Paul Tazewell at PNB
Costume designer Paul Tazewell is at the top of his field. He has designed for all types of productions, from the silver screen to the opera, and he has received multiple prestigious awards for his work. PNB is a special fan of Paul, as he is the costume designer for our production of Swan Lake and the new The Sleeping Beauty. Read on to learn more about Paul and see beautiful behind-the-scenes images of his costume designs for PNB!
About Paul Tazewell
Paul Tazewell was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Influenced by his mother, who practiced puppetry, Paul was attracted to theater and performance from a young age. After working at the prestigious regional theater Arena Stage for most of the ‘90s, Paul’s first work on Broadway in Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk garnered him national recognition. Now, Paul has received many awards, including an Emmy Award for The Wiz Live!, a Tony Award for Hamilton, and an Academy Award for the film West Side Story. Paul recently received a Tony Award nomination for Best Costume Design for a Musical for his work in the Broadway production of Suffs. His designs are featured in the highly anticipated Wicked film, which comes out in November 2024. In addition to this amazing work, Paul is the costume designer for two PNB productions, Swan Lake and the upcoming premiere of The Sleeping Beauty.
Swan Lake
Paul has designed costumes for multiple PNB productions, including Seven Deadly Sins (2002) and a production of Swan Lake (in honor of McCaw Hall’s opening, 2003). Baron von Rothbart’s billowing cape and Odile’s feathered bodice remain highlights of that Swan Lake production. Each costume Paul created for Swan Lake was designed to last; for example, the “Swan” tutus Paul designed have been used over seventy times and are still stunning. In 2022, the costume shop created four new tutus and thirty new bodices to better fit the current company dancers. Now, PNB’s dancers will continue to wear Paul’s designs for many years to come.
Click to swipe through Paul’s Swan Lake designs:
The Sleeping Beauty
Paul returned to PNB’s studios and costume shop over the summer to begin building costumes for The Sleeping Beauty, premiering in the new year. Paul’s designs for this world-premiere production include his characteristic use of bright and varied color and sculptural garments that bridge classic and contemporary sensibilities. Unique to this production, he incorporates formlines —flowing patterns of lines that are a fundamental design element of Northwest Coast art and a prominent feature of scenic designer Preston Singletary’s glass art—into nearly every costume design. Some of the formlines have been hand drawn by Preston, while others are more abstract representations. PNB is excited to welcome Paul back to collaborate with our costume shop to construct over 200 new costumes to bring The Sleeping Beauty to life!
Click to swipe through Paul’s The Sleeping Beauty designs:
You can see Paul Tazewell’s beautiful ballet designs onstage at The Sleeping Beauty, January 31 – February 9. Want to dive deeper? Attend The Sleeping Beauty Conversations & Dress Rehearsal on January 30th to hear PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal interview Paul about his inspirations for the new production and insights into his creative process.
