THE CRUCIBLE

So our dress rehearsals start this week, and I am getting excited!  These students are very talented and they have put together some really cool publicity shots.  And some teaser videos.  And a news interview!!  I wanted to share them and give a sneak peek of the costumes:

The girls

Abigail Williams

Reverend Hale

Abigail Williams

Elizabeth Proctor

Reverend Parris

John Proctor

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TWO SHOWS...

Yep.  Two.  

It has been quite the busy past two months.  

On the one hand, the high school I am the Costume Director for has me creating costumes for 21cast members in the chilling historical play by Arthur Miller.  The Crucible.  A story of the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and the scales of justice.  My director gave me a large color palette to work with:  black & white.  I begged him for greyscale.  He agreed that the story could not be told in only black and white, and he gave me greyscale - then my world opened up.  Mr. Keat's set is VERY cool, set up like a balance scale with different levels off a center tree, with the actors only occupying certain parts of the stage depending on their character's motivations and obstacles.  What a challenging and thought-provoking way to tell this intense story.  I was limited, and simplified.  And VERY satisfied with the results.  To see publicity photos and video trailers, go here.

If you can attend this show, please do so.

On the other hand, I am costuming another show basically at the same time for another director friend who has since moved from Colorado to UT.  He is having me design and coordinate the costumes for his show.  Seussical Jr.  109 students, double cast.  (Btw, the only way to do this is to have a parent volunteer in charge of everything on the other end, and to have a friend haul 5 huge trash bags full of costumes to her so she can coordinate all of the fittings and such.  And to email like 5 times every day...) 

Polar opposite shows, you say?  Well maybe at first glance.  But if you know the story of Horton Hears a Who, which is the main theme of Seussical Jr., you will know he endured rather a witch hunt of his own.  I mean, the story of a sensitive misunderstood elephant who hears a Who on a speck of dust and cares for them while ridiculed by all the jungle bullies, then told by the judge that he is crazy and the dust speck must be boiled??  Heart-wrenching, yet set to awesome music and choregraphy...

If you are in American Fork UT at the junior high in November 15-22, go see it.  And take some pictures for me.  Or a video.  And say hi to Mr. Reynolds for me.  He is awesome.

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SWEENEY TODD is coming...

Ok, I have finally figured out and am prepared to state what has become the obvious: the two weeks before Halloween are by far my busiest of the year!  Usually it is just Halloween costumes that I am working on, but for the past few years, I have added costuming for a musical to my busy October playlist.  This year, the high school I work for bravely decided to do "Sweeney Todd, High School Edition", and open on Halloween weekend!!!  It has been a blast.  I love these students and parents and directors I get to collaborate with.  It was an awesome experience.  

This musical came out in 1979 on Broadway, and the 2007 movie starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter (directed by Tim Burton) has made it the cult classic it is today.  Did you know Johnny Depp took singing lessons to do this film?  

This musical stretched everyone's skillset and I believe it was done quite well!  I wish all of you could see it.  And if revenge and barbershop murders are not your cup of tea, then just to appreciate the set, the music, the choreography and the costumes.

My latest show - we are opening tomorrow night (Halloween weekend) and will show for two weekends!!

This wonderful piece of art was created by one of the cast members, Peyton Fleming, (who was also one of my costume crew for Singin' In The Rain) and I really feel like she captured all of my designs quite nicely. The talent in these kids is so amazing.  

One of the Ponderosa Theatre students and cast member as well (Joe Zahorik), has put together this trailer for our production of Sweeney Todd, High School Edition.

After opening night (sometime, after I recover from dress rehearsals and get a few winks of sleep), I will share pictures!!!!!   Here's a small taste...

Here is a sneak peek of one of Mrs. Lovett's costumes.  The is the back of a skirt.

Mrs. Lovett (Emily Marrs), Sweeney Todd (Jackson Winn)  and I.

More students (designed by another costume crew girl) created these sweet "locker tags" for every cast member, crew member and all the directors.  Aren't they awesome?  I will keep it forever!  It is currently hanging on my studio door at home.

Stay tuned for more pictures!  And if you are in the area - please come see our show!



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SINGIN' IN THE RAIN costumes: DON LOCKWOOD'S "RAIN" JACKET

Probably the most popular or at least well-known scene from "Singin' In The Rain" is the scene where Don Lockwood sings.  In the rain.  Am I right?  Even if you have never seen the movie or the play, you know the song.  

Here is our cute Don Lockwood, he let me quickly shoot this pic between scenes.    He is such a great kid - and he had CRAZY costume changes for his character.   I  never saw anyone work harder!

Google images:  from the 1956 movie with Gene Kelly.  His classic belted grey flannel suit  is iconic, to be sure.  What's funny though, is that if I wanted to get good pictures for design details, I could not get them very well from this scene.  But what I discovered was that those original costumers played a cute trick on all of us.  This suit is worn by two other characters before Don's rain scene.  The director Roscoe Dexter wears it and the producer R.F. Simpson wears it.  (It must have been a super popular style and they all wanted one...)  Anyway, I got the best details from those characters.  Don't believe me?  Go watch it for yourself!

   

There were no versions available of this suit jacket anywhere, online or otherwise, so I knew I would have to create it myself (so sad... ;).  I found a suit at the Goodwill for $10.99 that was huge so I could alter it down, and use fabric scraps to construct the important details.  This suit would be getting wet at least 7 times, so I made sure it was not made of wool, or it would definitely be ruined by all the water.  I tried it on our actor, and made the markings I needed.

