Stitching for the Stage

JULIA SQUIER, who grew up in Pompton Plains, fell in love with the arts at a very early age. Supported and encouraged by her family and friends, she has made her career in the arts a reality and a huge success! At the age of 7, Squier discovered the magic and wonder of the arts—visual arts, digital arts, music and the performing arts—that she enjoyed throughout middle school.

Freshman year of high school, Squier began to dabble in costume design. Learning from her mom, who is also very craft-oriented, she started piecing together costumes.

Sophomore year, Squier’s parents bought her a basic sewing machine and helped her create a sewing studio in the house. With the assistance of YouTube videos, Squier taught herself to sew.

She began to create costumes of some of her favorite characters and programs and to attend cosplay conventions and comic-cons in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, wearing and exhibiting her costumes. Squier loved meeting and networking with other creators, exchanging tips and learning new things along the way. “Learning this medium was so fun, so rewarding, and it gave me a new way to express my creativity,” she says.

As Squier continued through high school, she became involved in costume design for plays at Pequannock Township High School, in her junior year completing the full costume design and in senior year independently designing the costumes for the show. This was in addition to maintaining a tough academic schedule. “I have always been a very serious student and deeply committed to my schoolwork,” she says.

DEEPER INTEREST

Squier began to consider options for her postsecondary education, believing that she wanted to study theater, specifically costume design, but she did not want to give up her academics. “I was struggling a bit because, although I loved the arts, I was seriously into academia,” she says.

She discovered Marymount Manhattan College and was intrigued by its wide array of liberal arts offerings as well as programs in theater and costume design. She applied and was quickly accepted.

While living on campus during her freshman year, Squier was diagnosed with autoimmune disorders that had a negative impact on her health, so she decided to commute to school to better keep up with her well-being.

During her sophomore year, she took her first course in costume design, found everything about it fascinating and was hooked even more. “I have to thank my wonderful professor and advisor, Karen Kinsley, for everything she taught me,” Squier says.

Kinsley understood Squier’s love for academics and taught Squier how much research and analysis are involved in costume design. Squier graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design and Production, adding a minor in Drama Therapy to her repertoire.

PROFESSIONAL BEGINNINGS

Energetic, enthusiastic and gregarious, Squier is a people person. “Being able to collaborate with actors and other people in the process is so important,” she says. “When I design a show, I want the actors to feel comfortable and safe around me.”

Because of COVID-19, Squier was not able to design her senior show at Marymount, but after she graduated, the school invited her back to design for its mainstage musical, “Urinetown.”

“I was thrilled to design for “Urinetown,” and overwhelmed with the confidence they had in me,” Squier says. She has since returned to design for other shows and loves working with the faculty and students there.

In 2022, Squier took a chance with The Public Theater in New York City. After several stitch tests, she was offered the job of costume coordinator. “I learned so much working as costume coordinator, from budgeting and purchasing, navigating technical issues, fittings and so much more,” she says. “I realized that I wanted to—and could—make a career as a costume designer for theater.”

After two years, Squier was offered a design position at Public and has designed several shows there. “I have worked really hard to establish myself as a designer in New York City, making and maintaining contacts and networking constantly,” she says. “I am so thankful to the people at Public for giving me a chance.”

CONTINUING SUCCESS

In the summer of 2023, Squier accepted a position designing costumes at Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake, New York. Learning from the artistic director, Sarah Norris, Squier dove into all the creative aspects of the process and thrived! Norris and Michael Aguirre, founding directors at New Light Theater Project in New York City, invited Squier to design a show for them. Since then, she has designed several, and is currently a resident artist there.

In 2024, Squier returned to Pendragon Theater and designed for a few of its shows, but “The Marvelous Wonderettes” has a special place in her heart. “It’s a jukebox musical comedy featuring hit songs of the ’50s and ’60s,” she says. “I sewed eight costumes in eight days, completely from scratch. I put my blood, sweat and tears into this show, and it was totally worth it.”

Squier created four 1950s-style poodle skirt dresses and four 1960s mod-style A-line dresses for the show, and they were so spectacular that she won an award for her designs—Best Costume Design for Professional Theater in Central New York—from Broadway.com.

Last fall Squier worked as associate costume designer for “The Bestiary” at Greenwich House Theater, and this spring she worked as costume designer for “Night Sings Its Songs” at New Light Theater.

Squier has other plans in the works but will return to Pendragon Theater this summer to design for its shows. “Everyone at Pendragon is like family,” she says. “Working with the kids at their Camp Pendragon is just the best! They are so willing to learn and always offer to help me in the costume shop. I can’t wait to get back there this summer.”

Squier hopes the positive momentum continues because her passion for what she does keeps getting stronger.

BY ANGELA TETA KOHLE