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The
Designer was born with design and stitchery in her bones. Two of her
great-grandmothers were accomplished seamstresses. Great-Grandma Elizabeth, at
the turn of the last century, used to stay at peoples' houses and create new
gowns for all the ladies in the household before moving on to the next place.
Great-Grandmother Rose worked for several clothing firms in Toronto and, during
the Depression and World War II, took pride in being able to produce something
beautiful and fashionable out of whatever bits and pieces of cloth were
available. In later years she taught
Shannah's mother to sew, passing on her
love of the art and pride in doing it well.
Shannah's
maternal grandfather was a gifted artist and master woodcarver. From him, she
inherited the ability t o look at raw material and see a finished design waiting
to be liberated.
Shannah's
early youth was spent in a log house on the edge of a forest with a river in
the valley. Walking through the bush with her father and helping him in the
garden gave her a keen appreciation of nature, its beauty and how it can be
reflected in design. Her mother, also a Shannah, taught her to sew at an early
age, passing down the knowledge and love of the art she had inherited from her
Grandmother Rose. She also taught Shannah about history and historical costume,
sharing her love of line and form with her daughter.
It was a Fashion Arts class in high school, which opened a whole new world to
Shannah. After a trip to Stratford, during which her teacher had to drag her
out of the costume warehouse, she had found her calling. Her mother taught her
more advanced sewing techniques and now she started designing her own clothes.
In university, while studying languages, she became involved with the Trinity
College Dramatic Society. By second year, she was the costume designer for at
least two productions a year and in fourth year the position of wardrobe
mistress was created for her. Over her three years with the group she designed
and created costumes for many productions, including Much Ado About Nothing,
Dr. Faustus, Oedipus Rex and Pericles:Prince of Tyre. She received the TCDS
Award for Best Costume for three years running. When she graduated, she
received a special award from the Provost, recognizing her unique contribution
to the artistic life of the College.
Since
graduation, Shannah has worked as a costume designer for the Alumnae Theatre,
Amicus Productions, Playwrights of Spring at The Aurora Theatre, as well as a
few independent theatre group ventures. Some of her credits for the Alumnae
include The Illusion from a play by Pierre Corneille, Talley's Folly and Ten
Lost Years. She has been nominated for ACT-CO's award for Best Costume for her
work on the productions of 1949, Cymbeline, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Lion In Winter all for
Amicus Productions.
Shannah
continues to work with various theatres doing costume design and is presently
fully involved in producing her own label.
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