STAGE PRESENTS COSTUMES

Custom-made costumes for musicals, plays and choir productions at LAUSD schools, with a focus on underserved communities.

"COSTUMES MAKE me feel like I'm special."

-JACK (10), RDCS

Welcome! My name is Glennis. I am a mom, costume obsessive, and voice actor living in Van Nuys, CA.

Growing up with a single mom who sometimes worked three jobs at a time, theatre was the one activity I could do for fun and for free. Being a part of a creative community became my safe space. It's where I made all of my best friends, happiest memories, and it eventually took me from Durango, CO to NYC where I lived and performed comedy for 15 years.

This discovery of the power of theatre at a young age lead to a genuine desire to pass this feeling on to the children in our community. I started by offering to help out at my son's school by thrifting costumes and sets for the 3rd grade review of Oz (The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz and Wicked).

There were zero expectations from the choir director, but I decided to try my hand at sewing a few simple garments and creating some simple set pieces. It was while re-learning the sewing skills my mom had taught me as a kid, and leaning into my skill of repurposing materials, that I had one of genuine those "A-HA!" moments -- something with costumes and kids...the vision was hazy.

Looking back on the role costumes played in my creative life, I always fall on my junior year of high school when our theatre department put on Romeo & Juliet. I had a small role as the Princess of Verona (normally the Prince) but that didn't stop a cast mate's mom from making me/us all Broadway-caliber period costumes.

I now know two things about that woman: she was volunteering her time -- we all assumed she was paid; and, doing it brought her joy.

The gratitude, the joy and the excitement kids express when seeing their costumes is unparalleled.

Ozapalooza! on Good Day LA.

With no budget and duplicate roles, I had to get creative.

I turned Dorothy's dress into an apron while Elpheba was represented with a sparkly cape and hat.

The Glinda's wore a tulle cloak and carried a hand-made wand. I covered three donated plastic crowns with pink ribbon and rhinestone trim that I pulled off a cowboy hat I knew I'd never wear.

While my ambitions were beyond my skills, I knew the kids felt special wearing what I had made just for them. So much so that at the end of the show's run after I let the kids keep their costumes, I saw many of them wearing their costumes again that Halloween.

2026 STARLIGHT EXPRESS

April of 2026, my son's Glee Club put on "Race Night!" a review of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Starlight Express.

I worked closely with another mom with costume experience to create custom-made costumes for each of the 38 children involved.

The goal was that each child felt unique despite the size of their role. The challenge was whittling down the essence of each train to convey that in costume form.