Jeannie Harper servers as the costume designer for 2016 Summer Youth Theatre productions,
Beauty & the Beast and Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Movie.
ARTIST PROFILE – JEANNIE HARPER
Jeannie Harper is a 2013 graduate of Emporia State University. Her primary focus is on costume design and construction. She has done costume work for “The Nervous Set,” “Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness,” “A Kansas Nutcracker,” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” while at The Lawrence Arts Center. She has a preference for things fantastical, and hopes to travel the world with her discount Sgt. Pepper and boyfriend Travis.
How did you get into costume design?
When I was in high school, I had a friend who was assigned to the costume closet, and I helped him regularly. When it came around to going to college I decided I wanted to be a theatre major, that’s when I really got into it.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced during the run of a production?
Not enough resources, whether that’s not enough people to help, the costumes that are already made are not easily accessible or not enough materials to make costumes with, and that’s a petty big issue during a production.
What character are you most excited about designing a costume for in Beauty and the Beast?
I think at this point I’m probably the most excited about Lumiere and Cogsworth. I like them both, but I’m pretty pleased with my Lumiere design.
What is your favorite type production to work on?
I enjoy them all so much, but it tends to be musicals because I like to also run them backstage and help people change into their costumes. What I like about it is that it’s a little more fast paced. One of favorite shows to work on was Guys and Dolls.