Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

UNCSA alum becomes first Black man to win Oscar for costume design

The man behind Elphaba’s asymmetrical witch hat and Galinda’s pink bubble dress, Paul Tazewell, took home the Oscar for best costume design Sunday night. 

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts alum worked in Broadway, film, dance and opera for more than 30 years.

This was his second Oscar nomination in this category, but his first win. And, as Tazewell explained in his acceptance speech, the achievement was historic.

“I'm the first Black man to receive the costume design award for my work on Wicked," Tazewell said. "I'm so proud of this."

Tazewell graduated from UNCSA’s School of Design and Production in 1986, and is the university’s first alum to win an Oscar.

In a press release, Chancellor Brian Cole said that Tazewell “not only made history but also paved the way for future generations of artists.” 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate