UTC Theatre’s costume designer, Sydney Roberts, received a nomination for a 2007-2008 Suzi Bass Award for her costume design in Georgia Shakespeare’s production of Richard III.
Atlanta’s version of Broadway’s Tony Awards, The Suzis, are named in honor of an Atlanta actress who died in 2002. Twenty Suzis for excellence in professional theater will be awarded to deserving artists on November 10 in the Fox Theatre’s Egyptian Ballroom.
“The actors referred to the ‘period style’ as being in the ‘Sydneyth’ Century,” joked Roberts. “We often create our own unique look for the productions at Georgia Shakespeare. In this version, we started with a formal early 20th Century look for the men that transmogrified into SWAT style uniforms. In fact, we had to warn the Oglethorpe University security that we were actors, not terrorists, because the men had to run around the outside of the theatre during the show to get where they needed to be and we didn’t want any confusion. The women’s clothes were styled around how strait jackets are constructed. Doing the research for this was kind of a surprise–some fashion designers of late have had the same idea!”
The Sunday Paper, an Atlanta weekly, included Roberts in its annual roundup of the very best of local theater in the “Spotlight Awards.” In the category of “TOP FIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENE STEALERS” Roberts earned an Honorable Mention for her costumes in Pure Confidence (Theatrical Outfit) and Richard III, among others. Pure Confidence tells the story of a slave jockey during the Civil War who sought to win his freedom through horseracing.
