A New York based costume designer, Sarita Fellows is an assistant professor of costume design in the School of Fine Arts at UConn. Sarita is very interested in events such as the Met Gala and looks at those events more as art than fashion design. Sarita was born in Sierra Leone, first experienced the stage while living in Uganda and has a master’s of fine arts in design from Tisch School of Design at NYU. Sarita enjoys working in regional theaters as well as Broadway and off-Broadway, her more recent works include projects such as Othello, Death of a Salesman, Theater of the Mind, and A Jolly Holiday with Disney. She also enjoys working with dance and film and has designed for numerous short independent films.
Listen to Episode 164 on Podbean
Mike: Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the UConn 360 Podcast. It’s Mike Enright from University Communications, along with Izzy Harris from University Communications. Hi, Izzy.
Izzy: Hey, Mike.
Mike: Did you have a rainy Memorial Day weekend like the rest of us?
Izzy: I did, which was super unfortunate, but—
Mike: It was super unfortunate.
Izzy: Yeah, it looks like we have a little bit of sun coming out.
Mike: I hope so. I hope so. Today we’re talking about theater and costume design. So, this is a new… I don’t know if we’ve done theater as a subject here—yeah—since we’ve taken it over.
Izzy: I don’t know. This might be our first.
Mike: So, our guest is Sarita Fellows. She’s an assistant professor here at UConn in costume design. She’s based out of the state of New York. She was born in Sierra Leone and first experienced the stage while living in Uganda, so she’s got great international experience.
She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Design from the Tisch School of Design at NYU. And she’s worked in regional theater, Broadway, and Off-Broadway. Recent works where she’s worked on the costumes include Death of a Salesman, Theater of the Mind, Exception to the Rule, and A Jolly Holiday with Disney.
She enjoys working with dance and film and has designed for numerous short and independent films. She earned the Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design from the National Black Theatre Festival in 2002, and she’s also very interested in events like May’s Met Gala, which I know gets a lot of interest, and looks at those events as kind of art more than fashion design.
So, Sarita, thank you for joining us today on the UConn 360 Podcast.
Sarita: Thank you so much. It’s nice to be here.
Mike: So, tell us a little bit about your background. You grew up in Africa, and now you’re in the United States, and here you are in Storrs teaching. Tell us how you got here.
Sarita: It’s actually a little bit full circle. My father is from Boston, Massachusetts, and his parents actually met at UConn, believe it or not. And he joined the Peace Corps and went to Sierra Leone, where he met my mom. And then sort of that’s, as they say, is that.
But he worked for UNICEF—well, my parents worked for UNICEF—so we traveled around a lot in my youth. And I did my higher education here in the U.S. I came back to the United States for college, which was actually the first time I had lived anywhere in a school system for longer than four years.
I had bounced around school systems basically my whole life, no longer than about three years in any place.
Mike: So, your grandparents met here at UConn?
Sarita: Yes.
Mike: That’s a UConn love story.
Sarita: Yes, it is.
Izzy: I know that’s not the first UConn love story we’ve had on the podcast.
Mike: It’s not. UConn Magazine did a piece on UConn love stories, but we may have to do an addendum here.
Izzy: So, going off of our intro, Mike mentioned that you’re interested in the Met Gala, and one of my favorite things is looking on Instagram to see who’s best dressed, who’s worst dressed—through all the outfits, what do you see as a costume designer?
Sarita: It’s actually quite interesting to see those types of clothes on those artists, because they literally have to walk down a red carpet, walk up some stairs, walk through The Met, sit down and eat, and then get up and leave. So, the physical reality of what they do informs a lot of how the garment actually needs to function.
So, it’s always really fascinating when I see garments that cover their hands or designs where they can’t quite make it up the stairs—or… and that’s sort of the joke for me. But when I’m looking at just the photographs, those beautiful photographs, it truly is just a piece of art in time, in a moment, that can never be recreated again. And that’s also really special.
