Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: Costume shop
Breaking news: The composer is dead!
posted by Karen McKevitt on Mon, Nov 29, 2010
in Backstage buzz , Costume shop , