EUGENE–Alexandra Bonds, a University of Oregon professor of theater arts, has received a $15,000 fellowship from the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) to continue her research on the costumes of the Beijing Opera.

Announced in March during the USITT annual conference in Denver, Colo., the fellowship is intended to assist members in their research and development projects and to help promote lifelong learning and creative development. The award recognizes excellence in scholarship or creative activities in the areas of performing arts design and technology.

Bonds, the costume designer for University Theatre, became interested in and began research on Beijing Opera costumes during her residency as a Fulbright lecturer at the National Institute of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan, during the 1990-91 school year.

Subsequent study in Taipei, Beijing and at the University of Hawaii led her to pen an award-winning article, organize a series of lectures and workshops for various professional organizations and museums, and begin writing a book, "Costumes of the Beijing Opera: The Communication of Character and Culture through Clothing."

Bonds, a member of the UO Department of Theater Arts faculty since 1979, plans to use the fellowship to support additional study in Beijing and to help with the completion of her book.

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