Costume Design @ Schapiro

General Information for all Designers

  • The Theatre Program will only be responsible for department-approved designs that are received by their designated deadlines.
  • Columbia property may not be altered without express permission.
  • All items purchased by the production budget are the property of Columbia University after the production.
  • NYU designers need faculty permission from NYU to participate in Columbia SOA productions.
  • If a designer is going to be remote for all or most of the design process, their participation in the production must be approved by production management to ensure that the designer’s in-person duties are adequately covered by a member of the production team. It is strongly recommended that designers be able to attend in-person rehearsals and meetings.
  • A written and signed agreement indemnifying Columbia of liability must be provided for any items loaned to the production or borrowed for the production from sources outside Columbia.

Thank you for working with us! Please don't hesitate to reach out to the PM or APM @ Schapiro with any questions.

Please make sure to submit any speaker adds and projection requests on time, and let us know any decisions in a timely manner to complete work.

Important Locations

Costume Design Deliverables

Costume Design Responsibilities

  1. Attend Concepts Meeting and Load In Meeting
  2. Determine and clarify who is responsible for costume props 
  3. Source rehearsal costume pieces prior to and during the rehearsal process.
  4. Prior to the first day of tech, source, and obtain all costume pieces for the production within the approved budget and in coordination with Production Management.
  5. Must attend 1st tech through dress rehearsal. If not available, there must be a member of the creative team present to represent costumes during tech.
  6. Coordination with Production Stage Manager, Director, and Production Management on designer schedule during tech. 

Purchasing

  • As much as possible, please allow Production Management to make purchases on your behalf. It is faster and significantly less complicated than requesting reimbursements.
  • Please see the Budgeting section, for more information.
  1. REIMBURSEMENTS:
    1. All reimbursements are handled through Production Management. 
    2. If you need to make a purchase with a personal credit/debit card, contact Production Management so that they may put it on their Columbia card.
    3. As per University policy, all reimbursement submissions must have receipts with the following easily legible: 
      1. Vendor Name
      2. Date of Purchase
      3. Itemized Details of what was purchased
      4. Proof of Payment (evidence of a credit or debit card charge, credit or debit statement, zero balance, or marked as paid) 
    4. For online purchases, obtain the paid receipt, not a tracking or packing slip.
    5. If the receipt has someone’s name on it, the reimbursement must go to that person.
    6. The turnover for reimbursement checks is approximately 30 days.
    7. If you are reimbursing an international citizen, a copy of their passport with entry stamp, and visa are required.
    8. All reimbursement requests must be submitted within 21 days of the production closing.
  2. All purchases must be approved by Columbia prior to purchasing. If Columbia is faced with an unapproved expense, they may not pay it, leaving the expense burden on whoever made the purchase.
  3. All items purchased by Columbia are owned by Columbia, not the production or any of its members.
  4. All ordered items must ship from the USA.
  5. Any orders being purchased and sent to Columbia should have the following address:
    Tom Gilmore
    3280 Broadway
    Room 506
    New York, NY 10027
  6. Please note: There are no deliveries of purchased goods available on the weekends.
  7. Please do not ship anything directly to Schapiro.
  8. Note that items shipped to Columbia may not be immediately accessible, as they must be distributed through Columbia’s internal delivery system. For items that are time sensitive, it is recommended that they be shipped to your personal address instead.

Important Columbia Notes

  1. WORKING WITH STUDENTS: This is a key thing to keep in mind when working with us. The designers brought in are here to help students visually navigate through the costume design process. Not all of the students or performers have the vocabulary or experience you bring, so remember to be patient, clear, and conscientious. They are lucky to have the chance to collaborate with professional non-school designers and also have you as guides. But don't hesitate to ask questions and give suggestions. 
  2. Columbia property may not be altered without express permission from the Costume Supervisor. 
  3. All items purchased by the production budget are the property of Columbia University after the production. 
  4. Flame, sand, dirt, glitter, or other small particles are prohibited (venue & NYC law restrictions) 
  5. Any costume pieces that will be used scenically will need to be flame proofed by the shop and covered by the production’s material budget. 
  6. There is no spray painting in the Schapiro building. We ask that you do any spray painting outside.
  7. NYU designers need faculty permission from NYU to participate in Columbia SOA thesis productions.

Recommended Costume Resources

Production Resource Center- Columbia’s Prop, Furniture, & Costume storage
Located at 3280 Broadway, 5th floor. ID required for entry to the building.

  1. All appointments must be made with 48 hours advance notice by emailing [email protected], or in-person during PR working hours.
  2. When making the appointment, please tell us:
    1.  Ideal time frame(s) for your appointment, we'll do our best to accommodate you.
    2. who will be checking out the items (Appointments can be made on behalf of others, but we need to know the name of who to expect on the day.)
    3. the name and type of project the checkout is for (e.g "LORDES- Directing Thesis")
  3. Unless specially requested, appointments are for one-hour blocks only.
  4. If you are late for your appointment, you will forfeit the time lost. We do overlap appointments.
  5. Checked out items will be trucked to Schapiro on the Monday that your production begins Tech
  6. All items should be returned in the condition you checked them out in. PR will launder washable clothing items.

Materials for the Arts
https://www.nyc.gov/content/mfta/pages/

  • Recipients may visit the MFTA warehouse for supplies by appointment only. Appointments are available during the following times:
    Tuesdays 10 am to 1 pm (Warehouse closes at 2:00 pm)
    Thursdays 1:00 pm to 3:45 pm (Warehouse closes at 4:45 pm)
  • You may make an appointment to visit MFTA through the Director of Production. Please email the names of the shoppers (maximum of two are allowed) and the contact information of the lead shopper to production management.
  • All Items procured at Materials for the Arts are owned by Columbia, not the production or any of its members.