Why I Moved to Israel: Part III or The Religiosity of Costume

I first heard the word "religiosity" in an essay titled "The Religiosity of Theatre," I can't for the life of me find it, or recall who it was by (a famous playwright I believe) but it hit me hard when I read it. It explains what so many of us creative types feel and why so many of us cannot stop doing what we love and choose to suffer with menial pay and terrifyingly unstable careers. Most people in theatre (I'm going to continue to use theatre as my example, but I am sure this extends to most artists, be they musicians, poets, painters etc.) know the adage "If you can do anything else - do it," because the business is so hard on every aspect of your life and very, very few actually succeed. Yet year after year schools churn out theatre majors who have all decided making their art is the only thing they can do. Why? Religiosity. There is a mystical faith and belief in the theatre, an ethereal presence of something bigger than any of the people involved. We dedicate endless hours, invest our emotions and sacrifice all other aspects of our life just to feel that magic moment when the house lights go down on opening night. A creative person is baring everything she has when she works on her project. It is different than filling out forms or dealing with customers or analyzing the stock market. Every part of her is used, and what she puts out is unique and from deep within...so when it fails, she fails - it's not that she did something wrong, it is that she is wrong. But when she succeeds, no one else can know her joy. She has touched something perfect that only she can touch. It is magic, it is spiritual, it is God. The only house of prayer that has ever felt right to me is the theatre. It doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't need to have a stage, all it needs is a performer and someone to perform for - it is in the space between those two that the ethereal is felt and the magic is created.

If this picture doesn't perfectly represent me,
I don't know what does. 

So...why costumes then? Why not acting or directing or sound design? Truth be told, I love all of these elements, and would probably be happy doing any of them (I've grown a distaste for acting, but I'm sure if I had a great director I would be more than happy to stand in the spotlight again) but nothing delights me as much costuming. Any actor will tell you what a difference it makes when you first put on your character's shoes. It changes you, it makes you one step closer to truly being someone else. But aside from the spiritual aspect of costuming...let's face it...I LOVE LOVE LOVE a spectacle! The bigger, the brighter, the shinier, the bolder, the better! Give me giant crinolines and and sequined bras, give me black lace bodysuits and and neon orange hair, give me hoop skirts and corsets and thigh-hi's and platforms...as an incredibly talented costumed friend of mine says "More is more."

My love of costumes didn't start with Burning Man, or theatre, it started when I was born. My parents have told me stories about my insistence on wearing costumes and fun dresses all the time. I never cared much for barbies, but I did have a massive dress-up trunk...why dress a doll when I could be the fabulous one myself? To this day I will take any excuse or occasion to either wear a costume or get gussied up to the nines. I am often over dressed. Take this picture above. My mom tells me that my grandma got me a new doll bed...so I made this. To quote her "I don't know what you were doing, and I have no idea why you have that thing on your head." Well, I know. I was making a dramatic ensemble for a momentous occasion! Of course I made a gala dress for such a great day. Note the audacious, revealing lines and the flair for the dramatic, not much has changed.

My Tube costume. My sister is wearing
my tutu, which those who have been to
the burn with me will recognize. 

I have always liked being original, and costumes have always been a great way to do that. The first original costume I recall making was for Halloween when I was quite young (probably around the time of this awesome gala dress). I didn't want to be something someone else would be, so I went as a Mother. I wore a long skirt and had a baby doll and put my hair in a wrap. There was a costume contest for the kids at my dad's work and I remember winning some kind of award. I couldn't understand why the adults all thought it was so hilarious and so cute...to me it made perfect sense to dress up as a mother for a costume, and I pulled it off well. I continued on this trend and always insisted on making new and original costumes. Halloween was always the most exciting day of the year, especially when I could go to school and show off how cool I thought I was. When living in London while 5 girls all came in as Princess Jasmine (with that ridiculous flesh colored spandex on the belly) I came as "the Tube," London's subway system. For real. I put a station on my head and wore all grey. What a strange child, indeed. After that, it wasn't fairies or witches or any old princess for me, it was Boudicca, the fierce redheaded warrior queen who led the Britons to fight (and lose) against the Romans. Why be anything less than a queen? Why dress up to be someone lame like Tinkerbell (seriously, go back and watch Peter Pan if you haven't seen it lately. What. A. Bitch.) when I could be someone with incredible strength and power?

