Oral History of Professional Theater Beaders in New York City
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University of the Incarnate Word The Athenaeum Theses & Dissertations 12-2014 Oral History of Professional Theater Beaders in New York City Mary Lalon Alexander University of the Incarnate Word, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds Part of the Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, and the Theatre History Commons Recommended Citation Alexander, Mary Lalon, "Oral History of Professional Theater Beaders in New York City" (2014). Theses & Dissertations. 41. https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds/41 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Athenaeum. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Athenaeum. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ORAL HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL THEATER BEADERS IN NEW YORK CITY by MARY LALON ALEXANDER A DISSERTATION Presented to the faculty of the University of the Incarnate Word in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD December 2014 ii © 2014 Mary Lalon Alexander iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Did you send a thank you note?” –Mom An expression of gratitude is somehow the most simple and complex to convey for so many of us. Very early in life my mother instilled the importance of a simple thank you for even the smallest of gestures. After all, it is one of the greatest of sins to fall short of a Southern societal standard. Therefore, I must first thank my mother and father for the constant support and love, occasional berating, and intermittent nagging. This dissertation certainly would have been a slower process if not for the constant presence of Thomas R. Alexander and Penny Alexander. In the same breath I must include, if begrudgingly, my ever present co-conspirator, critic, and collaborator: my sister, Theresa Alexander. Thank you to my committee: Dr. Audra Skukauskaite, Dr. Jessica Kimmel, Dr. Keven Vichcales, and Dr. Michaele Haynes. My chair, Dr. Skukauskaite was my greatest editor and research educator. She provided both a sounding board and guiding light in this process. Dr. Kimmel has my eternal gratitude for her words of wisdom and practical insights. I would not have made it far in this endeavor without the historical research vision of Dr. Vichcales. Dr. Haynes has been both a constant supporter and friend. Thank you to everyone who helped me in the process of this research and writing. In addition to my committee, I thank the multiple editors, friends, and former teachers who initially read this dissertation in support of the research. Your words of wisdom improved this dissertation beyond anything I originally imagined. I may not be in your classroom any longer, but I am still learning from you. iv Thank you to my extended family and friends, as well as my academic family at the University of the Incarnate Word. The School of Media and Design and the Dreeben School of Education have supported this doctoral endeavor from the beginning. The faculty and students of the Fashion Management Department enthusiastically encouraged this research for the past four years. I owe the faculty of the Dreeben School of Education a great debt for your wisdom and teachings. I now hope to humbly apply your lessons to the classroom. Finally, I thank the twelve participants who took the time to share their stories with me and the world. This research would not exist without you, and the theater beading world benefits from your professional experience. Thank you for using your voice. Mary Lalon Alexander v DEDICATION “the simple combination of a piece of cloth, a needle, a thread and a skilled, knowing hand” –Millar, 2012, p. 14 I would never have made it this far without the skilled, knowing hands of my parents and family to guide me. For your constant support and love, I dedicate this body of work in your honor. vi ORAL HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL THEATER BEADERS IN NEW YORK CITY Mary Lalon Alexander, PhD University of the Incarnate Word, 2014 A historic division between fine and mechanical arts led to a marginalization of certain art forms including textile beading and embroidery. Despite the opulence of beading and embroidery in theater costumes, there is limited documented history and scant scholarly literature about professional beading and the beaders who create the costumes. The aims of this study were to construct a history of professional theater beading in New York and to examine the oral histories of professional theater beaders. This qualitative oral history study included 12 participants who work in the professional beading industry. Open-ended interviews took place in New York City and focused on the development of the professional theater beading industry through the perspectives of each participant. Three beaders were interviewed a second time to ascertain their perspectives about relationships of their memoires and histories. Using a three-step analysis process, I identified three themes according to how the participants described professional theater beading: industry origins, specific companies in professional beading, and specific people related to professional beading. Participants described five origins for professional beading in theater: the fashion beading industry, actors and high fashion, the need to replicate historical designs, the glamor of beading, and uniform companies. Participants also described changes in theater beading companies, including company mergers vii and loss of samples and history. Finally, participants provided detailed accounts about specific people whom they considered important to professional theater beading. The second set of interviews yielded two additional themes: knowledge of history and value of history to the beaders, the industry, and larger audiences. This research built an oral history of professional theater beading and presented views from the artists’ perspectives, meeting the oral history and qualitative goals to contribute scholarly knowledge from the point of view of the participants. This study added scholarly research to a marginalized area of study using oral history methodologies. Participant narratives show the importance of viewing professional beading as an art form. This research can be used in teaching costume and embroidery courses as well as courses in theater history and fashion design. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xiii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 The Decorative Arts .......................................................................................................... 2 Embroidery, Decorative Arts, and Crafts ......................................................................... 4 Beading, Costumes, and Theater ...................................................................................... 7 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................. 10 Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 11 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 12 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 12 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 15 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 16 Personal Background ........................................................................................................ 17 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 19 Definitions......................................................................................................................... 20 Beading and Embroidery ...................................................................................... 20 Professional Theater Beader ................................................................................. 21 Costume Designer ................................................................................................. 22 Costume Shop Manager ........................................................................................ 22 ix Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 25 Search Method .................................................................................................................. 26 Theater Arts and Costumes ............................................................................................... 29 U.S. Theater Arts .................................................................................................