...Right out of the gate, Carignan's got my attention with an opening chapter on dyeroom setup and my personal favorite topic, safe work practice. She covers color theory (how it applied to textile dyeing, but also how color behaves in the context of stage performance where lighting design can impact how the audience perceives color), fiber science, classes of dyestuffs, swatching, Testfabric guides, and color removal processes. She devotes an entire chapter to changing the color of leather with both dyes and paints. And honestly, with that, she's covered 90+% of what I've needed to know and do as a dyer for performance costumes.

But, that's only half the book. The remaining chapters cover surface design methods like screenprinting, stencils, painting with dye pastes, resists, devoré, and more. Plus there's a whole chapter on distresing/ageing/weathering/breakdown, and another on blood effects. (Excellent chapters on the kinds of fun projects that come along maybe once a season unless you run a theatrical dye/paint studio like Hochi Asiatico.) And the book might be worth the cost of purchase for the Appendices alone: a bibliography, a chart for stain removal, and 5 different printable swatch/recipe sheets from various dye studios. [1]

Foam-stadium-finger thumbs-up for this title! I'm thrilled it's out in plenty of time to adopt it as the new required text for my next dye class (Spring 2025). 

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View La Bricoleuse's full book review here.

...Costumes designed by Erin Carignan fit the ancient Egyptian feel, yet were elegant and theatrical.  Amneris was dressed in a slim linen white tunic adorned with a golden collar and girded waist.  The blue beaded headdress she wore made Babcock look as beautiful as Cleopatra. The red and white ombre dress worn by the High Priestess (played by Jasmine Ismail) was elegant and beautiful, as it matched the white costumes with red sashes worn by the priests and priestesses at the temple.  Slaves and servants wore tan brown costumes with brown turbans accented with turquoise sashes.  The systematic costuming of the cast created a grand view of the hierarchical caste system of ancient Egyptian society.​

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View Utah Theater Blogger full review here.

...Erin Carignan’s costumes provide a keen profile for each character.

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This play is a feast for your senses and emotions. It holds your rapt attention as it folds into a rare shape that is elegant and deep. I found the lack of character interaction and dialogue to not be lacking at all. I was given paragraphs of honest, heartfelt expression instead.

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View OnStage Colorado's full review here.

 ...The show's inventive, colorful costumes were a hit with Thursday's audience, who clapped and shouted their approval of a spinning disco light, as well as the bugs' sassy choreography and energetic renditions of hip-hop-inspired songs.  

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View John's full response here.

 ...The show's inventive, colorful costumes were a hit with Thursday's audience, who clapped and shouted their approval of a spinning disco light, as well as the bugs' sassy choreography and energetic renditions of hip-hop-inspired songs.

 

View Jeannie's full response here. 

 Rebecca Brudner, Sarah, states "I think when I first put on the costume in the costume fitting it's like a little bit of the character came to life!" Chad Bradford, Skye, "Guys and Dolls is a crazy larger than real life but somehow subtile and real world that we've created here..."

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For the full video click here.

 ...The show's inventive, colorful costumes were a hit with Thursday's audience, who clapped and shouted their approval of a spinning disco light, as well as the bugs' sassy choreography and energetic renditions of hip-hop-inspired songs.  

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View the full  here.

This is a news clip with footage of the musical  Diary of a Worm, Spider, and Fly. 

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View the full video here.

 ...The show's inventive, colorful costumes were a hit with Thursday's audience, who clapped and shouted their approval of a spinning disco light, as well as the bugs' sassy choreography and energetic renditions of hip-hop-inspired songs.  

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View entire interview here.

 ...The show's inventive, colorful costumes were a hit with Thursday's audience, who clapped and shouted their approval of a spinning disco light, as well as the bugs' sassy choreography and energetic renditions of hip-hop-inspired songs.  

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View full review here.

...Thank goodness for a talented cast. Three female leads presented filled-out characters who were likeable and entertaining. And I noted that costume designer Erin Cargnan matched apparel to each of their personalities. 

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View entire review here.