Kosovo Native Albulena Borovci Wins USITT's 2013 Weisfeld Costume Design Award

Costume designer Albulena Borovci, a native of Kosovo studying in the U.S., is the winner of the Zelma H. Weisfeld Costume Design and Technology Award, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology has announced.

Borovci is among nine winners of 2013 USITT Awards for Young Designers & Technicians in the Performing Arts, which include the costume design award.

Borovci will receive her Master of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama in May. She graduated from the University of Pristina's Academy of Arts in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in scenography. She studied costume design as an exchange student at the University of Montana, Missoula, in 2008-2009.

The 2013 YD&T awards will be presented in a special ceremony at USITT's Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 20-23, which draws 5,000 people from the world of theatrical design.

The awards are held annually by USITT, the national association for performing arts design and technology professionals. Nine awards sponsored by industry leaders honor young designers in the areas of production, sound, lighting, costumes, makeup, stage management, set design and scenic technology.

Winners are nominated by USITT members and chosen by a panel of experts in each field. Borovci was nominated by Susan Tsu, professor of costume design at CMU. Borovci submitted a resume, essay, letters of recommendation and a portfolio of her work to the costume design panel.

Borovci's portfolio included costume designs from CMU productions, including the 1775 British comedy The Rivals in October 2012. A reviewer for the Pittsburgh City Paper wrote, "Albulena Borovci's costumes are drop?dead gorgeous; the ladies' gowns suggest magnificent ships in full sail."

Borovci was among 16 nominees for the Weisfeld Award, established by costume designer and historian Zelma Weisfeld in 1997.

The Weisfeld adjudicators enthusiastically endorsed Borovci's work. "This portfolio, for me, represents undeniable talent," one wrote. "The designer has it all; range of aesthetic, ability to beautifully convey design ideas in a variety of styles and media appropriate to the project at hand, excellent sense of design aesthetic ... Albulena Borovci brings serious skills to the table."

Borovci will receive a $1,000 cash prize and free registration to the USITT Conference.

A total of 60 young designers were nominated for the 2013 YD&T Awards. The winners will be honored in a special multi-media event on opening night of the Conference & Stage Expo, and with a separate reception during the four-day event to meet their award's sponsors and adjudicators.

USITT, the association for backstage professionals, serves nearly 4,000 members worldwide. Its annual Conference offers more than 200 workshops, meetings and networking events for theatrical design professionals. For more information, visit www.usitt.org.