Women talk on film industry

'The King Street merchants were so great in helping me put together outfits for the film that I couldn't have shopped better, even in Beverly Hills," says Dana Campbell, costume designer for "The New Daughter" starring Kevin Costner and now being filmed in the Lowcountry.

Campbell, an Emmy Award-winning designer, will be one of two native Charlestonians who will tell of their experiences in the entertainment field in the "Women of Color Gallery Talk" at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Avery Research Center, 125 Bull St. The event is sponsored by the Charleston Chapter of The Links, a national support group for women of color.

Leading the discussion will be Campbell and documentary film producer Lauren Waring, who produced SCETV's "A Bridge to Nowhere," among other documentaries.

The two women will share with the audience their myriad experiences, including any particular challenges that women of color face in the entertainment industry. A sampling of documentaries focusing on the history of South Carolina also will be shown.

Campbell grew up in Wagener Terrace and worked behind the scenes in theater presented by Spoleto Festival USA. After graduating from Bishop England High School, she attended Fisk University for two years before winning a Millie Lewis modeling contest that sent her to New York and Paris.

In 1985, while she was working as a stand-in for "North and South," the television film's crew asked her to join the costume department, where she served as an intern for six months as they traveled around the South shooting the movie. She also worked on period films such as "Scarlett," "Gettysburg," "Sommersby," "Glory" and "Daughters of the Dust," which also was shot in Charleston.

For 12 years, Campbell divided her time between Charleston and New York, and for the past 11 years has been based in Los Angeles, where she won a 2007 Emmy Award for her costume design on the top-rated television show "Dancing With the Stars." Since Jan. 2, she has been designing the costumes for "The New Daughter."

"It's been really great working with Kevin Costner," says Campbell during a phone interview while on the set near McClellanville, where she will work until Tuesday.

"It really worked out great since I was able to interview for the position while visiting my mother (Sandra Campbell) over the Christmas holidays," says Campbell, who still considers Charleston home and has a house here. She also rents an apartment in Los Angeles.

To start the arduous task of coming up with appropriate costumes for "The New Daughter," Campbell carefully read the script, then met with the director and then the actors who will wear the outfits. Oddly enough, the actors have a great say in some of the fittings.

"There's input from many people," Campbell explains. "It's a collaborative effort, a mixing bowl of egos and opinions, and everyone brings something to the table. Then, I take the information I've gathered and select the styles and materials for the clothes, and of course, get the best tailors possible who will make them."

She adds, "I always feel I have to come up with a really great product, and in this film, I feel that I have."

Waring is a graduate of the University of South Carolina Honors College and is studying for her master's degree in arts management, which she plans to receive in 2009 from Columbia College in Chicago.

Working behind the scenes, Waring has served as a producer's assistant with television's "Wheel for Fortune," starring fellow South Carolina native Vanna White, and was an accounting clerk for George Clooney's latest film, "Leatherheads," shot in Greenville. She also has worked as an executive and consulting producer and production coordinator with USC and SCETV.

Saturday's talk is free and open to the public.

Courtenay Budd

A complete rendition of Aaron Copland's opera "The Tender Land" will be performed by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra during the Backstage Pass at the Sottile Series at 7 p.m. Friday at the Sottile Theatre. Scott Terrell will conduct.

The opera's libretto, written by Horace Everett, follows Laurie as she graduates from high school, falls in love, rebels against her parents, has her heart broken and eventually leaves home to begin her life as an adult on her own.

Taking the leading role of Laurie is acclaimed soprano Courtenay Budd, who has performed frequently with the Bank of America Chamber Music Series at Spoleto Festival USA.

Critics have noted that beneath the obvious story are messages of truth regarding generational differences, rural culture and the uncertainty of the future.

Set in a Depression-era Midwestern farm town, the opera, composed between 1952 and 1954, uses classic Copland music featuring melodies that conjure visions of square dances and hymns.

Of the music, Terrell says, "The tunes are very memorable; one in particular, 'The World so Wide,' comes very early in the opera and is an aria sung by Laurie."

He adds, "It speaks of her naivete and of the wonderful things the world has to offer. But dissonance at the end of the opera speaks to a new Laurie, one of maturity who looks forward to her adult life."

Budd and tenor Jeffrey Picon, baritone Matthew Burns, mezzo soprano Jessie Hinkle, baritone Michael Mayes, soprano Mary Hubbel and tenor Martin Nusspaumer are presented by the Southeastern Festival of Song, an organization based in Georgia.

Tickets are $15-$27 and $5 for students.

To purchase tickets, visit the Gaillard Auditorium box office, call Ticketmaster at 554-6060 or go online to www.charlestonsymphony.com.

Pulitzer Prize

As announced last week, the play "August: Osage County" by Tracy Letts won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is still running at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway and is a must-see. Tickets range from $26.50 to $102.50. To purchase, call 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250.

Reach Dottie Ashley at 937-5704 or dashley@postandcourier.com.