FOR more than 20 years, Anya Gloudon-Nelson has worked with the National Pantomime, using her creative genius to bring performances alive from behind the scenes.

Gloudon-Nelson is responsible for designing the costumes of characters in the annual Little Theatre Movement production, which has significantly contributed to its success over the years.

The 40-year-old wife of Kevin Nelson and daughter of producer and radio talk show host Barbara Gloudon has been designing costumes since the 1991/1992 Mandehyah Pantomime.

While her training is as a graphic artist educated at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, there is no doubting the passion she holds for the career she continues to be involved in every year, simply because she enjoys it — costume designing.

“I was roped into the field by my mother, who is the producer of several pantomimes. I am a trained graphic artist, but having been around theatre for all my life, it was felt that I could do the job,” said Gloudon- Nelson, a St Andrew High alum, revealing how she got involved in the field.

She recently took some time out of her busy schedule to share with Career & Education what it means to be a costume designer.

Who is a costume designer?

A costume designer is the person who conceptualises and, in some cases, manufactures the clothing or covering that is worn in a performance, whether a formal performance like the theatre or on film or “chipping down the road” at carnival time.

What would you say is the value of the work that you do?

I have seen where the style of the costume has helped an actor find the nuances in their character that make them more believable to the audience. When that happens, where the performer and the costume and the storyline or the theme all come together, then I feel pretty valuable to the

What are the academic requirements for getting into the field?

I would suggest the subject areas of clothing and textiles; art and design; English literature [since] if you don’t know how to interpret text, you’ll never come up with a good costume; and history [because] the past is an excellent source for inspiration. Drama is an added bonus. If you understand the rigours and discipline of being a performer, you will know what they need the costume to do.

What other skills and/or competencies are required for entry into the field?

I am not a seamstress, but it would serve very well for a costume designer to know how to sew. My art background does mean that I can make a rough pattern that the seamstresses and tailor who make the costumes are able to work from, and my drawing ability also helps. The understanding of the elements of design that are taught in art are applicable to any area of design. It is also important to be able to communicate well, as a costume designer does not work alone. For the theatre and in particular the Pantomime, the costumes must work with the sets, lighting, storyline and the director and actors’ requirements. If you can’t listen as well as sometimes defend your choice, it will be a rocky road to opening night.

What do you most enjoy about the work that you do?

When the audience gets it, if it should be funny and they laugh at the colours and cut of the costume; or they ‘ooh’ at that special fantasy costume, that makes the incidents of gluing your fingers together with a hot glue gun, turning your fingers into pin cushions doing custom embroidery, and agonising over how to fix that garment that won’t stay up or down, well worth it.

What are the challenges you face on the job?

The Pantomime is a nonprofit organisation, so our mantra is ‘spend less for more effect’. This means I’m called upon to recycle a lot. It is a challenge, not an unpleasant one, to repurpose clothing — change it up so it looks new and feels fresh — [and to know] how to re-invent the wheel to make each production unique. Additionally, there are a lot fewer fabric stores in Jamaica now [and] there is also a difficulty with knowing what you’re getting when you buy fabric.

How much can one earn as a costume designer on an annual basis?

That’s a hard question to answer. Not all costume designers will have jobs every year, and the quality and magnitude of the job may vary. You may end up making corporate mascots one year: big money; and then next year you’re making cheerleading uniforms for a school: little money. The Little Theatre Movement is non-profit so you get a gratuity for being a part of the design team. The fact is, you do it because you love it, not because you’re looking to buy a new car or even a brand new second-hand one at that. I would say it makes an excellent addition to whatever your day job is. However, as Jamaican theatre and film industry continues to grow, it’s not unlikely that it could soon be a sole profession.

Trained as a costume designer, what other sort of employment options are open to you?

Trained as a costume designer, you could very easily branch out into fashion and accessory designing. Costumes cover from head to toe and as you explore all those elements for a character, it is likely that you may develop an interest in everything, from hat making to shoe design. You are, in effect, a stylist, so that is also an option. Many entertainers are now taking their performance skills and appearance more seriously, so there is room in the music industry as well.

Why would you advise anyone to get into this line of work?

What could be better than actually creating something, putting it on paper and then getting to see it come to life and become a part of the wonderful world of theatre? To watch an audience totally and completely be drawn in by a character wearing a wire and sponge mask, and having them truly believe that it is a walking, talking, singing pig or shark, or no longer seeing that actor as the old man from one year’s Pantomime but accepting him the next season as a sneaky, conniving physically fit Anansi, or not even realising that who you thought was a 15- year-old school girl is actually a grown married woman with two pre-teen children [is gratifying].