Below are some reference letters from directors and theatre managers I have worked with. Please note that the phone numbers and addresses have been marked out to protect the privacy of these individuals, but may be obtained from me, upon request, by interested members of the industry.
To Whom It May Concern,
This is to confirm that Naomi Lazarus has designer and built two shows for me in the past year.
The first was a production of Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, for Wicked Awesome Theatre, during the months of August through November 2006. Naomi designed and built somewhere close to forty costumes, for a cast of twenty five. She also supervised a costume crew consisting of her assistant designer and four dressers. This crew was responsible for a quick change that involved seven actors, simultaneously, and was accomplished every night of the run without incident. Naomi also built several additional corsets, which were auctioned as fund raisers for the show. For her work on Rocky Horror, Naomi was the only costume designer to be nominated in the "Best Design" category for the 2006 Ovation Awards.
The second show we worked on together, and our fourth in total, was Black Holes, for Spectral Theatre, in February and March of 2007. This was a science fiction themed show, consisting of four different short plays, each written and directed by a different member of Spectral Theatre. Naomi designed, obtained and built costumes for all four plays, which involved a total cast of twelve, and thirteen costumes, ranging from a robot that lit up to several aliens.One of the short plays is being produced as a short film this summer, and Naomi has been invited to continue her work on that short film.
She has also been invited to work on Spectral Theatre's next two productions, Dead Ends V and The Velvet Edge.
If you have any questions, please contact me at ***-***-****.
Sincerely,
June, 2007
To Whom It May Concern,
This is to confirm that Naomi Lazarus was recently hired by The Centre for Creative Iniatives as Costume Designer for our recent production of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark at the Jericho Arts Centre. As the Executive Producer on this project, I worked very closely with her.
Naomi researched, designed and built over thirty costumes in less than three weeks under a very tight budget. The costumes were thematic, consistent and enhanced the production enormously.
The wardrobe included corsets, cartridge pleating and draping. Naomi completed the costumes on time and in budget and her work was an important contribution to the success of this production. Naomi was brought in as Costume Designer in the end of April. The show opened May 10th. She supervised and was responsible for maintenance and laundry throughout the run as well as doing the inventory after the show.
As Costume Designer she ran a tight ship and was calm and pleasant throughout. Needless to say in live theatre this is an asset that should not be overlooked. She gained and gave confidence and encouragement to the cast as well as meeting all their needs.
I would recommend Naomi for productions in the future and wish her the best of luck.
Yours Truly,
May 2, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
I have worked with Naomi Lazarus for 3 ½ years. I have found her to be professional, dedicated, and very talented. It has always been a pleasure to work with Naomi.
In my capacity as Technical Director for The United Players of Vancouver and The Jericho Arts Centre I had the fortune to work with Naomi while she was wardrobe mistress from September, 2004-June 2005. I also worked closely with her on the two shows she designed for us while I was there, Lady's Not For Burning (July-October, 2004) and A Month in the Country (April-June, 2005).
Since leaving the JAC I have followed Naomi’s work and watched her grow in a professional and creative fashion. Most recently I had the opportunity to work with her again at the Presentation House in North Vancouver, where I am currently Assistant Technical Director. Once again it was a pleasure to work with her as she designed An Ideal Husband (February 2007).
I look forward to many opportunities of working with Naomi in the future.
Sincerely,
May 1, 2007
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing on behalf of Naomi Lazarus, to confirm that she was employed at Presentation House Theatre as a Costume Designer from December 2006 to February 2007 for our production of An Ideal Husband. Naomi was charged with designing and building costumes for the show and despite the great challenge of working on a limited budget, she created costumes that gave the production a professional and original look. The show received rave reviews many of which applauded her work as the Costume Designer.
Naomi is a hard working, gifted designer that I would highly recommend.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at ***-***-****.
Sincerely,
When I decided to make my period short film Love and Honour back in October 2006, I had a limited amount of time before shooting. I asked Naomi Lazarus to help me with my costumes because I have seen her work in numerous plays produced locally and she always manages to work wonders within a wide range of genres on a limited budget. In addition I have known her for over fifteen years and she has always been completely absorbed in studying period costumes and has a wealth of knowledge and resources.
