Lesley Gould, Costume Designer Speaks to Drama Class.

Drama Class learns about costuming!

by Sean Nutzman

February 19, 2010

Students currently studying costuming welcomed a guest
speaker on Thursday, February 18. Lesley Gould who teaches
at Nebraska City Central Lourdes as a 3-12
vocal/instrumental teacher also works in Omaha as a
professional costumer. Ms. Gould who has created costumes
for 8 different shows created costumes for Beauty and the
Beast when Lourdes produced the play several years ago and
currently rents them out to schools and organizations. Ms.
Gould's costumes will be featured this April when the high
school students perform the show on April 16 & 17.
Ms. Gould spent the class period discussing costuming and
her experiences working at the Orpheum on recent
performances of The Lion King, and Wicked and works on shows
that come to the Qwest Center, Orpheum, and Holland Center.
Ms. Gould also discussed design elements that costumers use
to enhance the characters on stage in the shows The Lion
King, My Fair Lady, and Beauty and the Beast. Students
examined costumes that she brought from My Fair Lady and
asked her about her life as a costumer.
When asked, "What was your favorite costume she have ever
created?" her reply came quickly, "Definitely Belle's yellow
ball gown." As an example as to the amount of time and cost
to make a costume Ms. Gould went on to explain that to make
that one dress took over 40 hours and more than a $1,000 in
materials and was made completely from scratch. In
comparison she showed the class two dresses from My Fair
Lady the white one pictured with the students cost just over
a $100 to make and the other a black dress costs less than
$12.
Thanks to Ms. Gould for traveling to Milford and sharing her
talents and expertise.