UNCSA alumnus Paul Tazewell wins Tony Award for ‘Death Becomes Her’
Paul Tazewell, an alumnus of the School of Design and Production (D&P) at UNCSA, won a Tony Award for best costume design of a musical for his work on “Death Becomes Her,” at the 78th annual Tony Awards, presented Sunday night. He becomes only the second costume designer in history to win both a Tony and an Oscar in the same year. The other was Irene Sharaff, in 1952.
Earlier this year Tazewell made history as the first Black man to win an Academy Award for costume design for the film “Wicked.”
He was previously nominated for an Oscar for his work on “West Side Story” and won a Tony Award in 2016 for best costume design of a musical for “Hamilton,” which celebrated its 10th anniversary of that show's opening with a Tonys medley. Tazewell also has an Emmy for "The Wiz Live!" (2016), making him three-quarters of the way to an EGOT, missing only the Grammy.
"Death Becomes Her" / Photo: UNCSA Dance alumnus Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Tazewell was also the commencement speaker, on May 17, for this year's UNCSA graduates, telling them to “Design boldly. Perform with searing passion. Create with great conviction. And lead with honest and heartfelt empathy.”
Three additional alumni from the schools of Dance and Drama were also nominated for Tony Awards. They include:
- Drama alumnus Orin Wolf (High School ’97) was nominated as a producer for best musical nominee “Buena Vista Social Club,” which won four Tony Awards.
- Dance alumna Camille A. Brown (B.F.A. ’01) was nominated for best choreography for her work on “Gypsy,” which received five nominations.
- Drama alumna Holly Pierson (B.F.A. ’06) earned her first Tony nomination for best costume design of a play for her work on “Oh, Mary!” which won two Tony Awards.
In addition, other alumni from multiple disciplines contributed to several Tony Award-winning and nominated productions.
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February 25, 2026