Sure enough, she came through for me, putting together two stellar period costumes for a male and female character from the mid-1600's with less than three days notice. She was willing to do in depth research to ensure historical accuracy, and she borrowed and made pieces to complete the ensembles. My film has been seen by over a thousand people on the On The Lot website, and there have been many criticisms of the acting, editing, and writing. Without exception the costumes have received the highest praise. I know I can count on her to deliver and I would work with her again in an eyeblink.
It is with the greatest confidence and pleasure that I recommend Naomi Lazarus to the IATSE costuming department. I have worked closely with a range of costumers as an assistant director in the film industry and I believe she has the knowledge, temperament and professionalism to do great work.
Feel free to contact me regarding her character and work.
Yours truly,
Drew Taylor
April 18th, 2007
To Whom It May Concern,
This is to confirm that Naomi Lazarus was employed by the Show Case Summer Theatre Festival from June through August of 2006 as Wardrobe Mistress.
During this time she was responsible for the renting, building, coordinating, organizing and restoring of the costumes, as well as repairs, cleaning and returns after the Festival. The Show Case Festival produced two plays in the 2006 season: The Taming of the Shrew and Kiss Me, Kate, and Naomi was responsible for the wardrobe for both shows.
I have no hesitation in recommending her for costume work.
If you have any questions please contact me at ***-***-****.
Yours very truly,
Marietta Kozak,
June 22, 2006
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is in reference to Naomi Lazarus, an extremely dedicated and talented costume designer I’ve had the pleasure of working with on two productions, both for Spectral Theatre.
Naomi did costumes for Spectral Theatre’s 2005 production of Hamlet at the Wise Hall, working with a cast of fifteen, many of whom played multiple roles and required multiple costume changes.
During the rehearsal process Naomi displayed a level of professionalism consistent with seasoned veterans, and always arrived prepared and ready to work. Her costumes received consistent critical praise during the run of the show and we’re a visual highlight of the production. Many of the cast were so in love with their outfits that they purchased them outright at the production’s conclusion.
I next had the pleasure of working with Naomi on the 2006 Spectral Theatre production of Dead Ends IV specifically, the opening segment Pyewacket, in which she costumed four actors and also crafted an identical rag-doll version of one of the characters. Again, her work was visually stunning, and the segment became an audience favorite.
Naomi’s work has been of a consistently high standard rarely seen outside of professional theatre. Her commitment to her craft can be seen in every carefully constructed detail of her costuming, from her initial sketches to the fully executed costume
I can heartily recommend she be considered for inclusion in any theater program, company, or production she applies for. Naomi is a positive, intelligent, caring individual, whose talent and skills would be an asset to any organization lucky enough to work with her.
Sincerely,
Justin Clow
To Whom It May Concern:
Naomi Lazarus has worked costume design and costume production with our company, Mice and Mentors Co-op, on two occasions. I found her to be professional in her presentations, meticulous in her construction, and very knowledgeable in her field.
Naomi designed and constructed costumes for our January 2005 production of Brian Friel’s Translations. She was able to realistically costume a cast of ten in an 1820’s Irish time period, including constructing two soldier’s uniforms from scratch, with a very, very limited budget.
Next Naomi designed and constructed costumes for our January 2006 production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. This was set in 1890’s Russia with a cast of ten, [each] of which had two costumes. She was able to deliver amazing costumes, on time and at budget.
I have always known her to research her designs thoroughly, yet be able to adapt them to the rigors on theatrical production. In fact, she was able to hide one of our actress’s four month pregnancy to the point where the audience could not tell.
I would definitely recommend her for any costume/wardrobe position for which she may be under consideration.
Sincerely,
Bert Steinmanis
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Justin Clow
Executive Producer
Wicked Awesome Theatre
Spectral Theatre
Andree Karas
Artistic Director
United Players of Vancouver
Resident Company - Jericho Arts Centre.
Jesse Frank
Technical Director
Brenda Leadlay
Artistic & Managing Director
Presentation House Theatre
Director/Producer Love and Honour
Production Manager
Show Case Festival, 2006
Executive Producer
Spectral Theatre
justin@spectraltheatre.com
Director
Mice and Mentors Co-op
bert511@hotmail.com