Toni-Leslie James is an American costume designer for stage, television and film. James was awarded The Irene Sharaff Young Masters Award and the 2009 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design. She received a BFA in costume design from The
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
.
[Theatre VCU](_blank)
/ref> James was an associate professor and head of design in the theatre department of Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...
for 12 years, and is currently an assistant professor of design and Yale Repertory Theatre
Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented stude ...
resident costume designer for the Yale School of Drama
The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
.
Her Broadway costume design credits include the costume designs for '' Bernhardt/Hamlet'' (2019 Drama Desk Award, 2018 Tony Award nomination), ''Come from Away
''Come from Away'' is a Canadian musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying a ...
'' (2017 Drama Desk nomination), the 2017 revival of August Wilson's '' Jitney'' (2017 Tony Award nomination, 2017 Drama Desk nomination), ''Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
'' (Hewes Design Award nomination), '' The Scottsboro Boys'' (Hewes Design Award nomination), '' Finian's Rainbow'', '' Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life'', ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' is a 1982 play – one of the ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle by August Wilson, and the only one not set in Pittsburgh – that chronicles the 20th-century African-American experience. The play is set in a recording stu ...
'', ''King Hedley II
''King Hedley II'' is a play by American playwright August Wilson, the ninth in his ten-part series, '' The Pittsburgh Cycle''. The play ran on Broadway in 2001 and was revived Off-Broadway in 2007.
Productions
''King Hedley II'' premiered at th ...
'', ''One Mo’ Time'', '' The Wild Party'' (FANY Award), ''Marie Christine
''Marie Christine'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Michael John LaChiusa. It opened on Broadway in 1999. Set in 1890s New Orleans and then 5 years later in Chicago; the story is loosely based on the Greek play ''Medea'', and uses ...
'' (FANY nomination), ''Footloose
Footloose may refer to:
* ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film
** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack)
** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins
* ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film
** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...
'', '' The Tempest'' (Drama Desk nomination), '' Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992'', ''Angels in America
''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...
'', ''Chronicle of a Death Foretold
''Chronicle of a Death Foretold'' ( es, Crónica de una muerte anunciada) is a novella by Gabriel García Márquez, published in 1981. It tells, in the form of a pseudo-journalistic reconstruction, the story of the murder of Santiago Nasar by ...
'', and ''Jelly's Last Jam
''Jelly's Last Jam'' is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson. Based on the life and career of Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known as Jelly Roll Morton and generally ...
'' (Hewes Design Award, Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk nomination).
Off Broadway and regionally
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
she has designed various productions, including for the City Center Encores!
Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...
series, Lincoln Center Theater
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broad ...
, The Public Theatre, The Vineyard Theatre, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, Ballet Hispanico, and internationally at the Royal Court and Chitchester theaters in England, The Citadel Theatre in Canada, and The Greek Festival in Athens, Greece.
Her television credits include ''Whoopi'' for NBC, ''As the World Turns'' for CBS, ''The Huey P. Newton Story'' directed by Spike Lee, five specials for WNET/13 ''Great Performances'' series and the feature film ''A Tale of Two Pizzas'' directed by Vincent Sassone.
References
External links
*http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Toni-Leslie&last=James&middle=f
*http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=24978
*https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416992/
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120313090956/http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/toni_leslie_james/
*http://library.osu.edu/find/collections/theatre-research-institute/design-collections/toni-leslie-james-papers/
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Toni-Leslie
American costume designers
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)