Dawna Oak

From the Ringmaster's majestic three-piece coat and tails to the paisley on stripes color explosion of a clown's baggy pants, Dawna Oak understands that costumes are speaking to the audience just as much as the music, movement and mechanics. Oak knows exactly where to place 2,000 resplendent crystals, on just the right kind of fabric, so that when the spotlight hits that performer, an audience will exhale (nearly in unison!) at the near-blinding shine. As Senior Director of Costumes and Costume Designer at Feld Entertainment, Oak is ultimately responsible for the shining moments of more than 10,000 costumes for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney On Ice, Disney Live! and Feld Motor Sports' Nuclear Cowboyz SM, Monster Jam, Trolls The Experience and many more. For one Ringling Bros. show alone, more than 400 costumes had her sign-off each night, maintaining Feld Entertainment's highest standards of quality and character for every sequin and every stitch. And surprisingly, there is no spare closet full of duplicates! With a small staff of 11, Oak manages every aspect of the creation, care and ongoing upkeep of this one-of-a-kind wardrobe. Oak was born and raised in Los Angeles so, in some ways, show business was always a part of her background. Oak excels because she has done it all, beginning at the bottom, painting shoes and fluffing wigs for $200 a week. With a background in dance, she has also been the performer in the costume, so she truly understands how a performer feels and moves when a costume is conceived, tailored, and made well. Seeing first-hand all the moving parts of creating a live performance inspired Oak's appreciation for all art forms but also focused her own talents - a natural instinct for color, texture, movement and drama - on what she does best, costume design. Oak continued to grow in the industry mastering every aspect of costume design management, from concept and design development to oversight of multi-million dollar budgets. Oak is a costuming expert in all forms of media - television, film and theatre - and her work has been seen in productions for Showtime, The Kennedy Center, and on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre and Booth Theatre. Oak joined Feld Entertainment in 1997, after six years as Department Head and Resident Designer at The Pasedena Playhouse.