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Paul Tazewell is the talk of Hollywood after winning an Academy Award for his costume design work for “Wicked.”

Still, it was the talk Tazewell delivered to 5X���� students and others in 2017 that has the campus community still cheering for the Akron, Ohio, native, who became the first Black man to win an Oscar for costume design. Tazewell first led a master class with students before speaking to a sold-out crowd at the E. Turner Stump Theatre. 

His visit was part of the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series and followed the overwhelming success of his work on the blockbuster Broadway musical “Hamilton,” for which Tazewell received a Tony Award, and of his work on “The Wiz Live!,” for which he won an Emmy.

Paul Tazewell speaks to theatre students during a master class presentation in September 2017.

According to the , Tazewell’s advice to theatre students at the master class was to “learn how to take steps back and take 10 deep breaths when things feel too hectic” and “be a team player. Whether you are a designer or assistant, you need to know how to function as part of a team and pull your weight.”

Tazewell, 60, was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2022 for his costume designs for Steven Spielberg’s ‘‘West Side Story.”

During his acceptance speech, the designer was greeted with a standing ovation and told the crowd “this is everything.”