After turning down the job offer multiple times, dearly loved St. Ambrose costume designer and cosmetologist Dianne Dye finally said yes to the dress, and has now been a valuable member of the SAU Theatre Department for 19 years.
Dye grew up watching her grandmother sew wedding dresses and eventually taught herself the skill. She used her ability while assisting with costumes in high school and college. Dye also worked as a cosmetologist to help pay for college and eventually received a license. She attended Blackhawk College in Moline, Illinois, and the University of Northern Illinois where she studied towards a degree in psychology. Once she had her daughter, she reutilized her sewing abilities to make costumes for her daughter's theatre productions and dance recitals.
A friend drew her to SAU because he needed help in the costume shop for some productions. Her sewing abilities sparked SAU Professor, Dr. Corinne Johnson to offer her a job, which she refused many times. Eventually, Johnson convinced Dye to "organize" the costume shop, and she has been at SAU ever since.
"I liked the students and being with the team," Dye said. "I love every year when we get new freshmen because it's exciting to meet them and see them develop from freshman year to senior year."
Dye has costumed numerous plays at SAU, building most of the costumes from scratch. She must consider a wide variety of aspects when costuming, including the needs of the script and the director's input, and then she creates the costume. Her favorite aspects of costuming include making and decorating hats which adorn the walls of the costume shop from floor to ceiling (she uses lots and lots of trim).
"I liked the students and being with the team," Dye said. "I love every year when we get new freshmen because it's exciting to meet them and see them develop from freshman year to senior year."
Dianne Dye
Time is always her worst enemy, especially since her helping hands, or work studies, have varied over the years from one to four people. In particular, she recalled the challenge of costuming Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which had a very large cast and required her to style 30 people's hair for each production.
Because of the time limitations, Dye skips sketching her designs and simply imagines them in her mind and starts working. Dye favors children's plays because she usually gets to develop her own ideas for the costume since time-period restrictions are usually looser. Some of her favorite musicals that she has costumed at SAU were Drowsy Chaperone, Spamalot, and Seussical. However, Dye is more than just a costume designer and cosmetologist; she has become a beloved friend to many SAU Theatre Department students and faculty. Her shop is frequently a common stop throughout students' days for the sole purpose of Dye's warm smile and friendly conversation.
"I'm like the mother of the department," Dye said. "I love my interaction with students."
Dye currently lives in Davenport and has a dog named Roxie, a son, Scott and an adorable grandson, Luca.
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