Judy Dearing facts for kids

Judy Dearing (1940 – September 30, 1995) was an American costume designer. She also worked as a dancer and choreographer. She is best known for creating costumes for many plays and musicals. These include "A Soldier's Play" and "for colored girls who have considered ... / when the rainbow is enuf".

About Judy Dearing

Judy Dearing grew up in New York City. She studied mathematics and science at City College of New York. She started her career in the performing arts as a dancer. She danced with famous singer Miriam Makeba. She also acted with the Negro Ensemble Company. Her husband, John Parks, was also a dancer. They worked together on many dance shows.

Dearing was a main designer for several theaters. These included the Crossroads Theatre and the New Federal Theatre. She also designed for the Negro Ensemble Company. She worked with the famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Judy Dearing also taught design at Howard University. She was a resident designer at the University of Texas drama department.

Judy Dearing won many awards for her amazing work. She received nine AUDELCO Awards. In 1985, she won an Obie Award. She also won a Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Image Award in 1988. Her Obie Award was for the realistic World War II uniforms she designed. These were for the play "A Soldier's Play." Judy Dearing passed away in 1995 from pneumonia.

Her Costume Designs

Judy Dearing designed costumes for many different shows. Her designs were known for looking very real and true to life.

Theater Costumes

Judy Dearing created costumes for these plays and musicals:

• Once on This Island (a musical that started in 1990)
• Checkmates (a comedy play from 1988)
• Death and the King's Horseman (a drama play from 1987)
• The Mighty Gents (a play from 1978)
• What the Wine-Sellers Buy (a play from 1974)

Dance Costumes

Dearing also designed costumes for dance shows. She worked with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on these productions:

• Nubian Lady
• Blood Burning Moon
• Inside

Her Unique Style

People praised Judy Dearing's designs for being very authentic. For the 1990 musical Once on This Island, she created a special folk-art look. She used fabrics like printed kente cloth, Dutch cotton, raw silk, and shiny chiffon.

She once said in an interview, "A costume has to appear natural." She also explained that "everything has to be set up to look realistic" every night. Her ability to make costumes look so real helped her win the Obie Award. This was for the World War II uniforms in A Soldier's Play.

A writer described her dresses for for colored girls who have considered ... / when the rainbow is enuf. The writer said the dresses were "fluid" and matched the colors of the stage. This made each character feel unique and special.

After her passing, a competition was started in her honor. The Judy Dearing Design Competition encourages young African American design students. It happens every two years.