Aly Amidei

Associate Professor

aramidei@wisc.edu



Amidei, Aly

      https://alyrenee4.wixsite.com/portfolio  

Aly Amidei is an Associate Professor of Costume Design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a costume designer and playwright focusing on new works and re-envisioned classics. Her previous research has been on improving access and inclusion in costume design practices and theatre pedagogy for people with disabilities. As a playwright, she has written stage adaptations for theatre for young audiences as well as horror and science fiction plays, audio dramas, and immersive theatre. A current area of research for her is on immersive theatre, costumes and pop culture, and the growing complexity of costume design for video games. She is a company member at three Chicago-area theatre companies: Lifeline Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Company, and Buffalo Theatre Ensemble.

Education

  • Graduate Certificate Anti-Racism in Urban Education, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 2023
  • Certificate Fashion Design, College of Dupage, 2015
  • MA , Carnegie Mellon University, 2000
  • MFA Costume Design, Carnegie Mellon University, 2000
  • BA Theatre, Knox College, 1997

Select Publications

  • Amidei, A. Princesses Join Space Harems: Orientalism in Flash Gordon.” Studies in Costume and Performance: “Costume and Character in Film and Television.
  • Amidei, A. Uptight Alien Queens Wear Wet Leather: Fetish Costuming in Television Science Fiction. Television Costume as Televisual Culture
  • Amidei, A. (2024). Researching justice in the Darkroom Project. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 25(si2.9) Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Amidei, A., & Aly and Elena SV Flys (2023). Improving Accessibility and Inclusion in the Performing Arts for People with Disabilities: Moving Beyond a “Checking-the-Boxes” Approach. Oxford Handbook of Arts and Cultural Management
  • Flys, E., & Amidei, A. (2021). Access and Inclusion for Students with Disabilities in Performing Arts Higher Education. Acotaciones Journal of Research in Theatre and Theatrical Creation, Vol 2(47), 19-44.
  • Amidei, A. (2018). Where'd I Put My Character? The Costume Character Body and Essential Costuming for the Ensemble Actor. Theatre Symposium 26, 49-57

Select Presentations

  • Amidei, A. Navigating A.I. in Theatre Design, Tech, and Management Classrooms and Stages – Unleashing Potential and Preventing Pitfalls. Paper presented at the , Atlanta, GA.
  • Amidei, A. Leveraging Technology: Facilitating Active Learning in a Flexible Pandemic-Impacted Classroom. Paper presented at the Active Learning Academy Expo, UNC-Charlotte.
  • Amidei, A. Alien Queens Wear Wet Leather: Fetish Costuming in Sci-Fi Film and Television. Paper presented at the Costume Society of America Southeastern Symposium, Charlotte, NC.
  • Amidei, A. Accessibility in Costuming. Invited Lecture presented at the Online Education & Training, Webinar.
  • Amidei, A. Effective Teaching Strategies Roundtable: Rendering Representation. Paper presented at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education National Conference, Detroit, MI. Virtual conference.
  • Amidei, A. Alien Queens Wear Wet Leather: Fetish Costuming in Sci-Fi Film and Television. Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association National Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Amidei, A. LEDs in Costumes. Paper presented at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Louisville, KY.
  • Amidei, A. Workshop presentation. Light it Up: LEDs in Costumes. Paper presented at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology Southeast Professional Development Conference, Greensboro, NC.
  • Amidei, A., & Smith, J. LEDs for the Theatre. Professional Development Workshop presented at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology National Conference, Louisville, KY.
  • Amidei, A., & Dunn, K. Rendering Representation: Incorporating Diversity in Costume Design. Paper presented at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Knoxville, TN.

Select Awards and Honors

  • Outstanding Costume Design (Midsized) Award, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly, Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2024
  • Best Costume Design, Pericles, Wilde Award, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, 2023
  • Costume Design Award, Merry Wives of Windsor, Costume Society of America, 2023
  • Best Costume Design Non-Equity Nomination, For Services Rendered, Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2020
  • Best Costume Design Non-Equity Nomination, Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2019
  • Best Costume Design Non-Equity Nomination, Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2017
  • Best Costume Design Nomination, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, 2014
  • Best Theatrical Illness: Makeup Design by Aly Amidei and Mask Design by Sarah Scanlon, 2013 New City Best of Chicago, 2013
  • Best Costume Design Non-Equity Nomination, Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2011
  • Best Makeup Design Non-Equity Nomination, Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2010