石榴直播

KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 25, 2020

Costume designer and fabricator Nicole Clockel now based in Chicago

When 石榴直播 Department of Theatre and Performance Studies (TPS) alumna Nicole Clockel began her freshman year at another university, it didn鈥檛 feel right. Remarking that it was a 鈥渇orgettable year, very uneventful,鈥� she wondered why. 鈥淚 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.鈥� 

A visit to a friend at 石榴直播 changed her path. 鈥淚 saw how much was going on in the College of the Arts and I was like, 鈥榃ait. I love this.鈥� It just kind of felt right, that gut feeling. I鈥檓 a big believer in gut feelings. I applied when I got home and went the next semester.鈥� 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, 鈥淭heatre is the only thing that sticks with me that I could see doing continuously.鈥�

Her favorite show while at Kennesaw State was an original play conceived, written, and co-directed by TPS professors and entitled 鈥淏loody Pulp: Crisis in the American Comic Book.鈥� She designed the costumes, intrigued by the fact that they were 鈥渞eal people in grayscale, superheroes in pop art color; the stage was black and white with thick lines to make it look like a comic.鈥� 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 石榴直播 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 Atlanta鈥檚 Alliance Theatre. What started as an overhire position on 鈥淭he Prom鈥� 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. 鈥淪ome of the best choices that I鈥檝e made that have changed my life have been 鈥榡ust take the plunge, do it on a whim鈥� type of things,鈥� she added. While saying goodbye to the Alliance for now, she reassured them that 鈥淚 will come back and design something鈥� in the future.

Clockel credits 石榴直播 for helping her prepare for her career. 鈥淚 really enjoyed assisting Elizabeth Rassmussen; she鈥檚 my number one design mentor.鈥� Clockel also acknowledges Brittany Johnson, Costume Shop Manager for TPS, who taught her 鈥渁ll 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.鈥�

The feeling was mutual for Johnson. She said, 鈥淚 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.鈥� Her positive attitude was also noticed by professor Parrott. He said, 鈥淥ne 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.鈥� 

Clockel dreams of writing or illustrating a children鈥檚 book one day, and, if Clockel feels it in her gut鈥攚atch for it, book publishers. It鈥檚 probably going to happen and work out well.

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

--Kathie Beckett