My name is Emma Rubini, and I am going into my senior
year as an Illustration major.
In summer 2016, I interned in the costume
department at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC). The world
of theatre is one that has interested me since
I was a child, but I had gotten out of it since starting
college, and it was
something I really missed. After
becoming interested in costumes as a hobby,
I took the
costume design class here at MICA in fall of 2014, and it was from the professor of that class
that I heard about CSC. I
emailed the costume director, Kristina
Lambdin. She got back to me quickly, and after a short back-and-forth, she accepted my internship request.
She is also
the one who became my direct supervisor. She is in charge of
designing costumes for new shows
(sometimes with a co-designer) as well as maintaining the costume shop and creating
new costumes.
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is a theatre company here in Baltimore, and I was drawn to them because of their dedication to the education of the community, and their creative spirit. While working there, I acted as Kristina’s assistant, sometimes working in conjunction with other hired seamstresses. 
During the time I worked, the company put on the play The Three Musketeers, and I helped with modifying existing costumes as well as cleaning and repairing costumes that were damaged during the show. I assisted with organizing and repairing the costumes and returning them to their correct places in the stock. We followed a similar process for the next show, Anne of a Thousand Days.
I am very happy
with my time at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. I think
what I am most proud of
is the fact that my work will be seen by so many people.
Even though my contributions weren’t
large or grandiose, even the small feeling of pride I get thinking about
that tells me that I am on the right
path. I am very interested in the design and production
of costumes and fashion, particularly
in the world of theatre, and I think
the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company has been
the perfect place
to start.
