Graduate Spotlight

Caroline Lucille Rein, MFA Theatre: Costume Design, 2021

Caroline Lucille Rein (MFA Costume Design, 2021) has finished her studies in the Purdue University Department of Theatre. She received her BA in theatre design from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Her bright, collaborative spirit has been a constant in the department for the last three years, and she will be missed!

Caroline is noted for her interest in the connections between social history and visual aesthetics. She feels a cultural responsibility in her role as a designer. “Gender and accessibility issues, political and social concerns -- these are all integral to Caroline's storytelling and her own identity as an artist,” says faculty mentor Ashley Bellet.

“When I think of Caroline I think of the glow of energy about her-- it's a wonderful contrast to the grit and grime she uses to tell the stories of her characters as a painter/dyer. Her characters aren't complete until their clothing shows their own history of wear.” – Faculty Mentor Ashley Bellet

During her time at Purdue, Caroline has designed the costumes for Mother Courage and Her Children, Water by the Spoonful, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona; served as assistant costume designer for Next to Normal; and was a stitcher, dye, and crafts artisan for Mother Courage and Her Children, In the Blood, These Shining Lives, and She Kills Monsters. Caroline was an associate company member at Playhouse on the Square in 2019.

For her MFA terminal project, Caroline’s designs for Mother Courage and Her Children were inspired by the device of historicization used by playwright Bertolt Brecht.

“She feels a real responsibility to her own role in contemporary society. Gender and accessibility issues, political and social concerns-- these are all integral to Caroline's storytelling and her own identity as an artist.” – Faculty Mentor Ashley Bellet

Bellet continues, “Caroline’s connection to color and craft is intuitive; everything is a paintbrush for her. She loves painting and dying, and the narratives that come across through thoughtful costume distressing. Watching her distress the costumes for Mother Courage was really fun – she was truly excited with a sponge and a brush in hand, paint up to her elbows, piles of skirts and jackets around her. Her characters aren't complete until their clothing shows their own history of wear.”

We look forward to seeing what Caroline creates in the future – in the meantime, please enjoy her portfolio at www.carolinelucillerein.com. Congratulations, Caroline!