INTERVIEW WITH COLLABORATOR & COSTUME DESIGNER ELIZA RENNER

Eliza Renner grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and a large chunk of her heart lives back east. She completed her BA in theatre and education studies at Middlebury College in Vermont. She moved to Austin to apprentice with Rude Mechs, the Austin-based theater collective. She spent months gloriously immersed in their world, developing her artistry and administrative skills, and learning from the brilliant makers and shakers of the collective. She is primarily an actor, but the introduction of Dance in her life, specifically compositional improvisation, has burst her world open! Dance is about taking care of my body. Dance connects me to the divine. Dance is exercise. Dance is listening and communing. Dance lifts us out of our word-bound lives and expresses the inexpressible! 

Eliza is enrolled in the Choreography/Composition class at ACC for collaboration purposes. She plays an important role in pulling together the entire piece titled, “Why We Still Believe in Magic”, through costuming.  As she attended the many classes throughout the semester she watched, participated, listened, and experienced the intentionality while this well-constructed piece grew and grew. Her job as a costume designer was not only in collaboration with Darla Johnson but also with each choreographer and dancer involved in the composition of this piece. Eliza costumed 20 dancers from the Choreography/Composition and the Performance classes. She is so grateful for ACC and Austin dance communities.