Aly Renee Amidei

I am a designer and playwright based in Chicago and Charlotte. I am an ensemble member of Chicago’s Strawdog Theatre Company and Lifeline Theatre and the Assistant Professor of Costume Design at UNC-Charlotte. My creative research focus concerns the role of the ‘designer as dramaturg’. I practice this research by designing new works and re-envisioned classics through the concept of ‘world-building’.

I grew up in Streamwood, IL with my mom, dad, and younger sister. My mom taught me to draw, paint, and sew at a young age. My dad and I tinkered on all sorts of projects in the garage (from rebuilding engines, go-cart racing, to making garden railroad trains). This combo of art, craftiness, and technical ‘tinkering’ formed strong foundations for my future career.

Living in the suburbs, I saw Chicago plays on field trips but had never considered theatre as a career option (nor did I do theatre in high school). I went to Knox College in Galesburg, IL to major in Biology. I got a job in the costume shop during orientation week because my resident advisor learned I could sew. I never looked back. Theatre design was the perfect match for me. Immediately after getting my BA in Theatre, I got my MFA in Costume Design at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. After graduate school, I became the Costume/Makeup Coordinator at the College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, IL. While there, I finished a Fashion Design Certificate.

Margo Shively was the Costume Shop Manager/Lecturer at Knox and I would not be here today without her. She is wildly talented, magnificently salty, and one of the most giving people I have ever met. In graduate school, Cletus Anderson empowered me to discover my artistic voice. Now, I find regular inspiration from my colleagues…but more specifically, it is my students who provide a constant reminder of the value of a life in the arts.

I think my early roots in science have served me well as a designer. I love finding ways of bringing that “STEM” part of my identity into my artiness. Right now I have been dabbling with LEDs, coding, and electronics in costuming. My additional training in Fashion Construction has also increased my skills as a maker.

My students at UNC-Charlotte are wonderful. It all starts in schools and I want to encourage more designers of color to get into the field.

Neverwhere - Samantha Newcomb as Door. Photo by Suzanne Plunkett. Lighting Design by Becca Jeffords, Scenic and Properties Design by Alan Donahue.

Neverwhere - Jose Nateras as Richard, Aneisa Hicks as Hunter, Matthew Singleton as the Marquis De Carabas. Lighting Design by Becca Jeffords, Scenic and Properties Design by Alan Donahue. Photo by Suzanne Plunkett.

Neverwhere - Dave Skvarla as The Earl, Jose Nateras as Richard, Samantha Newcomb as Door, Aneisa Hicks as Hunter, John Henry Roberts as Tooley. Lighting Design by Becca Jeffords, Scenic and Properties Design by Alan Donahue. Photo by Jackie Jasperson.

Neverwhere - Dave Skvarla as The Abbot, Matthew Singleton as Brother Fulginous, LaQuin Groves as Brother Sable, Aneisa Hicks as Hunter, Samantha Newcomb as Door, Jose Nateras as Richard. Lighting Design by Becca Jeffords, Scenic and Properties Design by Alan Donahue. Photo by Jackie Jasperson.

Neverwhere - Matthew Singleton as the Marquis De Carabas, Samantha Newcomb as Door. Lighting Design by Becca Jeffords, Scenic and Properties Design by Alan Donahue. Photo by Jackie Jasperson.

Neverwhere - Samantha Newcomb as Door, LaQuin Groves as Mr. Vandermar, Michael Reyes as Islington, Jose Nateras as Richard, John Henry Roberts as Mr. Croup, Matthew Singleton as the Marquis De Carabas. Lighting Design by Becca Jeffords, Scenic and Properties Design by Alan Donahue. Photo by Jackie Jasperson.

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