ABOUT
Aries Limon is a 3rd year MFA candidate in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working on her thesis, which focuses on the history and cultural significance of the Traje Charro from a tailor's perspective.
Before graduate school, she was a Tailor Assistant at the San Francisco Opera, where she specialized in 18th century menswear.
Most recently, she has worked as a First Hand at the Santa Fe Opera for their 2022 season.
She is also a member of Local 205 in Austin and was previously part of Local 784 in the Bay Area, California.
Technical Skills
Tailoring, Draping, Stitching, Millinery, Fabric Dyeing and Painting, Puppetry, 3D Modeling and Printing
Resume
Santa Fe Opera
May 2022 - July 2022
After my first year of graduate school, I was hired as a first hand at the Santa Fe Opera. I was first hand for The Barber of Seville and was one of two first hands on Falstaff and M. Butterfly. On Barber of Seville, I worked on costumes for Count Almaviva and for the TBB (Tenor Baritone Bass) chorus. On Falstaff, I worked primarily on costumes for the TBB chorus. On M. Butterfly, I worked primarily on costumes for the SM (Soprano Mezzo) chorus. My responsibilities included assisting the draper during fittings, prepping alterations for the stitchers and apprentices, cutting new builds and instructing on construction. This was done in collaboration with the draper and my fellow first hand.
San Francisco Opera
March 2014 - July 2021
At the San Francisco Opera, there were five teams: two draping teams, two tailoring teams, and a catch-all team. I was hired as a stitcher on the fifth team. We mostly worked on costumes for the supers, dancers, and children. We did alterations, repairs, and a few builds. I worked on this team for three years, then I worked on one of the draping teams, working on builds and alterations for ladies' chorus costumes. In 2018, I was promoted to tailoring assistant and transferred to one of the tailoring teams. On that team, I primarily worked on new builds and got a lot of tailoring experience working on 18th century and early 20th century jackets and coats.
South Coast Repertory
December 2013 - February 2014
Before starting at the opera, I was hired as a first hand at South Coast Repertory. They have a small costume shop, with several draper/tailor and first hand pairs working on costumes. I was the first hand for the head draper, which meant we worked on the lead's costumes. My responsibilities included building costumes, doing alterations, and assisting during fittings.
California Shakespeare Theater
May 2013 - November 2013
Right after graduating from UC Berkeley, I was hired back to California Shakespeare Theater, but instead of as an intern, I was hired as first hand. The costume shop is pretty small, so my responsibilities included stitcher duties, as well as assistant ones. I worked on alterations and building new costumes. I also cut out costumes for the stitchers and interns. I did a little bit of draping under the guidance of our shop manager and our head draper. I also assisted the draper during fittings, learning how to get the best fit for our performers as well as how to mark for alterations later on.
Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies Costume Shop
August 2012 - May 2013
I was a costume shop assistant in my theater department's costume shop. My responsibilities included doing alterations, labeling costumes, and doing show laundry on the weekends. Sometimes, we built costumes, but they mostly came from our storage. I also organized costumes back into storage after fittings or after a show closed. Our 2012-2013 season included Woody Guthrie's American Song, Ruling Class, and Berkeley Dance Project: Aperture.
California Shakespeare Theater
June 2012 - August 2012
The summer between my two years at UC Berkeley, I took a costume shop internship at California Shakespeare Theater. It was a stitcher internship, which meant I worked on a lot of alterations for Spunk and alterations, as well as a few builds, for Blithe Spirit. Interns were also responsible for costume shop and stock maintenance, which included cleaning and putting costumes away into storage. Part of the internship also involved designing a show for the children's summer repertory. I worked on The Tempest.
Long Beach Playhouse
July 2011 - August 2011
The summer before I started at UC Berkeley, I volunteered in the costume shop at Long Beach Playhouse. I worked with the costume shop manager on their production A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. There were a few builds, some leatherwork, and a lot of adding embellishments and trims to costumes.
Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts
June 2010 - August 2010
I spent the summer between my two years at Orange Coast College doing a paid internship at PCPA, a conservatory in Central California. It was my first experience in a professional costume shop. I was a stitcher intern and my responsibilities included alterations, new builds, and costume shop maintenance.