Mike: So, what do you think goes into the planning of a— I don’t follow the Met Gala, that may be a surprise to you, Izzy—but what goes into the planning of a costume for something like that? How soon in advance do they prepare?
Sarita: Oh, my goodness. I actually think that something like the Met Gala—there’s information out there about this—but I would not be surprised if it’s a year in advance—
Mike: Wow.
Sarita: —of work. In terms of my own work as a costume designer for film and theater, I’m so happy when I get at least a year to work on a show. A lot of times it’s somewhere in the six‑month range. But the Met Gala is such a high‑profile event that I wouldn’t be surprised if they start programming two years in advance, and then a year in advance for the actual design work.
Mike: I was going to ask you about when you do a play or a film—how soon in advance do they pick the costume designer? Where does that fit into a producer’s timeline? Is it early in the process, late in the process? When do you find out you got the gig?
Sarita: The bigger the gig, normally the sooner I’ll know. So, it really ranges. For instance, I’m doing a big musical called Bad News Bears, and I’ve known about this since—I want to say January of this year—and we go into production January of next year.
But we have some workshops happening in August, so we’re already in the planning phases. Unlike another show I have that literally popped up within a month of going on stage. So, it really varies, but it’s kind of up to the designer and the capacity that they have to make it happen.
Mike: I have to ask—Bad News Bears—is that the baseball movie?
Sarita: Yes, it is.
Mike: Oh, that’s being made into a Broadway play?
Sarita: Yes, it’s being made into a musical. I can’t say Broadway just yet, but—
Mike: Have you ever seen The Bad News Bears movie?
Izzy: I haven’t even heard of it, actually.
Mike: Oh no, it’s a classic. It’s on all the time. Walter Matthau was in the original. That would be really exciting to see it in the theater.
Izzy: How old are we talking—what year is this?
Mike: Mid‑’70s.
Izzy: Okay. Well then, I don’t…
Mike: But it’s— I don’t want to call it a classic, but it’s pretty well known and a pretty great film.
Izzy: Well, that sounds right up your alley. It’s sports‑related.
Mike: It sounds right up my alley. If you let me know where and when, I’ll be there for Bad News Bears on stage. I will.
Sarita: I will, I will.
Izzy: So, for a production like Bad News Bears, are you designing costumes for a particular character, for the whole cast? How does that work?
Sarita: The whole thing. I costume any human that needs clothes—or not clothes—I’m in charge of. So, from the tattoos to the nail polish to the little beads that go in your hair, I sign off on and design.
Izzy: Wow. I would never have even thought about tattoos and nail polish for something like this. Your kind of just think that’s something like, “Hey, I have nail polish on right now, and that’s part of my identity.” But you’re saying all of that is thought about and taken into consideration.
Sarita: Yes. Wow. Yes, indeed. Yes.
Mike: Do you have to worry about the period of time the show or play is set in? Like if people are wearing wristwatches or things like that?
Sarita: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. A lot of my job is actually research—historical research—which is what makes my job so much fun. I’m learning something new every day about a new culture, a new time period, a new specificity in our humanity. And that brings me so much joy in the work that I do.
Izzy: Is there a difference between the type of work you would do for a stage production versus a movie?
Sarita: Yes.
Izzy: Can you tell me about it?
Sarita: So, the difference between theater and film is theater is live. It’s in front of you. It happens in real time—anything could happen in the moment.
Whereas film is much like a podcast—you can go back to the editing room, rewatch something, take things out, reshuffle things before it goes in front of an audience.
You also have a frame. In theater, you’re looking at the human being top to bottom, 360 degrees. In film, it’s more flattened—you’re often looking at a frame that’s chest up. So, what I focus on and how I design is more about the intention of the close‑up shot and what’s in that frame, versus designing for a full 360‑degree view.
Mike: So do things in the theater ever happen where somebody goes out—maybe with not the wrong costume, but something gets—
Sarita: All the time.
Mike: All the time?
Sarita: All the time.
Mike: And most… yeah, yeah. That could happen. I’ve seen on social media—one of the latest things in theater is they show the costume changes—
Sarita: Mm‑hmm.