Let's fast forward to college. Anyone who knew me then will recall me standing at the front door of our house and telling people they cant come in unless they had a costume. I took every excuse to make a party a theme party...just so I could make a costume. My favorite of these was the Stereotypical Assholes party, where everyone came as a stereotype. I thought it was a very clever theme. I went as a Jew and wore blue and white, stitched a magen david on my stomach, had gold horns and a tail and of course, bags of Jew gold around my neck and waist (this was just after the famous South Park episode). That was probably the first instance of my costumes being incredibly offensive and clever, which definitely became a trend in my costuming. Meanwhile, I was a theatre major focusing on directing. I did costume design for some of my plays but didn't think to actually go after costume design. I have never had much of a love for fashion (unless we're talking outrageous designers like Alexander McQueen and Jean-Paul Gaultier) or what's "in," so I didn't think I had the predilections needed to be a

One of my favorite costumes from Betty's
Summer Vacation, a show I directed at UCSD

costume designer. I also have never dressed that fashionably, and thought that was a prerequisite to be a costume designer. Eventually I realized a costume designer doesn't need to be focused on what is going on on the runways (aware, yes, but not obsessive), but rather understand the world and time of the play and make exceptional creative choices from that. By the end of my time in college I had taken all the costume design classes I could and assisted on a show...lamenting that I hadn't focused more time into something I so clearly love.

Then came Burning Man. Never in my life had I seen such a bevvy of exceptional costuming. People dressed as everything you can imagine and also what you have never even dreamed of. And even more than actual costumes (i.e. Pirate, Fox, Robot) was this new concept to me of "every day" wear that was simply more fabulous than real clothing. Instead of a skirt - a tutu and thigh-his, instead of heels - 7 inch platform boots, instead of a shirt - pasties that have googly eyes on them. At the burn a costume doesn't have to be someone or something else at all, it's still you, it's just you with complete freedom to wear any color or fabric or household item or sex toy you want. I was deeply inspired by what I saw there, and when I moved to NYC I immediately got involved with Kostume Kult, and there my life as a costume designer truly began.

Kostume Kult is an amazing theme camp at Burning Man that provides a very unique service. We bring thousands of donated costumes to the Playa and harass other burners (especially those who look boring) to wait in line, step into our dome and try on whatever they want. KK'ers who work in the dome help people to get out of their shell and try something new. Whatever they put on their body they can take, and in order to exit they must walk down a long catwalk and model their new look to all the people standing and dancing there. Why is this such a great gift? Take a man in cargo shorts who has never worn anything fun...convince him to wear a tight and sexy nurse costume and his whole day will be different. All of the sudden he has license to act however he wants, to try things he never would've tried. He has removed judgement from himself and given himself freedom. It is an incredible gift and I became a Kostume Kult diehard right away, because I, like them, have great faith and dedication to the wonder that is costuming.

Tutu Tuesday at Kostume Kult my first year with them. Everyone
showing off their new duds on the runway. Photo by David Katz

It is because of KK that I am a costume designer. Their costumes were so good (in addition to being at the burn, KK also throws costume parties on a nearly monthly basis) that I decided I needed to take a sewing class and step my game up. The events of KK and the NYC burner world also gave me the freedom explore new and hilarious costume choices such as The 69ing Swan, The Sexy Lorax and my all time favorite The Hannukah Bush. From there I interned for a latex designer and learned more skills and then finally landed (thanks to the help of a brilliant KK'er) a job as an assistant designer at the largest commercial costume company in the world. There I learned more and more every day thanks to a wonderful boss who treated me like her apprentice. I learned the basics of pattern making and drawing, and well as many, many skills in sewing and crafting. Unfortunately the job moved locations and I was let go after only a year.

I made the actual dragon costume first, and then made a sketch for my job.
The job ended before I could make a sample, but I was still proud of one of my first drawings.

So what does this have to do with Israel? I already mentioned going to Independence Hall and being greatly moved by a speaker during birthright. Right after that speech we were taken to a building where we were given a pitch about returning to Israel for a 5 month internship. The presentation itself was rather ridiculous, but I asked if they had anything for a costume designer. They did. So I'm here. I am in a different internship than the one I had planned for, but this one is even better. I am working side by side with two incredibly talented people who I'm sure will teach me a great deal. I have only had 5 days of work, but have already learned new skills. I can't possibly express how wonderful it is to be sewing and gluing and ironing and cutting and pinning again. The hardest part about traveling as long as I did (since losing my job) was that I was away from all my materials. No sewing machine, no spandex, no feathers, no jewels. I missed making. It feels exquisite to be back at it again. And to add icing to the cake...

Next weekend is Purim!!! It's like Halloween except only Jews celebrate it. Traditionally people dress as the characters in the Book of Esther, children boo and use noisemakers when they hear Hamen's name and the adults get waaaasted. Seriously. If you live in NYC go to one of the Hasidic neighborhoods next weekend...you will see what I mean. Hammered. As a child I dressed up as Esther often, though my true claim to fame was playing Hamen in the silly musical we did in temple where I sang "You've got to pray to the I-D-O-L" to the tune of "YMCA." But Purim in Israel has become something quite different. Like Halloween, all of the meaning and religion has been pretty much taken out of it in order to make room for slutty costumes. I'm very excited.

So there it is. This is the end to my three part series about why I moved to Israel. From now on I will blog about whatever comes to mind as I settle into this country.

If you'd like to see the bulk of my costumes, including the ones I've mentioned you can find them here.

For now I'll just leave you with another adorable Baby Maddie picture, all dressed up for St. Patrick's Day.