The Wonders of Wardrobe: Meet Wardrobe Director Patricia Murphy

Patricia Murphy’s interest in costume design began as a second career, after she worked for nineteen years in the U.S. Postal Service. After she retired, she returned to college and majored in both history and theatre. Her technical track in theatre blossomed into a passion for costume design. In 2016, Patricia graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz, and in 2019 she began as a seamstress and wardrobe manager for Ballet Tucson.

Patricia designed her first tutu under the direction of Eleanor Wolfe, former costume shop manager for the Department of Theatre Arts at SUNY New Paltz, and current director of Miami City Ballet’s costume department. In 2017, Patricia decided to expand her theatre education by attending an honors program in performance studies at The University of Sydney in Australia. After living in Australia for a year and then returning home to Troy, New York, Patricia enrolled in Claudia R. Folts’ acclaimed Tutu School seminar in Fort Worth Texas. Two months after completing the seminar at Folts’, Patricia returned to Australia in January of 2018 to attend a costume design workshop hosted by Anne Tytherleigh of Queensland Ballet in Brisbane. Under the direction of Tytherleigh, Patricia refined her costume technique and innovative design methods.

Below is the tutu she began during her time at Anne Tytherleigh’s workshop.

When asked about her creative process, Patricia indicated that for her, the creative process begins long before anything gets sewn; and for the tutu that she began in Brisbane, the creative/design process for the trim took place a little later than usual. She was attending a course on textile dying, and stated, “I had ideas going through my head [during the class].” Patricia said, “For this tutu, quite a few things were taken into consideration. Among them are: What is the story the piece is trying to convey? Does the director/choreographer have any special requests or needs I need to incorporate?” For this tutu, Patricia stated that “I decided to let the fabric for the basque and bodice speak to me as I shopped [for materials and fabrics].” Patricia found a couple of trims that she would pair to make a unique trim, and found some 'bridal' fabric that she cut into bits, combining them to make 'appliques'. Patricia noted that, “There are so many ways a plate for a tutu can be done. They are either sewn onto some matching fabric, or onto a net circle - or 'plate' which, once completed, gets attached to the tutu.”

Patricia indicated that when her Brisbane tutu is finished, it will have a net circle in which four 'appliques' will be attached to the plate, rather than directly to the tutu. “Once I finish making these 'appliques', I will cut the net to match the size/shape of the tutu, sew the appliques onto the tutu, and finally sew that plate to the tutu. This will allow the plate to be removed from the tutu for repair and any future design changes.”

When Patricia was asked what brings her the most joy from being Ballet Tucson’s Wardrobe Supervisor and Head Seamstress, she stated that the long-term relationships she’s built with the dancers and faculty is the most meaningful to her. Patricia said that watching the dancers’ performances backstage is a magical experience and that to her, “The initial parting of the curtain on opening night is the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle being placed.” Patricia’s dedication to her craft continues to inspire all the artists at Ballet Tucson, and we are excited to celebrate her third year with the company.

Ballet Tucson Trainee and Fellow Audrey McGonagle