Summer Costume Symposium 2026

July 21 - 23, 2026
The Theatre School - DePaul University | Chicago, IL

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Foundations in Intimacy Direction / Coordination for Costume, Wig, Hair, and Makeup Professionals

When: July 21 - 23, 2026

Where: The Theatre School - DePaul University | Chicago, IL

This foundation course includes 28 hours of instruction and introduces core principles of consent-based practices for professionals who work in collaborative, close-contact environments. With a focus on costume designers, costume makers, and wardrobe professionals, the course explores how intimacy direction principles intersect with costume fittings, body measurements, quick changes, modesty garments, and performer boundaries.

Participants will learn practical tools for communication, consent, and professional protocols that support safe and respectful costume processes. The course examines how costume teams can collaborate with performers, directors, and intimacy coordinators to create garments and workflows that protect performer autonomy while supporting storytelling. Students must be 18 years of age or older.

Topics Include:

  • Foundations in Consent and Care
  • Self-Care and Interpersonal Skills
  • Cultural Awareness and Competency
  • Collaboration between intimacy professionals and costume departments
  • Communication protocols between directors, intimacy coordinators, designers, technicians, and wardrobe crews
  • Maintaining actor privacy and dignity during fittings
  • Costume considerations for scenes involving intimacy (quick changes, modesty garments, closures)

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Cost:

Early-Bird through May 31:

Member: $925

Non-Member: $975

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Late Rate: June 1 - June 30

Member: $975

Non-Member: $1,025

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Registration closes Tuesday, June 30 at 11:59pm ET

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Housing - DePaul University Dorm Rooms 7/20 - 7/23

Single Room (one single bed, four nights): $715

Double Room (two single beds, four nights): $358

A no housing needed option is available. If you have a roommate in mind, please add their name while registering in the space provided. If you would like USITT to assist in finding you a roommate, please check the box. USITT will do its best to find you a roommate, but if we cannot, please understand that you will be responsible for the single room charges.

Click here for more housing information

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Instructor: Toranika (Tah-ruh-nee-kuh) Washington (she/her) is a teaching artist, business owner, educator, and Florida native. She gets excited about sharing the value of movement and creating collaborative spaces for exploring the unique ways bodies communicate and make an impact.

At The Theatre School she is an Intimacy and Movement Director for productions, and she teaches Laban, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and Contact Improvisation. ​

Recent intimacy credits for stage & film include: The Drunken City, Three Antarcticas, Eurydice, Bernhardt/Hamlet, A Wrinkle in Time, Good Grief, 21 North, My Father’s Daughter, Hurricane Diane, Machinal, Bottle Shock! The Musical at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, California, The Day I Had An Exorcism (film)- DePaul School of Cinematic Arts at Cinespace Studios Chicago. Movement directing credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hurricane Diane, Machinal, and a directing credit for Memo, a devised interdisciplinary site-specific performance.​

Toranika is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, New York and AgapeBelgium in Koolskamp, Belgium. Shortly after receiving her CMA certificate, she began teaching Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals and dance composition to actors and dancers at New World School of the Arts College in Miami, Florida. She holds a BA in Radio and Television Broadcasting, MA in Teaching and Learning, and a MFA in Choreography. She is a registered yoga teacher RYT ​and certified in mental health first aid.

Dedicated to cultivating consent-based practices and instilling self-care in theatre spaces and beyond, she attends conferences and workshops around the world and gives back facilitating workshops. Her recent residencies include Whitman College in Washington, Doris Staples Theatrical Conservatory in California, University of Miami, Florida, and Northwestern University in Chicago.

Toranika is the founder and business owner of Somatic Soul Food-Movement Consulting where she facilitates global wellness retreats with a focus on stress and anxiety management. You can find her on LinkedIn @SomaticSoulFood​.