Day in the Life: Zinda Williams
Our Day in the Life series highlights individuals who make the World Trade Center campus the world-class destination that it is. See past highlights here.
If you have seen a show at PAC NYC since it opened in 2023, you have experienced the outfitting work of Zinda Williams, who is Head of Wardrobe there. We stopped by and got a behind-the-scenes tour from her as she discussed her role at PAC NYC.
Name: Zinda Williams
Title: Head of Wardrobe
How long have you worked at PAC NYC? Two years, since it opened!
How did you end up with a career at the PAC/career journey?
Zinda: I started sewing when I was ten years old and I loved it! I started in wardrobe with a dance company, Garth Fagan Dance, in Rochester, New York. I was a dance major in college, and Garth was a professor there and he knew I could sew and liked how I dressed, so he asked me to be his wardrobe supervisor and a dancer. I found out that it was impossible to do both, but it was a good way to get me in anyway.
After 13 years with Garth, I then moved back to New York and worked with Alvin Ailey and joined their junior company as head of wardrobe and then I was assistant with their first company and then I became the wardrobe supervisor for their first company for a while. I left all of that and was in wardrobe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for 15 years before leaving wardrobe all together. I did a little bit of Broadway, but it’s not for me – I like things to change, for the challenge, and Broadway is the same every night. I continued with my fashion side while freelancing.
I looked for a teaching position, but didn’t get one, and then I saw that this theater was opening. I thought this place looked great, and it was New York, and I’m a native New Yorker, so I felt like this was the place for me. Two days later, our wardrobe union posted that they were looking for a wardrobe supervisor. I applied and here I am, I’m very happy!
What is the coolest thing about your job?
Zinda: The coolest part of my job is that I get a chance to interact with some of the stars you’ve seen on screen, and then I get to work with them – asking them, “can I touch up anything for you?”
What is the most rewarding/favorite thing about your job?
Zinda: The most rewarding part is seeing if I can meet the challenge. Maybe something’s wrong with me, but I love to see if I can conquer it, so this job is perfect for me. I also love being in that wardrobe room by myself.
Can you share a fun/unusual story about your job?
Zinda: Everyone knows I am the ultimate Laurence Fishburne fan. I had met him before, and as an actor, he never really talked about his life, but in his one-man show, he talked about how he came to be. Normally, when the show is coming in, you don't get to see the costumes until they come to the building. But when he was rehearsing his show in our other building, he asked if I would come to the designer’s studio with him so I could see the costumes. I'm thinking we're going to get into a car and be driven there, but we walk to a garage, and he opens his car door for me, and I'm in the car riding with Laurence Fishburne. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was going to be someone driving us, but he was driving and we chatted the whole time. He was such a gentleman. He opened the car door for me every time.
What has been your favorite show that you’ve seen at PAC NYC?
Zinda: I loved Cats. It was very challenging, but it was so exciting. I got to work with Andre De Shields, who was “The Wiz” when I grew up. My other favorite show was Laurence Fishburne’s one-man show, “Like They Do In The Movies”.
What is one thing that most people wouldn’t know about your job?
Zinda: A lot of people don’t know that this is a union job with the Wardrobe Union. We work when we work, and that’s how we get paid. If we’re not working, we’re not getting paid.
There's a lot that goes into this job. I always say you're kind of like a housewife with no husband with this job because you're taking care of the kids, you’re ironing, steaming, setting their clothes out, and everybody comes to wardrobe with whatever question -- if they're sick, they're studying, whatever they need, they come to wardrobe, even though we don't always have it, and we try to point them in the right direction.
Watch our Instagram Reel featuring Zinda and get a peek into a day of her life working at PAC NYC. Follow us on Instagram for upcoming features in this series.
