Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Emily Busha's name. The Daily News apologizes for this error.
Some of the most important people in theater are the ones you don’t see. Like behind-the-scenes costume designer Emily Busha.
Busha is in charge of making costumes, designs and any other accessories a show needs. She’s also the director of Ball State’s costume shop where she manages the shop’s staff, teaches costuming to students and creates costume ideas for each show.
Visual aspects of a production allow the audience to perceive how a character will act or how they will present themselves before the character is fully integrated into a show, she said.
“You can establish [personality] through clothing, and that really helps tell the story and establish the characters,” she said.
Busha is heavily involved in many Ball State productions because of her role as director of the costume shop.
The costume shop is located in the depths of the Arts and Communications Building. It’s where creativity, originality and crazy outfits flourish. Bright, sequined bell-bottoms hang near petticoats and heavy gothic ball gowns.
It’s no surprise to Busha that she ended up in a job that requires sitting in a room surrounded by bright and flashy costumes from every era.
“I was kind of a weird kid when I was little and one of my favorite things to do was make my friends try on different outfits…which is now what I do all day,” she said.
Busha went to college for fashion design, but found out that it wasn’t for her.
“I wanted to teach and I wanted to sew all the time,” Busha said. “And I wanted to work in storytelling. “
Busha tried fashion design again, but nothing had changed. She took seven years off to think about what she wanted to do.
“I knew that I wanted to go back to school,” she said, “…I did a lot of research to just combined my two loves. I loved sewing and making things.”
Busha has some advice for any aspiring costume artists.
“The best thing you can do is get out there and get experience.” she said, “The non-paying jobs, the low paying jobs, everything you need to do to get out there and find a community that’s going to help you nourish creativity.”
She said there’s always an opportunity for others to advance their skills.
“There are so many theaters out there just looking for someone,’ she said, “…so just take advantage of every opportunity and always be nice…because people want to work with nice people.”
Katelynn Barker, a Ball State student who works with Busha, said she is a nice teacher. The kind who buys doughnuts for her staff before a show opens.
Barker said she enjoys having Busha as a mentor.
“I know I will be a better designer because of her,” Barker said, “…She has taught me a lot of skills that will definitely help me market myself better for when I graduate.”
As for the future, Busha knows exactly where she wants to be.
“I plan on staying here at Ball State and helping grow the program,” she said. “I get to do that, I get to teach, and I get to design and mentor young students. I get the best of both worlds really.”
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