ADV – Leaderboard

Theatre Development Fund Names TDF/Irene Sharaff Design Awardees

Tony-winning costume designer Jess Goldstein and scenic designer Douglas W. Schmidt are among the winners of the design-centric awards.

Jess Goldstein
Jess Goldstein

NEW YORK CITY: The winners of the 2015 Theatre Development Fund (TDF) and Irene Sharaff Awards have been announced. Among the honorees of this year’s awards, which recognize designers, are Tony-winning costume designer Jess Goldstein, scenic designer Douglas W. Schmidt, costume designer Brian Hemesath and custom shoe designer Gino Bifulco-T.O. Dey Shoes.

The winners were selected by the TDF Costume Collection‘s advisory committee, comprised of leading members of the theatrical costume design community, and are presented by the TDF Costume Collection. The awards will be presented in a ceremony on May 1 at the Hudson Theatre.

Goldstein will be awarded the 2015 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design. His resume includes Jersey Boys, for which he won a Tony, and the current revival of On The Town.

Schmidt will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design. He has worked with American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for the last 30 years, designing more than 200 productions. His Broadway credits include Grease (1972) and the 2002 revival of Into the Woods.

Hemesath will be given the TDF/Irene Sharaff Young Master Award, and Bifulco will receive the TDF/Irene Sharaff Artisan Award. A relative newcomer to the scene, Hemesath is making his Broadway debut this year with his costumes for An American in Paris. Bifulco is co-owner of T.O. Dey Shows with his brother, Thomas. The sky-high boots in Kinky Boots are his creation, as is the footwear in Aladdin and Wicked.

In addition to the awards ceremony in May, there will also be a memorial tribute to the late costume and scenic designer Raoul Pene du Bois. He was previously recognized with the first ever TDF/Irene Sharaff Posthumous Award in 1999.

Support American Theatre: a just and thriving theatre ecology begins with information for all. Please join us in this mission by making a donation to our publisher, Theatre Communications Group. When you support American Theatre magazine and TCG, you support a long legacy of quality nonprofit arts journalism. Click here to make your fully tax-deductible donation today!

ADV – Billboard