I first hemmed the suit pants to fit our actor and cut off the excess, then pieced them together into a long strip.  This would become the belt.  Not shown, but I actually cut it in half again longways, and sewed those strips together to make a really long skinny strip.  Then, I cut an identical size piece of dark grey denim, and sewed it to the back to create my stiff belt.  You'll see more of this in a few steps.

I cut off the sleeve hems and removed the buttons.  I will make cuffs from these pieces later.  Then I turned the center front under.  To make a new center front that not only fit better, but was now higher, to look more like 1920s.  I folded under the hem to make it a little shorter and hit the right place on our actor's hip, to look "right".

Before I officially cut anything off, I soaped (my version of chalk is soap chips) out my character "lines".  These were details that would have been part of the original coat pattern but I had to "apply" them to make it look like it was done that way.  I made sure the new bottom hem was going to be perfect, and that what I cut off would be a wide enough piece to create those said chest pattern details.  I checked that my belt piece would go around and overlap like I wanted it to.  Yep - check.  Now to cut everything off.

Here you can see the hem cut off - I serged that edge and turned it under, then topstitched it down.  The sleeve cuffs are attached and topstitched at the edge to keep them standing up (Yah, it's not pretty construction that I normally do, but it's costuming, you can get away with that...)  The new center front line is stitched in place.  I pressed the new collar roll line so it looked more natural to be higher.  

Then I added the belt.  All important for the right "look".  You can see I backed that strip I cut off earlier from the hem, with a stiffer denim.  I created a nice pointed end for the belt overlap and that is where I started my wrap around the jacket waistline, leaving a little hanging off, to start.  I just pinned it every few inches, then when I got around to the other side, I tucked it under the center front and stitched it down.  

Here are those details finished.  Also, I added buttonholes, then buttons later.  And remember when I had the bottom hem folded under and said that I would use what I cut off to make those "details"?  Well, that narrow cutoff piece became these cool strap-things that flow from the shoulder into belt loops - cool huh? 

I don't know why but this upside-down view helps us see the details better.

Whaddya think?  Not too shabby a transformation for a Goodwill suit, eh?    

And he is just a marvelous Don Lockwood - he does the suit proud!

Let's see him in action, singing in the rain...

No wonder Kathy Seldon found him irresistible, right?!

{FYI, I was the Costume Director for Ponderosa High School's "Singin' In The Rain".  This play was directed by the fantastic Geoffrey Reynolds - look for us on Broadway one day ;) ;) }



Thank you for joining me on my costume journey...stay tuned for more!

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SINGIN' IN THE RAIN costumes: SPIDER WEB DRESS

Wow, the first performance weekend of our "Singin' In The Rain" at Ponderosa High School Theatre has gone beautifully!  Really this is a stellar cast and crew and set of directors - I am so lucky to be working with!

I wanted to share one of my favorite dresses (it is hard to choose however, which one dress was the most favorite - that's like picking your favorite child when you have 6 of them.  Although, there are days...but I digress!)  

There are certain pieces I wanted to be just right for this play.  Iconic dresses and outfits that scream "Singin'" if you know what I mean!  Anyone who loves the movie or the play wants to see key things lit up for them - it brings joy and satisfaction to the viewer or audience member and my job as Costumer was to get those things right as much as I could!

Google image: Olga Mara's Spider Web dress on the red carpet in the opening scene is one of those iconic eye-catching pieces representing the outlandishness of the flapper era.  

So I set about to create my version of this showstopper. 

I found this dress for under $5 at Salvation Army.  It had "good bones" and a bit of a plunge neckline, backless to boot.  Perfect base for my dress.

I marked off lines with a soap chip for fringe placement.

Close-up view of my fringe lines.

I started by adding my first layer of black fringe - a fabulous 10" chainette fringe that I found only at Dove Originals Trims.  This was attached to the bottom hem of the dress. 

Then I added layers and layers of 4" black chainette fringe to all my soap lines.

Making the spider web was the trickiest part.  I drew out what I wanted the spider web to look like.  At first I tried knotting with a rayon cording - and it just did not hang right.  Then I tried a rhinestone trim that I had laying around from a previous project.  I thought maybe it would read well on the stage and catch the light to reflect it well.  

I tried sewing each intersection but it was a pain and I did not feel it would be secure.  So out came the glue gun.  I put globs on the front and back where they overlapped.  It dried clear and looked OK.  

So the spider web was going to be in back because that was my biggest area to work with.  (I couldn't really do quite the plunge in the front like the original - it's a high school show after all, people!)  Plus, I actually just thought it would look cooler with the spider web in the back.  

The front piece had it's own story: I made this piece at first, then the actress and I decided it would be hard to get in and out of the dress if we attached the front piece, so we gave her a cool beaded necklace with tons of strands that resembled the fringe.  But it was all plain and black and boring really.  Then the next rehearsal we both showed up and she really wanted the rhinestone front piece and so did I!  So we only attached it partway so she could get in and out of it and just attach the other part of it with safety pins each time.  A little extra work but worth it for the look!  I love it when little things like that fall into place!

Here she is, in all her Olga Mara glory!  This is the costume room.  She was great!

Rockin' the fringe!

Love the spider web on the back!  It's flexible enough to move with her as she dances.

Loved her attitude as Olga Mara!

Awesome!

Now time for performance!  Here are some pics of the scenes starring this beautiful girl and showstopping dress!

Her proud mom taking a picture onstage after a performance well done! 

THAT was fun!  Stay tuned for more...




{FYI, I was the Costume Director for Ponderosa High School's "Singin' In The Rain".  This play was directed by the fantastic Geoffrey Reynolds - look for us on Broadway one day ;) ;) }

I link up to these parties. ~If you are interested in receiving updates and future posts from this blog, please sign up to "FOLLOW" on the top right of this page. Let's keep in touch!~