesp helped me turn that passion into a career," Strickland said.

Strickland returned to W&M as the costume shop manager with a mission to be the same mentor for his own students.

"We are continuing the promise of this program of training students to a high caliber with an industry-ready skillset in their technical fields. Continuing to watch other technical theatre programs close, our work only becomes more valuable and more sought after by industry professionals," Strickland said.

"Dominic is a prime example of how incredible our students are. As first hand, he is able to answer complex technical questions about costume construction for other employees, demonstrate skills and shop standards to incoming employees and help promote the collaboration of all students working together to succeed on a department production. His skills run the spectrum from flat patterning to buttonhole making. His tailoring abilities are of a professional caliber already and that is evident by his work."

The upcoming performances of "Machinal" showcase the skills and expertise students from the theatre department have developed through unique hands-on learning and mentoring opportunities that prepare them for long-lasting professional careers.

Emma Halman '26, College of Arts & Sciences

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