Jessica Shay

Costume Shop Supervisor
Adjunct Instructor

[email protected]
212-636-6316
Lowenstein 423

About

Jessica Shay is a Costume Designer, Costume Educator, and the Supervisor of the Costume Shop at Fordham. Her career in theatre has dabbled in just about every job that there is to do in the costume and wardrobe area—from designing and assisting to shopping, construction, crafts, and millinery—on every type of production from the smallest of projects to the biggest spectacular entertainments.

Jessica is also an instructor within the Fordham Theatre Program—joyfully sharing skills in costume design, research, collaboration, rendering, and construction to students within our program and beyond. She is passionate about rethinking both the ways that we teach and learn Costume and Dress History, and in how we can collaborate in radical kindness with each artist—especially within the deeply personal areas of costume, dress, and identity.

Her theatre design credits in New York include The Performers on Broadway, Revenge Song at the Geffen Playhouse, Lewiston-Clarkston at the Rattlestick, A Kid Like Jake and All American for LCT3, Suicide, Inc. and The Dream of the Burning Boy for The Roundabout Underground, OohRah! for the Atlantic Theatre, Outside People for the Vineyard Theatre/Naked Angels, Next Fall, Armed & Naked in America, and The Mistakes Madeline Made for Naked Angels. Jessica spent 7 Seasons as Resident Designer for the ground-breaking Vampire Cowboys and is the proud recipient of a NY Innovative Theatre Award for Costume Design for her work with that company. Her regional theatre work includes designs for The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse at the Park, Two River Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, City Theatre (Pittsburgh), Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Weston Playhouse, and Williamstown Theatre Company. Jessica’s work as an assistant costume designer has taken her to larger projects including Spamalot, Shrek the Musical, and Clybourne Park on Broadway, as well as costumes for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Disney On Ice.

Class Taught 2024-25

• Costume Design Lab