Mike: —as the songs are going on. It’s fascinating how many people are backstage. So, you’re designing the costumes, but for a play you have help. Are you working every show?
Sarita: So, no. My contract ends opening night.
Mike: Oh.
Sarita: So, when opening night hits—or what we call “freeze”—my responsibility to the show is released, and I hand it over to stage management or the wardrobe supervisors. And they’re in charge of making sure that the show is as designed every single night, as I have left it.
Mike: Interesting. Do you ever go back and sit in the regular seats and be a regular patron for one of your shows?
Sarita: I think I’ve done that maybe twice. Yeah. But not very often.
Mike: Interesting.
Izzy: I don’t know, I feel like I would want to go to every single show, but I’m sure it gets old after a while.
Sarita: I was going to say, after—so we go through a period called tech, where you’re putting the whole show together—the lights, the sound, projections, you know, the whole thing. And you’re watching that show over and over again. Trust me, by opening night, you’re ready to go home.
Mike: Move on to the next show.
Izzy: Yes. I can understand that now.
Izzy: So, what kind of classes do you teach at UConn?
Sarita: So, I teach both grad and undergrad classes. My undergrad classes are costume design and costume history. And then I also do a lot of mentoring and independent studies with undergraduates who are actually designing their own shows—I help walk them through that process.
And then on the grad side, I teach—what’s coming up is dance in musicals, I do a film class, I have a tragedy and post‑modernism class. I feel like I’m teaching all over the place—lots of different things.
Mike: So, what was the most challenging production you ever designed costumes for, and what was the most rewarding? I guess it could be the same thing.
Sarita: Sure. Yeah, I was a bit stumped on this question, I’m not going to lie. I feel like I have a bit of trauma blindness. You know, it’s sort of like giving birth and then you forget the trauma of it and you’re like, “I’ll do it again.” Mm‑hmm. But I’ll say every show comes with its own challenges—every show—and it also comes with its great rewards.
And I’ll speak most recently to a play that I just—I’m actually opening today—Othello with the Shakespeare Company in DC. I was co‑designing that with Susan Hilferty, and she was also co‑designing the costumes and set designing. And it was an incredible collaborative process during a very difficult time in our country, in DC, dealing with the very difficult subject matter of Othello. So, it’s one of those experiences that I had recently.
Izzy: So, are you ever able to just watch a show or a movie or a production and not nitpick all of the costumes in it?
Sarita: Not really. It’s actually kind of… sometimes it’s fun, and it can be a source of my Saturday entertainment. Honestly, if I’m not looking at the clothes, it means that the designer—the design team—did a really good job. If I’m not paying attention to what people are wearing and I’m watching the story, that was an incredible job, in my personal opinion.
Mike: So, as we start to wrap things up, we talked about social media—people have huge TV sets at home, there’s no reason for anybody to go anywhere anymore. Give a pitch for live theater, whether it’s Broadway, something at UConn, a local regional production, or even a high school show. Give a pitch to go see a show.
Sarita: Oh, my goodness. At the end of the day, it’s all about community. Nothing beats sitting in an audience with other people, watching something in front of you, and experiencing it together at the same time.
You could watch the same thing and disagree about what you saw, and the conversation that comes out of that is so incredible and engaging, and it speaks to us as people. And I think the more that we have AI and Photoshop and all of these things that change and transform experiences through a device, the more I think theater and live performance is necessary.
Mike: I love being in New York City, in Times Square, around the Broadway area—
Sarita: Yes.
Mike: —when all the shows get out and everybody’s seen a different show, and you just hear them talking about what they saw. Even if you didn’t go to a show that night, you’re part of that energy. So—go see a show.
Sarita: Yes, indeed.
Mike: Well, our guest today on the UConn 360 Podcast was Sarita Fellows from the UConn School of Fine Arts Costume Design. You were a great guest. Thank you for joining us today.
Sarita: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Mike: And we’ll talk to you next time on the podcast.