The costume shop is the hub of creation for the drama and dance departments at Hofstra University. All of the costumes we see onstage during plays, musicals and dance productions are products of the costume shop, located in Emily Lowe Hall, which is run by Costume Shop Manager Meredith VanScoy and Workroom Supervisor Jackie Benedict-Mantell

The costume shop has two main purposes: to create the costumes for all of Hofstra’s shows and to teach students how to do so themselves. For the actors and dancers in Hofstra shows, the shop is not only where they are measured and fitted for their costumes, but also a place of joy and laughter.

All drama and dance majors take Drama 055: Rehearsal and Production-Theater, a class in which students work on the production elements of the shows that the drama and dance departments are producing that semester. VanScoy and Benedict-Mantell run the class in the costume shop and teach students basic hand sewing, such as sewing labels with the actor’s name into their costume pieces, snaps and buttons.

The costume shop is also home to four work-study students who are trained in various sewing skills and then hired to work in the shop. While work-study students work in the shop, they are continuously learning and applying new skills to various projects.

For the performance-based majors, fittings are a place of connection between the actor and the designer. There is often a work-study student taking notes in the fittings, allowing the actor to feel more comfortable and the work-study student to be a part of the whole process.

VanScoy teaches the work-study students how to properly take notes, the abbreviations for alterations and how to measure a body. The measurement sheets developed for each actor contain more than 30 individual measurements. When building garments and costumes from scratch, costume creators need the exact measurements of each performer.

“Working with the students is, by far, my favorite thing,” VanScoy said.

“I do like the interaction with the kids,” said Benedict-Mantell, whose well-known strengths are her technical sewing skills.

To foster this relationship with the students, they cultivated some shop traditions. Secret Santa is one they take part in every year with one notable additional rule: all gifts must be handmade.

This year, Benedict-Mantell presented me with a custom-made dress – beautiful, nearly floor length and covered in gold embroidery. If I could have picked the fabric for my dream dress, it would have been exactly that.

Benedict-Mantell took the time to build an entire dress as a Christmas gift for me, and put care into every decision she made about the construction of the garment, including the pattern, fabric choice and silhouette. I am incredibly grateful to be a part of the community Benedict-Mantell and VanScoy have built. We are far more than just employees; they know us, and we know them.

Running a costume shop requires interpersonal skills, costume skills, sewing skills and, perhaps most importantly, organizational skills. Before landing at Hofstra, Benedict-Mantell and VanScoy worked in many different capacities.

When she first came to Hofstra, VanScoy already had a lot of teaching experience under her belt. She began student-teaching dance and sewing at twelve years old. In addition to teaching, VanScoy wears many hats as the shop manager in the department. She manages scheduling, paperwork, inventory, designing for drama and dance productions, managing laundry and teaching students how to track costume pieces throughout the run of a show and handle quick changes.

“Costuming came easily to me because I had so much sewing experience,” VanScoy said, who learned to sew when she was 8 years old.

Benedict-Mantell had a similar experience, sharing that many women in her family were seamstresses.

The costumes create the characters. As a veteran of the couture wedding dress industry, Benedict-Mantell knows how to make people look and feel their best with her sewing and design skills.

“When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you’ll act good,” Benedict-Mantell said.

In addition to information about the character for the audience, the costume helps the actor feel like their character and transform into them when they wear these clothes, which is why it is so important for costumes to properly fit actors.

Lifetime theater lover, Benedict-Mantell, transitioned into the theater world after a decade in the fashion industry. When discussing a movie, television show, Broadway show or any other form of media, she has often said, “If the clothes don’t work, I can’t do it.”

During her time in the wedding dress industry, she landed the cover of Brides Magazine. Her attention to detail remains unparalleled.

“I enjoy the challenge of making all the different costumes … It’s all fashion. It’s still my love,” Benedict-Mantell said on her time designing bridal dresses.

She revels in the artistry and technique she uses to create the costumes we see onstage.
According to VanScoy, costume shops are not often afforded the level of respect they deserve.

“The set and the lights help create the world, but we make the people in it,” VanScoy said.
She urges her audience to think of a show where actors are dressed in plain black clothing on a beautifully outfitted stage equipped with the perfect set and professional lighting and realize without costumes, the show doesn’t go on.