Costumes & Scenery
Learn about the artisans who help transport you to another time and place.
The PBT Costume Shop
Reams of gossamer tulles, textured brocades and glossy silks line the walls. A tower of tutus flanks the door. Swarovski crystals catch the light.
The work done in PBT’s in-house Costume Shop is art unto itself. These costumes don’t just clothe the dancers – they add their own movement to the dance.
Originally developed by Janet Groom Campbell, PBT’s Costume Shop has grown exponentially with talent, passion and beauty. Now, PBT Costume Director, Kristin McLain and her talented team of artisans hand craft tutus, dresses, jackets and head pieces specially designed for the mechanics of ballet choreography.
When PBT debuts a new work, McLain and her team often bring to life the vision of choreographers and dancers alike with costume designs ranging from colorful contemporary pieces, traditional tutus and everything in between.
McLain has led the team in building costumes for Azure Barton’s Bright Progressions, Yoshi Nakano’s Catharsis, and Tamara’ Cobus’ designs for The Exiled by Helen Pickett. With Campbell, McLain executed costumes for Giselle, PBT New Works, and Rubies.
The PBT Set Shop
A few blocks from PBT Studios in the Strip District, the lavish scenery of story ballets like The Nutcracker, Beauty & the Beast, The Great Gatsby, Swan Lake, and Giselle await the stage.
In this sprawling warehouse, carpenters and craftsmen create props, build set pieces and prepare scenery for transport to the theater. Whether they’re building stairwells or swords, the production team brings details and texture that help transport the audience to another place and time.
Director Curtis Scott Dunn and the members of the PBT production team transform a bare stage into settings ranging from a Victorian mansion to a moonlit forest, and bring to life the vision of internationally acclaimed scenic and lighting designers, and the immersive experience that provides a frame and structure for the world-class dancers at the heart of PBT.
Under Dunn’s direction, the production team effects the alchemy that combines science, magic, and art to fly a dancer into the sky, to bring an ocean onto the stage, and to transport the audience into a scene of a story ballet or the ambiance of an abstract work.
The shop also facilitates rentals of PBT costumes and scenery for performances by other professional ballet companies. We are pleased to offer PBT’s inventory of sets and costumes for rental. Please visit here to inquire.
The shop also facilitates rentals of PBT costumes and scenery by other ballet companies performing repertoire works, such as Western Symphony and Giselle.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is pleased to offer its inventory of sets and costumes for rental. Please visit here to inquire.