Broadway on Elm: a fantastic evening with 6-time Tony Award winning costume designer, William Ivey Long

On the evening of Thursday, May 17th, 2018, over 100 donors and guests attended a fabulous one-night only event with Tony-award winning costume designer, William Ivey Long, at the Center Pointe building Greensboro, located on North Elm Street.

The ballroom at Center Pointe in Greensboro, courtesy of Vanessa and Roy Carroll, set the scene for our lovely fundraising event.

William Ivey Long has designed costumes for over 70 Broadway shows, television, and film. His most notable work includes Hairspray, The Producers, The Lost Colony, Cabaret, Chicago, and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella to name a few.

He has been nominated for the Tony 15 times, and has won 6 Tonys.

Sketch for Gary Beach as Roger DeBris ‘The Producers’”

Sketch for Lynette Chappell as Evil Queen ‘Sigfried & Roy at the Mirage.’

Sketch for Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad ‘Hairspray’

Long is a native of North Carolina. During his talk, he spoke about strong connection to The Lost Colony.

“[The Lost Colony] has been a family affair since it first opened,” he said.

Sketch of Queen Elizabeth I ‘The Lost Colony’ by William Ivey Long

The Lost Colony is North Carolina’s longest running outdoor seasonal drama. In 2013, it received the Tony for Excellence in Theatre. Long now serves as the Production Designer.

He attended the College of William and Mary and earned a degree in History. He then went to the Yale School of Drama, earning his Master of Fine Arts in Stage Design.

Among the students in his class were Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Christopher Durang.

Recognize a familiar face? Yes, that’s Meryl Streep on the far right. From the 1940’s Radio Hour.

In 2012, he was elected Chairman of the American Theatre Wing and served for 4 years.

When asked how to keep costumes clean, Long’s answer: vodka.

“That is how we keep Broadway going,” he says, “We turn the costumes inside out and spray them with a mixture of vodka and water. You can also try this at home!”

He also briefly described his process when designing a show.

“The director is king… There is no collaboration. There is one vision and everyone must work to please the director.”

Some UNCG Alum were in attendance at the event, including Randy Spence (‘99) and Patrick Ball (‘13), whom you recently saw as Levon in ‘The Passion of Teresa Rae King.’

Both have previously worked with Long.

William Ivey Long (left) and Randy Spence, UNCG Alumnus ’99 (right)

Special thanks to Vanessa Carroll, our event chair, and the committee for planning and organizing this special event: Frances Bullock, Leslie Marus, Mindy Oakley, Cora Outling, Kim Rangel, Paul Russ, Dabney Sanders, and Lynn Wooten.

Learn more about William Ivey Long and his studio by watching this video here:

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