For a consolation prize, she went to a gallery before returning to Vermont, and on the way out she passed a small fabric store she'd never seen before. Just the fabric she needed. The challenges sometimes come from the director. For The Importance of Being Earnest, director Richard Romagnoli told Emerson that he'd like to do the play in all white. This is a comedy.
Color is so important in getting across comedy.
But she did it. The palette she used ranged from white to ecru, and she worked with texture and line to add distinction to each outfit. The play traveled to Maryland's Olney Theatre Center for the Arts, where Emerson was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for her design. The creative process at its best and most productive doesn't allow for much of an outside life. Focus is the name of the game.