Long Wharf Theatre: Spotlight on Costume Design

Name: Long Wharf Theatre: Spotlight on Costume Design
Start: 2025-10-15T18:00:00-04:00
Location: 114 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT, United States, Connecticut 06510

Schedule

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

114 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT, United States, Connecticut 06510 | New Haven, CT

Join award-winning playwright Matt Barbot, Connecticut costume designer Rea J. Brown, and Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Team member Vanessa Soto at the New Haven Museum for a conversation on culture, identity, and character as represented through Barbot’s play “El Coquí Espectacular & the Bottle of Doom,” on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 6 p.m. The free event will be preceded by a tour with Long Wharf Theatre Director of Artistic Planning and exhibition curator Jessica Durdock Moreno at 5:00 and a reception at 5:30 p.m.
Brown, who designed the costumes for “El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom,” and received a Connecticut Critics Circle Award nomination for their work on the production, will discuss with Barbot and Soto how their design process brought the characters, cultural themes, and superhero elements of the play to life through costume.
In “El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom,” the iconic Puerto Rican superhero El Coquí Espectacular springs to life from the imagination of Alex, a struggling comic book artist searching for purpose and identity. As Alex dons the mask of his creation, he wrestles with self-doubt, cultural expectations, and the pull of a more conventional path, ultimately confronting what it means to be a hero—on the page, in the world, and within himself. Brown’s costume designs bring Barbot’s world to life, drawing on both comic book iconography and Puerto Rican cultural references. The costumes illuminate Alex’s inner conflict, his cultural pride, and the tension between fantasy and reality. During the discussion, Soto, Barbot, and Brown will frame how these design choices deepen the play’s exploration of heritage, belonging, and representation.
“I always say that one of my favorite things about writing plays is the design presentation, when I finally get to see what other collaborating artists, working in mediums I barely understand, are creating based on the script,” says Barbot. “The craft and beauty Rea and other designers brought to Long Wharf's production of El Coquí surpassed anything I could have imagined, and I was so honored that my play could provide a foundation for them to build so high on.”
“I hope this conversation is an opportunity to demystify how designers approach world-building,” says Brown. “With a show rich in its storytelling and cultural influences, we had endless avenues to explore. The fun part (and the hard part) is choosing what will finally end up on stage.”
Costumes and materials from “El Coquí Espectacular & the Bottle of Doom,” are included in the NHM exhibition, “Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond” which is on display through February 2026. The exhibition features a collection of costumes, posters, and rare archival treasures that brings the vibrant history of Long Wharf Theatre to life, and a “who’s who” of stage royalty including Rita Moreno, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Frances McDormand, Anna Deavere Smith, Steve Martin, Jessica Tandy and many more. The exhibition will remain on view through February 2026.
The exhibition invites visitors to step inside six decades of theatrical history. Visitors may try on costumes, explore an immersive set recreation, flip through original scripts, and experience an interactive rehearsal space alongside a gallery spotlighting the next generation of Long Wharf Theatre artists.
Dozens of original production photos and archival treasures take center stage in the rotunda, offering a “deep dive” into the context, relevance, and enduring resonance of seminal productions—from 1965 to today.
The center gallery focuses on the current 60th-anniversary season. Visitors can explore the world of “El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom” and create their own stories. Inspired by last season’s theme, “Building Our Future Together,” guests can also craft their own artwork and add it to the gallery wall.