Derrick Vanmeter, a 2010 graduate of Lee University, won best costume design for graduate students at the Southeastern Theatre Conference held in Chattanooga.
He is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in theatre design at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Mr. Vanmeter’s winning costume design was from the university’s fall 2011 production of The Threepenny Opera, a musical by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. The musical, set in Victorian London, explores what happens when individuals live in an unjust economic system.
Mr. Vanmeter said his designs for the production were “steampunk” inspired, a style that incorporates elements of science fiction and fantasy within Victorian fashion.
“I discovered that these characters found it necessary to become a part of the unjust social machine rather than fight against it to survive,” he said.
Judges for the competition were legendary designers Tony Walton and Richard Pilbrow, joined by Jennifer Caprio who is known for her work on Broadway, off-Broadway and in regional theatre.