THE SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
The School of Theatre and Dance is turning sustainability into a necessity, not just by choice, but by reusing and repairing costumes across performances and productions.
For theatrical productions, costumes rarely have a single life on stage. After each show closes, costumes are cleaned, repaired and returned to the costume shop on the third floor of 72 E. 11th St.
“We’ll clean anything or dry-clean anything, then restore it if we need to and then restock it in our stock,” Kathleen McKellaston, a part-time instructor in the School of Theatre and Dance, said. “That way, we can theoretically reuse it again when we need it.”
The practice is both environmentally conscious and financially essential. With limited production budgets, sometimes as low as $250, students and designers rely on existing materials and thrifted garments to upcycle or reuse.
“Sustainability is a necessity,” McKellaston said. “Being able to have stuff and reuse it and take care of it. I think it’s just part of the theatre mindset.”
The costume shop houses a decades-long collection of everything from clothing and accessories, organized by era and style. For each show, 10 to 40 garments are chosen based on the size of the production, and rely heavily on reused materials or thrifted finds — including unconventional sources like repurposed bedsheets.
The shop is filled with extensive racks of garments from the floor to the ceiling, and a multitude of patterns and fabric are hung on hangers or stored in cardboard boxes. It has everything to outfit an entire production.
Carlee Walka, a sophomore theatre design and technology major, oversees the garments rented from the costume shop.
“People come in here all the time if they need scrap fabric and stuff, or just need to use our materials, and like, our tuition is paying for all of this,” Walka said. “So it’s a really good way to just use what you’ve got and not overconsume.”
Beyond theatre productions, the shop extends its resources across campus. Students from the School of Film and Television and the School of Fashion also take advantage of the stock.
“We’re able to reuse so much in this shop for film and fashion students coming here,” Walka said. “It’s just a really good way to cut down on money for everybody.”
Dance students also rely on shared resources.
On the third floor of 1306 S. Michigan Ave., a costume closet allows dance students to reuse garments that have circulated through performances for years. Gabby Gonzalez, a first-year dance major, said students, like herself, can request access when they need pieces for a costume.
“They’re washed, they’re taken care of, but they’ve been worn for generations,” Gonzalez said.
The closet is not open for free access like the costume shop in the theatre building. Gonzalez said students have to ask a faculty or staff member for access to the resource.
Gonzalez said that before coming to Columbia, she was often expected to purchase a new costume for every performance, frequently from fast fashion brands like SHEIN or expensive dancewear retailers.
“That goes into a lot of overconsumption and doesn’t feel as real and heartfelt on stage, in my opinion,” Gonzalez said. “I’d rather share wardrobes and make art from one another.”
Mary-Mullis Keyse, a senior fashion studies major and captain of the Columbia Renegades Dance Team, said reuse is standard practice for the team.
Every new season for the dance team includes new costumes. If members don’t have a specific item needed, Keyse said they will go thrift shopping at Village Discount Outlet and Goodwill, or order via Amazon. The team has purchased several garments like pants, skirts, tops and dresses.
“We’re really good about thrifting items that we don’t have and pulling things from our own closet so we don’t have to buy new things and be wasteful,” Keyse said.
With limited budgets and supporting sustainability, the vision for a performance can be hindered, but Keyse said it’s “better in the end.”
“Everyone can make a difference,” Keyse said.
Copy edited by Katie Peters
