Artist's Statement
Costume Designer / Maker / Dramaturgical Storyteller
I’m drawn to the parts of a story that sit just outside the familiar—the darker edges, the strange textures, the places where something shouldn’t make sense but does the moment it’s on a body. I like taking materials that seem unlikely or even wrong and shaping them into something emotionally true. Whether it’s lace ribs glowing under blue stage light, a skeleton bride with a bleeding heart, or a ghost conductor collapsing into his own obsession, my work lives in that space between beauty and discomfort.
My background in history and dramaturgy shapes everything I design. I love researching how people lived, dressed, and believed, and then bending those truths into worlds that feel haunting, theatrical, and deeply human. I want audiences to feel the story before they recognize it—to be nudged past their comfort zone and guided into a space they hadn’t considered.
I’m inspired by surrealists, dream logic, folklore, and anyone who embraces the uncanny. I don’t chase perfection; I chase feeling. A costume should breathe with the actor, move the story forward, and reveal something about the character that dialogue can’t.
My goal is simple:
Craft visceral, imaginative designs that invite people to look again, look closer, and discover something unexpected.
Artistic Resume
MORGAN SWATON
THEATRICAL WORK
Major: Theatre Arts with an emphasis on Costume Design
Minor: History
Costume Shop Employee
Group: Loyola Marymount University
August 2025 – May 2026
Tasks: Assisted with costume construction, alterations, fabric organization, dye work, and production support across multiple shows.
Head Costume Designer – “Spring Awakening”
Group: Songbird Theatre
August 2025 – December 2025
Tasks: Designed full costume package including modernized silhouettes, symbolic color theory, distressing techniques, and character-driven styling.
Head Costume Designer – “Haunting of Hannon”
Group: Loyola Marymount University Theatre
August 2025 – October 2025
Tasks:
- Led costume design for a large-cast experimental horror production
- Created 30+ unique costumes
- Performed aging/distressing treatments
- Produced glow-in-the-dark paint applications
- Designed mixed-media construction for supernatural silhouettes
- Collaborated with choreographers, lighting designer, and actors for movement-safe transformations
Assistant Costume Designer – “Blood at the Root”
Group: Del Rey Players
October 2025 – December 2025
Tasks: Assisted with research, paperwork, fittings, quick-change planning, and stock pulls for a politically intense ensemble production.
Director – “24 Hour Theatre”
Group: Alpha Psi Omega
November 2025
Tasks: Directed and produced a rapid-turnaround student production, managing cast, script revisions, blocking, and technical coordination within a 24-hour window.
Assistant Costume Designer – “Puffs (Two Act Edition)”
Group: Loyola Marymount University Theatre
December 2024 – February 2025
Tasks: Supported costume pulls, fitting notes, garment tracking, revisions, and comedic silhouette styling.
Assistant Stage Manager – “24 Hour Theatre”
Group: Alpha Psi Omega
November 2024
Tasks: Managed backstage tracking, props running, actor cues, and time-sensitive coordination.
Box Office Attendant
Group: Moonlight Amphitheatre
May 2024 – July 2024
Tasks: Front-of-house operations, guest support, and event coordination.
Skills
- Costume Construction:
- Hand/machine sewing, draping, alterations, distressing, dyeing, mixed-media builds
Technical
- Fittings
- Measurements
- Quick-change
- Design
- Garment maintenance
- Show paperwork
Design
Character analysis, mood boards, fabric sourcing, rendering
Software
Bazaart, Canva, Excel, Tessitura
Other:
Team leadership, production logistics, choreography-aware design
Portfolio Highlights on this Website
• Maestro — ghost-orchestra conductor design with distressed tailoring
• Skeleton Dancers — glow-in-the-dark ribbing, torn tulle, narrative “bleeding heart”
• The Man in the Pinstripe Suit (Devil) — 1910s Southern Gothic
• Erika Zahn (Lovecraftian) — monochrome purity vs. tentacled monster
• Titania & Puppeteer (Midsummer Night’s Dream) — moss, driftwood, amber, ivy, bone elements
• Lymon (The Piano Lesson) — patterned suit, bold color story
• Wearable Art & Jewelry — bleach painting, bone jewelry, pearl work, resin, found-object builds
References
Available upon request.