Alley Theatre
Romeo and Juliet (2026)
Melissa Molano as Juliet and Rob B. Kellogg as Romeo
From left to right: Elizabeth Bunch as Lady Capulet, David Rainey as Lord Capulet, Allison Pistorius as Lady Montague and Orlando Arriaga as Lord Montague
This most recent production at the Alley was a challenge and a nice change of pace - the majority of garments we made for Romeo and Juliet were leather or suede. I made two doublets: one for Lord Capulet, which involved machine-applying this ridged silver trim in precise stripes; and one for Romeo’s ‘day’ look, which required similar precision for machine and hand applied stripes of fabric and leather. Most of the doublets in the show also had an insignia. These were made from either painted leather or mosaic-like strips of leather on a mesh base. I applied several, also by machine, and made some alterations to doublets built elsewhere.
Finally, there was some break from the leather as I built Romeo’s pants from a stretch material, and machine-applied rows of black trim to emphasize the stripes.
Show Credits:
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Rob Melrose
Costumes by Alejo Vietti
Photography by Lynn Lane
Click on images to expand:
Misery (2026)
Christopher Salazar as Buster and Elizabeth Bunch as Annie Wilkes
Immediately preceding Romeo and Juliet, I had a chance to practice with materials other than wool. Misery is a new play based on the novel by Stephen King. I worked with my assistant-tailor Maureen to make this brown leather jacket, which included a panel that could be ripped away after Sheriff Buster was ‘shot.’ I also made the base for Paul’s swollen ‘legs’ - a layer of foam sandwiched between two sets of tights and stretch-stitched at the top and bottom. These were so expertly painted by our craftsperson, Jacob, that I did not actually see the production - being rather squeamish.
Show Credits:
Written by William Goldman
Directed by Brandon Weinbrenner
Costumes by Haydee Zelideth
Photography by Lynn Lane
Real Women Have Curves (2026)
From left to right: Sophia Marcelle as Rosali, Angela Lanza as Carmen, Brenda Palestina as Ana, Melinna Bobadilla as Estella, and Sophia Marcelle as Rosali
Sophia Marcelle as Rosali and Melinna Bobadilla as Estella
Real Women Have Curves takes place in a factory where dresses are made. The entire shop thus worked together in an assembly-line fashion to make twelve of these pink dresses which were used as props and never worn. I also constructed Estella’s ‘party’ look from mock-up to finish. The bodice was boned, with the pleated outer layer pinned and basted on the form, then hand and machine-sewn to an inner layer of stiffer material. The skirt and bolero were far simpler to construct, though both were lined and largely hand-finished.
Show Credits:
Written by Josefina López
Directed by Lisa Portes
Costumes by Raquel Barreto
Photography by Lynn Lane
The Glass Menagerie (2025)
From left to right: Melissa Molano as Laura, Sally Wingert as Amanda Wingfield, Dylan Godwin as Tom, and Luis Quintero as Jim O’Connor
Most of the menswear for The Glass Menagerie was pulled from stock, with the exception of a few pieces of outerwear. I made Jim’s green jacket from mock-up to finish. With a lighter workload, the tailoring team was available to help dressmaker’s team. Everyone in the shop had a hand in creating this formal dress for Amanda (largely completed by my counterpart stitcher, Dakota). I specifically assisted with machine and hand applying trim - there was a lot of it.
Show Credits:
Written by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Rob Melrose
Costumes by Susan Hilferty and Amanda Roberge
Photography by Lynn Lane
The Night Shift Before Christmas (2024)
Briana J. Resa as Margot
The Night Shift Before Christmas is a one-woman show written and developed at the Alley. The first year of the production, we made six identical uniform shirts for Margot - I made two of those six. Most of the yellow stripes are binding or machine-applied trim.
Show Credits:
Written by Isaac Gómez
Directed by K. J. Sanchez
Costumes by David Arevalo
Photography by Lynn Lane
The Nerd (2024)
Chris Salazar as Willum and Shawn Hamilton as Axel
The costume designer for the Alley’s production of The Nerd had a very specific vision of this vibrant jacket for Axel. This required a custom felt logo and custom stripes, made with two layers of binding in maroon and green. Most of the binding was hand-finished, though some was enclosed by the machine top-stitching details. I constructed the jacket from start to finish, with some assistance for finishing.
Show Credits:
Written by Larry Shue
Directed by Brandon Weinbrenner
Costumes by Haydee Zelideth
Photography by Lynn Lane
The Alley Theatre puts on thirteen productions per year. Roughly half of the shows are built; but even when shows are bought or pulled from stock, the tailoring team is responsible for alterations. In total I have worked on thirty-five productions at the Alley, twelve of which are pictured below.
Shop Credits:
Costume Director: Mike Floyd
Assistant Costume Director: Emily Stovall
Tailor: Jerome Schram
Assistant Tailor: Maureen Strobel
Draper: Jennifer Wolff
First Hand: Celeste Collado (2023), Asher Lipscomb (2024-Present)
Stitchers: Emma Frieze and Dakota Boone
Costume Design Associates: Kim Cook and Erica Griese (2023-24), Eileen Schaffer (2024-Present)
Costume Design Assistant: Gabriela Bastidas
Crafts Supervisor: Maria Mignone (2023-25), Jacob Miller (2025-Present)
Wig, Hair, and Makeup Supervisor: Amy Soloman
Wardrobe Supervisor: Marissa Cheney