Toni-Leslie James
Toni-Leslie James is an American costume designer of stage, television and film productions. James was awarded the National Black Theatre Festival's 2011 Outstanding Costume Designer of the Year Award, and the 2009 Obie for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design. She received a BFA in costume design from The Ohio State University[1] and is the Director of Costumes at Virginia Commonwealth University.[2]
Toni-Leslie James' Broadway credits include the costume designs for The Scottsboro Boys (Hewes Design Award Nomination), Finian's Rainbow, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, King Hedley II, One Mo’ Time, The Wild Party (FANY Award), Marie Christine (FANY Nomination), Footloose, The Tempest (Drama Desk Nomination), Twilight…Los Angeles 1992, ''Angels in America: Millennium Approaches & Perestroika, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Jelly’s Last Jam (Hewes Design Award, Tony Award Nomination and Drama Desk Nomination).
Off Broadway and regionally she has designed productions for various productions, including; the City Center Encores! series, Lincoln Center Theater, The Public Theatre, The Vineyard Theatre, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, Arena Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, Ballet Hispanico, and internationally at the Royal Court and Chitchester theaters in England, The Citadel Theatre in Canada, and The Greek Festival in Athens, Greece.
Her television credits include; Whoopi for NBC, As The World Turns for CBS, The Huey P. Newton Story directed by Spike Lee, five specials for WNET/13 Great Performances series and the feature film, A Tale of Two Pizzas directed by Vincent Sassone.
Toni-Leslie James is married to the lighting designer David Higham, with whom she had two children (one deceased) and homes in Brooklyn, New York, and Richmond, Virginia.[3]
Awards & Nominations
- Lucille Lortel Award Nomination - Civil War Christmas, 2013
- Lucille Lortel Award Nomination - Milk Like Sugar , 2012
- National Black Theatre Festival - 2011 Outstanding Costume Designer of The Year
- Hewes Design Award Nomination - The Scottsboro Boys, The Vineyard Theatre, 2010
- Audelco Nomination - The Scottsboro Boys, 2010
- Hewes Design Award Nomination - Wig Out, The Vineyard Theatre, 2009
- Obie Award Sustained Excellence in Costume Design, 2009
- Lucille Lortel Award Nomination - Wig Out, The Vineyard Theatre, 2009
- Audelco Nomination - Wig Out, The Vineyard Theatre, 2009
- Denver Theatre Center Ovation Award Nomination - 3 Mo’ Divas, Denver Theatre Center, 2008
- Helen Hayes Award Nomination - 3 Mo’ Divas, Arena Stage, 2007
- Hewes Design Nomination - Bernarda Alba, Lincoln Center Theater, 2006
- Audelco Nomination - Dessa Rose, 2005
- Audelco Nomination - Thunder Knocking At The Door, 2002
- Connecticut Critics Circle Award - Baptiste, Hartford Stage, 2001[4]
- Fany Award - The Wild Party, 2000
- Fany Nomination - Marie Christine, 2000
- Irene Sharaff Young Masters Award For Costume Design Excellence 1996
- Drama Desk Nomination - The Tempest, Broadway, 1995
- Tony Nomination - Jelly’s Last Jam, Broadway, 1992
- Drama Desk Nomination - Jelly’s Last Jam, Broadway, 1992
- Hewes Design Award - Jelly’s Last Jam, Broadway, 1992
- Drama Desk Nomination - The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Public Theater, 1991
- Hewes Design Nomination - The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Public Theater, 1991
- La Drama-Logue Award - Jelly’s Last Jam, Mark Taper Forum, 1991
- N.A.A.C.P. Image Award Nomination - Jelly’s Last Jam, Mark Taper Forum, 1991
- Audelco Nomination - The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Public Theater, 1991
- Audelco Nomination - Spunk, The Public Theater, 1990
References
External links
- <http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=people&first=Toni-Leslie&last=James&middle=f>
- <http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=24978>
- <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416992/>
- <http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/toni_leslie_james/>
- <http://library.osu.edu/find/collections/theatre-research-institute/design-collections/toni-leslie-james-papers/>