by Mike Hays

Janet Fenton says she’s retired, but you wouldn’t know it based on the busy schedule she keeps. She’s a part-time  One-to-One program teacher, a Cornell Cooperative Extension certified Master Gardener and a costume designer for Elmwood Playhouse and Nanuet High School.

Janet Fenton, Costume designer, Elmwood Playhouse, Nanet High School

She began costuming at the Coupe Theater Studios bartering her work for her children’s lessons. Her first theatrical costume work was for The Wiz at Nyack High School. When she wasn’t designing she was often behind the scenes, altering and mending costumes as needed during high school performances.

Fenton recently returned to costume designing after retiring from a teaching career. She has costumed four plays for Elmwood Playhouse: The Other Place, A Lesson Before Dying, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Harvey, for which she received the 2016 Best Costume Design for a play award by Broadway World.

Her recent work includes Scapino and Guys and Dolls for Nanuet High School.

Fenton is now working on costumes for Elmwood’s July opening of On Golden Pond. The current Elmwood production, A Lesson Before Dying, runs Thurs-Sun through Apr 8.

Michael Hays is a 30-year resident of the Nyacks. He grew up the son of a professor and nurse in Champaign, Illinois. He has recently retired from a long career in educational publishing with Prentice-Hall and McGraw-Hill. He is an avid cyclist, amateur historian and photographer, gardener, and dog walker. He has enjoyed more years than he cares to count with his beautiful companion, Bernie Richey.

Nyack People & Places features photos and profiles of citizens and scenes near Nyack, NY. Sponsored by Weld Realty.

Photo Credit: Mike Hays

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