JILLIAN SKARA
Costume Designer
A Game of Love and Chance, American University
Directed by Karl Kippola
In A Game of Love and Chance, all actors participated in a lottery system at the top of each performance to determine what role they would perform. The actors also improvised the dialogue, therefore the Rococo aesthetic was important to ground the story in 1730s France. Additionally, the actors had to start the show in base layers to allow for quick dressing after the pre-show, so I worked with each member of the cast to create a personalized look based off of historical undergarments.
"...indeed manages to maintain the “truth of Marivaux’s play.” This truth carries on through the intricate costuming of Jillian Skara, whose work makes early modern aristocratic dress spry and sexy."
- Ian Kirkland, DC Theatre Arts
"Jillian Skara’s costume design is the most visually appealing of the bunch. Particularly, the neutral layers worn by the actors at the top of the play were evocative both of the period and of present day: they also didn’t follow the gender binary, which added to the theme of unknown possibility in a really exciting way."
- Caro Dubberly, The Medium
Costume Shop Manager- Summer Dinner Theatre at Montgomery College
Young Frankenstein directed by Robert Mintz, designed by Stephanie Parks
Footloose directed by Ian Anthony Coleman, designed by Ash Ludwig
In two months, my two interns and I brought the visions of Stephanie Parks and Ash Ludwig to the stage of Montgomery College. In addition to all of the alterations we did, I did some building, bedazzling, detailing and wigging out
Assistant Costume Designer
Sleeping Giant, Rorschach Theatre
Costume Designer: Ash Ludwig
For Sleeping Giant, I completed alterations, pulled pieces from various stock and did a whole lot of distressing on garments. In addition to my ASM duties every night, I also applied an airbrush tattoo to The Butterfly King with the help of a stencil designed by Ash, and dealt with a whole lot of stage blood, dirt, and glitter
Assistant Costume Designer
Head Over Heels, American University
Costume Designer: Sydney Moore
In addition to playing the role of Pamela,I assisted Sydney Moore by completing alterations, and designing and executing detail work on many garments.For performances, I did hair and makeup for a number of cast members
Costume Coordinator
Overture 2023, American University
Overture is a yearly devised performance created by the first year students. Director Nancy Bannon wanted the students to be able to show who they are through their performance and clothing. As the costume coordinator, I created costume concepts and renderings, personalized clothing to show student's personalities, created accessories, and pulled from stock to help students express themselves while have a cohesive image.
