Humans Off Social - Debra Weber
Debra Weber: Film, Theater Wardrobe Supervisor, New York
The first thing you need to know about Debra Weber is that she’s a behind the scenes rockstar. She has been doing amazing things in the film, tv and theatre industry for the past 45 years (more on that in a bit). And somehow, I had never heard of her before beginning research on this podcast.
That’s what hooked me, that’s what Humans Off Social is all about. Every human that I want to bring on this podcast is someone who is doing really cool things but has never told their story on social media.
“And it sometimes makes you uncomfortable to be out in the front. Like ‘Wait, I never really thought about it’” says Debra, smiling as I tell her about my idea.
Introduction
An introduction to Debra - she was most recently the wardrobe supervisor at Weekend Today on NBC and assisted on the Today Show several days a week. Over the past 40 years, she has worked as a stitcher, dresser, costumer, and wardrobe supervisor for some of the biggest productions across television, film, and broadway. Her accolades include working for Penn and Teller on Broadway, The Sopranos, The Cosby Show, Ghostbusters, When Harry Met Sally, and The Tony Awards, amongst others. She has worked with actors and producers like Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Bill Sadler, and Ron Howard.
Despite her involvement in so many great people and projects, it is hard to find much information about Debra. The only things that show up on a google search of her name are her IMDB page (interestingly without a bio or display picture) and her Instagram account (if you really look for it) with 425 followers at the time of writing this article.
Clearly, she is not one to publicize her success. But, there is no dearth of interesting stories and valuable lessons that she has to share. It’s time to hear her story.
Who are you, Debra?
In her own words, “I’m a Wardrobe supervisor, stitcher, dresser, costumer - basically related to playing dress up in film, television, and theatre. For the past 25 years, I’ve worked at the Today show, while doing other things here and there. You know, a film one day, a broadway show for 6 weeks, so on. Sometimes I don’t sleep for months or have functioned on minimal sleep because you know, sleep is for wusses.”
Debra has been working in wardrobe and costume for 45 out of her 65 years.
Ironically enough, she is currently out of work, as the industry she lives and breathes has come to a stuttering halt because of the complicated times we live in.
How Debra got into her field.
Debra was born to parents who were both theatre enthusiasts - and from an early age, her family would regularly drive the family to NYC to see actual broadway shows.
Debra tells me about the overwhelming sense of wonder she would have while watching these shows as a child. All the glamor of the stage actors was attractive to her. “My mother had a weird habit of collecting theater programs, and I did the same. So people call it hoarding, but it isn’t” she remembers.
Play-acting and “being dramatic” as she puts it, earned her the nickname of “Sara Heartburn” at her home - after Sara Bernhardt, an popular stage actress from the late 1800s. This was symbolic of the direction she would soon find herself heading in.
The Pursuit of acting and switch to costume
The inklings of Debra’s interest in costume could be found through her childhood when she would cut bedsheets, make little outfits for her dolls. Her parents used to be frustrated with the sheets all torn up and didn’t realize that their little daughter was behind it.
“One day, I was caught red handed when one of my dolls had a dress that perfectly matched one of the torn bed sheets - well, who knew that would have been the start of a lifelong career in fashion” she recalls.
But Debra always envisioned herself as an actor while growing up. “Just from watching tv and thinking ‘I could have done this better’”, was what inspired her to try acting.
During her high school days, she was a part of a few plays & ended up helping with the costumes more than the time she spent on the stage as an actor. She went to college as an acting major, & again she always ended up in the costume shop more. She soon came to a realisation. “You audition for acting roles, and a lot of times you don’t get them. But people always need help with costumes and you could volunteer for that just like start working.”
This fact became more evident to her after college. As she started losing interest in going around town to acting auditions while doing a job, another path opened up in her mind.
How Debra got her first job
One summer morning, as she waited with her friends for tickets to Shakespeare, Debra decided she wanted to work on Broadway. Maybe it was just the right moment. “It was my summer break, I was in central park and things couldn’t be more New York like”. After loving the play, she decided to look for people working in the play and found Elonzo Dann, who would soon become her first boss. Not without struggle, though.
“I had been pestering the wardrobe supervisor (Alonzo). I would call him every week. Every time I worked on a new show, I used to print a new resume and mail it back to him. He finally hired me, probably because I was so annoying and he wanted me to stop.”, she recalls - quick to remind me that it was a time without email and all the convenient ways of connecting we have with each other today.
Debra also talks about what this industry is different from acting in how you get new jobs. A typical actor goes from audition to audition, hoping to get cast in a role they like. In wardrobe, once people usually stick around the supervisors they like and move with them. From her first gig, she went on to work various productions across TV, Film, and Broadway.
Listen to the full podcast to learn more exciting stories from her career.
“What’s the favourite part of your work?”
This is an important question to ask, as work means different things to everyone. “It is mostly about making people comfortable to go on TV in their own skin. It’s different in theater. You can actually feel the energy of the audience in the theatre. It’s palpable. Hearing their reaction to things, how they feel. That’s what I’m missing in the pandemic.” she says.
This was an interesting point that led us to a discussion about the current situation of the world: while life certainly has changed for everyone, it has changed for some more than others. People like Debra have no way of working from home, and she tells me how it feels to see The Daily Show go on without her. “At a time there used to be 50 of us. Now there’s only 2 camera crew individuals out there in addition to the hosts. Everyone is fearing that the management will get used to it.”
While things will undoubtedly change once we go back to normal, there’s hope as luckily the hosts don’t look too good on TV without their wardrobe, she remarks.
Advice and Action
And now, to the set of questions that I love to ask all guests. These are the biggest takeaways from the podcast that you can directly apply to your own life.
- What is your advice for all young people?
“No matter who you are - if you have a dream, follow it. Find someone to teach you, and
network, network, network. And remember to be kind. Don’t network with an attitude. If you want to learn, soak it all in like a sponge. And don’t forget the people around you.”
I love this thought as there’s a lot of under-appreciation around learning from other people. We like to think we know better, and often don’t see what others can teach us. And I think the quote “Your network is your net worth” is exactly correct.
- What makes people happy vs. unhappy in their own life and how they can get out of it?
“Wherever you are, is not the endpoint. You can look beyond it. This could be the day from hell, but guess what - it’s gonna be over. Maybe 16 hours from now, but it’ll be over.
You should always look beyond where you’re at, and you’ll find a better place. And you’ll be there, eventually.”
“Be in the present. Don’t be distracted. Stay on your path. And you’ll get there.”
And I think this really sums up the conversation we had. These are my favorite excerpts from all the great advice Debra gives, all of which is in the podcast.
Wrapping it all up...
Debra is someone who represents the very idea of Humans off Social, and I’m super grateful to have had her as the first guest on my podcast and bring her story out to the world. I had a great time talking to her. Listen to the full episode for a ton of more exciting stories from Debra about the different projects she’s worked on, how she uses empathy to design costumes, and how she has managed to raise a family while working as a prolific wardrobe supervisor.
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