Earlier this semester, UMass held its annual Undergraduate Research Conference, during which undergraduates across a wide swath of disciplines presented research projects they’d conducted over the course of the year. Among their number was Theater major El Bowcut, who laid out how she researched and then created a costume design for the Queen of the Night character from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.
“In theater, research is essential because it creates a foundation for the world you are building,” she said of her participation in the URC.
Primarily a hair and make-up designer, Bowcut purposely focused on costume design for the way it interacts with and informs her fields. “Understanding the research process of a costume designer informs how I can collaborate with my own hair and makeup research,” she explained in the abstract for her presentation.
Bowcut’s poster is currently on display by the David Korins Design Studio (BCA 410) as part of Fringe Fest ’26, and can be viewed during department open hours.
We sent Bowcut a few questions to learn more about her work.
Question: You mentioned in your abstract that you are primarily focused on make-up and hair. How did you find that focus?
Answer: In high school I experimented in my free time with braiding/styling and creative makeup. I knew that I was particularly passionate about hair and was able to go to cosmetology school to be a hairstylist prior to college. While I loved learning salon skills, I had always felt inspired by hairstyles I saw onscreen or onstage that helped to tell the story. Theater gives me an opportunity to utilize what I have learned in new and engaging ways.
Question: What was the most satisfying part of the project?
Answer: The most satisfying part was seeing what I had rendered on paper come to life on the dress form. Especially because this was my first time building a costume, I was nervous that what I had drawn would be too ambitious. Kristin Jensen, the costume shop manager, really helped me realize the design and make adjustments throughout the process. I had the most fun experimenting with materials on the dress form — how fabrics layered together, what trims gave me the right effect, and how the costume is looking as a whole.
Question: Was there anything about this project that surprised you (good or bad)?
Answer: I was surprised by how much my design evolved throughout the building process. When I rendered the costume, I had a clear idea of what I wanted. Once I started building, I realized just how many decisions there were to make. For example, how could this be readable onstage, specifically an opera house? A fabric that I initially wrote off as being too much, ended up being just what I was going for when looking from a distance.
Question: There’s a stereotype out there that research is only done in STEM fields. Without getting too "us vs them" about it, do you have any thoughts about that stereotype and the place of research in arts and humanities fields?
Answer: Yes, it is definitely a misconception! In the arts, most of the time your audience just sees the final project, whereas in STEM you are trying to prove how you got your result. In theater, research is essential because it creates a foundation for the world you are building. Designers study the script and historical context to be able to tailor their work to a specific production. Sometimes the success of a design comes from making the audience wonder how it was achieved, but it is only made possible through the research.
For example, the first half of this project I spent learning about The Magic Flute, and finding visual research and inspiration for how I wanted to represent The Queen of the Night's character. Without the research, the costume would lack depth and connection to the story.
Question: How’d the URC presentation go?
It went really well! Being one of the few theater presentations there, it was exciting to see how many people were interested in hearing about creative work. Several people took a picture to show their kids who are interested in theater, and that felt so rewarding to show the design side of theater.
It was gratifying to be able to show what I had been working on, and great practice for pitching a design to a team. The thoughtful questions I was asked about my design encouraged me to reflect on my reasoning behind each decision. I really enjoyed talking to so many people that were curious about the design process. I am especially grateful to everyone in the theater department that came to support me!