Springfield Community Theater Home

Lorraine Robin Penn
April 8, 1959 - February 11, 2008

Lorraine Penn, for many years SCT's premier costume designer, passed away on February 11, 20087 after a long battle with cancer. Our hearts are indeed heavy.

In partnership with Ellen Burdsall Brown, the construction guru, Lorraine designed award winning costumes for nearly twenty years in the days when SCT performed at St, Christopher's Episcopal Church. Together they traveled artistically from The Land of Canaan to the Swiss Alps, to Anatevka. From the grimy back streets of Victorian London, to Dogpatch, to Inner Space and even to Mount Olympus. They won at least a half dozen Alliance of Community Theater costume awards and in the process, all of our hearts.

Lorraine hated pink. Her battle cry was "No Pink!" She had to relent for the production of Steel Magnolias" though, because pink was written in the script. She loved what she called "grunge". Actors in rags and tatters were her favorite thing. How many times we watched her sitting on the floor in the corner with little pots of grime colored paint, brushes and her favorite tool, a cheese grater, distressing fabrics until they were just right.

In one famous incident, an actor presented himself to her in costume for her approval. Not grimy enough, she said. He was sent outside to rub it in the dirt! She buried one costume in her garden for a couple of days to get the effect she was looking for. She created two magnificent Coats of Many Colors for different productions of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Her amazing creative instinct envisioned just the right thing for every show. Her most loving creations were the real life wedding dresses she made for Ellen and Nancy Harrell.

Among the other SCT shows Lorraine designed costumes for were: "The Sound of Music", "Fiddler on the Roof", "L'il Abner", "Anything Goes", "The Threepenny Opera", "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", "Rashomon", "The Philadelphia Story","Starmites" and "Olympus on My Mind". And there were many more! She also designed costumes for The Arlington Players (TAP), Dominion Stage, and Signature Theater.

Lorraine also served numerous times on the SCT Board, and designed programs and flyers.

She was an active member of Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church and by day worked on their administrative staff. She was a Bible scholar and teacher. She designed and made gorgeous liturgical banners for the church sanctuary, designed Sunday bulletin covers and sang in the their choir. She was a member of Job's Daughters. In earlier years she had been a math teacher at local private schools.

Lorraine, we will always remember the twinkle in your eye and the wicked sense of humor that sent us into gales of laughter. You are in our hearts and are lovingly remembered.