If there was a ranking of what I know about each element of the theater, costume design would come in last.

I lasted about 4 hours in my costume shop rotation during my internship at Maine State Music Theatre (I spent those 4 hours trying to thread one needle and then they let me go work on a computer), and my wife will tell you how I spend minutes staring at the stuff in my closet trying to figure out what goes with what.

That’s why I was so excited to talk to one of the best Costume Designers on Broadway on the planet.  Catherine has six Tony Awards on her mantle for shows like Coast of Utopia, South Pacific, Light in the Piazza and more.  (By the way, when your list of shows you won Tonys for is longer than most people’s entire resume, you are doing pretty well.)

During our Saturday morning chat, Catherine and I did NOT talk about threading needles, but we did talk about:

• How she was terrible at sewing when she started . . . and that did NOT impact her ability to design.
• Why her favorite costumes aren’t the most beautiful.
• Technology’s impact on costume design . . . for better, but also for worse!
• Why costumes for the theater are so much different than costumes for film.
• How 21st-century playwrights are changing how designers must create clothes.

Listen in to Ms. Zuber school me on costume design, and I promise, no matter where costume design ranks on your list of “Theater Things You Know,” it’ll go up after this thirty-five minute Tony winner’s master class.

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.