Bernarda Alba opened a couple of weeks ago and it was so wonderful to be back in the theatre. The content is challenging, but the performers did a wonderful job and the costume shop, as always, executed the designs beautifully. Photographer Peter Smith and Bob Berg at Michigan Media captured the second dress rehearsal so you can see the skirts (and the green dress) in action, below:
I was reminded of why I love working in higher ed:
In the shop one day as the draper, Seth Gilbert, was finishing the details of Adela’s green fantasy dress, one of the first year costume students, who has a work study position in the shop, wanted to know about my process- how did I design that dress? What came first- the specific fabric or the pattern or the style? It was so refreshing to make visible the quiet part of my design process to talk about the Why. (Answer: function came first- it had to be put on onstage easily and move beautifully with flamenco dancing. Also, it had to be green- that’s in the script. Then, I went to the fabric store. I happened to be in Phoenix where there’s a local chain called SAS and I just walked the aisles waiting for the fabric to find me :). I found this really bold black and green print that had a double border and just bought it. I took photos of the repeat and started collaging it in different ways until I figured out the design. The fabric was super cheap and almost sheer…absolute garbage fabric, but Seth worked a miracle and the thinness turned out to be an asset.)
Then in tech, another first year student with a concentration is stage management who was the light board op on the show became slightly obsessed with the circle skirts. He was baffled by how something could fall so elegantly and without bulk, but also completely flare out and serve as an extension of the choreography. He said, “I love practical math! This is so cool…” as I drew 1/2 and 3/4 circles on my iPad to show what the flat pattern looked like and how the top lace layer was cut with more fullness. I had him in class the following Monday and pulled a skirt out before the dry cleaner came by so he could see it up close.
These are the kinds of interactions and demonstrations of true curiosity that keep me coming back.
Scenic Design by Jungah Han and Lighting by Shelby Loera.