Martin Pakledinaz (#281) - August, 2010

Costume designer Martin Pakledinaz (Tony Award winner for Best Costume Design of a Musical in 2000 for “Kiss Me Kate” and 2002 for “Thoroughly Modern Millie”) talks about creating the clothes for the recent Broadway revival of “Lend Me A Tenor”, the commencement of planning for the spring 2011 production of “Anything Goes” and the revival of “Oklahoma!” that will be part of Arena Stage's opening of its furbished and expanded venue. He also talks about his early thoughts of acting and who finally disabused him of that notion; his early working doing sketches for the legendary Theoni V. Aldredge and how he ultimately had to rediscover his own voice instead of speaking through hers; his very early - and short-lived - Broadway experiences with “Inacent Black” and “I Won't Dance”; developing his skills through productions at The York Theatre, the New York Shakespeare Festival; the McCarter Theatre; and the Roundabout Theatre Company; why he tried to costume the kids from the 2007 “Grease” without using leather jackets - and how long that idea lasted; the differing production timetables of theatre and opera and how each effects his work; and how much of his designs rely on the particular actor cast in a role.