Hillsborough County theater and dance teachers received an unexpected surprise when Norwegian Cruise Line opened its Riverview costume warehouse, offering educators the chance to select from thousands of professional garments and accessories.
Rachel Anderson, costume production coordinator at Norwegian Cruise Line, said the idea grew from a desire to support young performers. Anderson said she wants students to love dance and drama and hopes these costumes will help inspire students to continue with theater. For years, the company has donated retired costumes only to employees, but then Anderson had the idea to open it up to theater programs across Hillsborough County, where Norwegian’s warehouse is located.
This year, teachers arriving at the warehouse found an expansive selection with more than 30 racks filled with costumes, including leather jackets, sequins, feathers, fur, dancewear and tap shoes.
Educators wasted no time selecting pieces for upcoming productions.
“Strawberry Crest High School’s theater department, preparing for an upcoming performance of Aladdin, stocked up on shimmering pieces, while York PreK-8, launching its theater program, gathered a wide variety of essentials,” said Debra Bellanti, director of public relations at Hillsborough County Public Schools. “The theater teacher at York PreK-8 is just starting her program from the ground up. She was very excited to be able to get some basics that she could use year-round, and they are also planning a production of Beauty and the Beast, so she grabbed a lot of costumes she thinks will work for that.”
The process for teachers is straightforward. Laura Hobby, the K-12 art and theater supervisor, has formed a relationship with Norwegian, so it will contact her when it has costumes it wants to donate, and Hobby will notify all the Hillsborough County theater and dance departments of the time and date. This is expected to take place annually.
Organizers called the donation transformative for Hillsborough County schools’ theater and arts departments. With more than tens of thousands of dollars in costumes and shoes generously donated to Hillsborough schools, the impact is enormous.
The warehouse is located at 6423 S. Falkenburg Rd. in Riverview. Anderson can be reached at raanderson@ncl.com or 645-240-5078.
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