Sophia Choi, BFA in Theatre with a concentration in Costume Design/Technical production, 2015
Sophia was nominated for a Tony for co-designing the costumes for the Broadway premiere of KPOP with accomplished designer Clint Ramos. “Clint contacted me during COVID to be an associate designer, but as we were heading into production he asked me to be the co-designer, which was very gracious of him. Working alongside Clint was a huge learning experience – a masterclass in Broadway design.”
That show had a special meaning for Sophia, “When I was younger, k-pop wasn’t as popular as it is now, and it still surprises me to see how big it’s become. During rehearsals and previews for the musical, whenever the full cast was on stage, it was very emotional because, growing up as an Asian-American, we’ve never seen something like this on a Broadway stage before. A stage full of Korean and Asian-American actors singing in both English and Korean. Just pure glitzy Asian joy.”
Even though Sophia never had an “aha moment” about her future career, she “always loved drawing and painting and I wanted to do something creative.” When Sophia started at VCU, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go into costumes. Toni Leslie James (former Head of Costumes) helped her make that decision, “She’s a very convincing person and after speaking with her, I decided to go to VCU.”
Sophia continues, “There’s no better way to learn than from someone who’s actively working in the business. Having Toni as a mentor allowed me to see costume design as a valid career option.” In her sophomore year, Sophia decided to pursue an MFA in design, “I wanted to get my masters because I knew I had more to learn, and also because I knew I wanted to teach one day.” Ultimately, she attended Yale for her MFA (Class of 2018).
Once Sophia moved to New York, she worked as costume coordinator on the superhero crime drama Gotham. “There’s a lot of paperwork, purchases and returns and rentals.” She got the job thanks to Josh Quinn (MFA ‘11) who was assistant designer on that show. That got her start in TV, “which is usually what pays the rent.” More recently she worked on the Max show White House Plumbers as an assistant shopper (also working with Josh).
When asked about the balance between screen and stage, Sophia explains, “After graduating, I tried to squeeze in as much theatre work as possible in-between the film and TV jobs, so I could grow my design portfolio.” For now it’s back behind the camera, where she’s working as an assistant designer on a new Apple TV series. It’s shut down for the strike, but “Hopefully, we’ll eventually get back to finish the final episodes.”
Compiled by Liz Hopper (professor emeritus) and Jerry Williams (BFA ’71) for the August 2023 Theatre Alumni newsletter