Theatre Alumna Stitches Career From Design Tech Concentration

KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 25, 2020

Costume designer and fabricator Nicole Clockel now based in Chicago

Nicole Clockel
Nicole Clockel is a costume designer and fabricator based in Chicago.

When ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ Department of Theatre and Performance Studies (TPS) alumna Nicole Clockel began her freshman year at another university, it didnā€™t feel right. Remarking that it was a ā€œforgettable year, very uneventful,ā€ she wondered why. ā€œI thought to myself, 'What is the one thing that has been missing from my life this year? Theatre.' Clearly, nothing else is sticking with me in my heart.ā€ 

sketch of 45 plays president jacket
A visit to a friend at ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ changed her path. ā€œI saw how much was going on in the College of the Arts and I was like, ā€˜Wait. I love this.ā€™ It just kind of felt right, that gut feeling. Iā€™m a big believer in gut feelings. I applied when I got home and went the next semester.ā€ The decision proved fortuitous, and Clockel studied Design Tech as a concentration, specifically costume design, and graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies. Reflecting back upon her decision, she said, ā€œTheatre is the only thing that sticks with me that I could see doing continuously.ā€
image of 45 plays presidential coat

Her favorite show while at Kennesaw State was an original play conceived, written, and co-directed by TPS professors and entitled ā€œBloody Pulp: Crisis in the American Comic Book.ā€ She designed the costumes, intrigued by the fact that they were ā€œreal people in grayscale, superheroes in pop art color; the stage was black and white with thick lines to make it look like a comic.ā€ Prof. Parrott worked with Nicole on "Bloody Pulp" and said the performance "required a wide variety of costumes: aliens, donkeys, classic gangsters, and World War II soldiers. She brought a joyful spirit to the designs that elevated the entire show." She was also asked to return to ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ after graduation to design the costumes for "Feathers and Teeth," pictured below. 

Since then, Clockel has been adding numerous projects to her portfolio with her work at Atlantaā€™s Alliance Theatre. What started as an overhire position on ā€œThe Promā€ at the Alliance turned into a long gig as she designed and stitched her way into becoming a design assistant. In the spring of 2020, she made the decision to leave for Chicago. ā€œSome of the best choices that Iā€™ve made that have changed my life have been ā€˜just take the plunge, do it on a whimā€™ type of things,ā€ she added. While saying goodbye to the Alliance for now, she reassured them that ā€œI will come back and design somethingā€ in the future.

Clockel credits ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ for helping her prepare for her career. ā€œI really enjoyed assisting Elizabeth Rassmussen; sheā€™s my number one design mentor.ā€ Clockel also acknowledges Brittany Johnson, Costume Shop Manager for TPS, who taught her ā€œall of the practical skills I learned there. Would I have ever learned these costume construction skills on my own? I doubt it, I really doubt it.ā€

The feeling was mutual for Johnson. She said, ā€œI loved having Nicole in the costume shop as a design tech student. She always came in wanting to learn and drove herself to excel in multiple areas of costuming, design or construction; I count on her being present. She also has this wonderful sense of humor that always brightened my day.ā€ Her positive attitude was also noticed by professor Parrott. He said, ā€œOne thing that makes Nicole special is that she puts people first and she lets her art work in service of the things she believes in.ā€ 

Clockel dreams of writing or illustrating a childrenā€™s book one day, and, if Clockel feels it in her gutā€”watch for it, book publishers. Itā€™s probably going to happen and work out well.

 To learn more about Nicole Clockel and to see her work, please visit .

--Kathie Beckett

 

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