Professor Max Levitt Receives Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Nomination

Congratulations to new THD Costume Shop Manager / Assistant Teaching Professor Max Levitt aka Pinwheel Pinwheel for their nomination for theatrical excellence in Costume Design in 2024 for “Reefer Madness: The Musical” by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.

“Reefer Madness” was independently produced at the Whitley by a collective including Hollywood actors Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming.

Asked, how they became involved in the production, Levitt said, "I was living in LA at the time and was sent a message from a colleague that the producers for the show were looking for a Costume Designer. I'm a big fan of Reefer Madness the movie-musical, so I applied AGGRESIVELY. At the time I was working as an assistant wardrobe manager for the large-scale art installation, Luna Luna, as well as creating custom pieces for drag queens around the country.

"For the show I built dresses, wings, a giant dancing brownie, tear-away costumes, altered suits, built head pieces. If you can think of a type of clothing, I built it. I personally built the costumes for at least half the show, had some built by friends and colleagues, and sourced the rest. I was on this production for about a month and a half. I've worked on many types of shows, events, and gigs - and this was one of the most intense build periods I've ever designed."

"The show ran from early June to late October. It was at a newly renovated space, not with a traditional LA theater. It is a huge musical, done as marijuana dinner-theater.

"Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming originated roles in the original 90s LA run as well as the movie. They were producers for this production. I interacted with Kristen Bell a handful of times. This is really common for theater in LA. The scale of the theater scene is smaller than NYC, but larger than Buffalo. Many Broadway shows originate in LA, as well as having a thriving indie-theater scene."

Max Levitt is an accomplished Costume Shop Manager, Designer, and Drag Clown. Their work has been seen all over Broadway as a Fabric Dyer (Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, etc.), Film as a Wardrobe Supervisor (As They Made Us, Meet Cute), TV as a Costume Designer (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dragula, LEGENDARY), and stages across the US in various Costume-Related capacities.

They held an Off-Broadway residency at “The Cell” from 2021-2022 for their show Unforgivable Emotional Carnivore. Lasting 6 years, Unforgivable, has been seen on stages throughout the NYC metro area.

Max received their BFA in Theatre Design & Technology from the University at Buffalo (2013), and an MFA in Costume Design & Technology from the University at Missouri Kansas-City (2016).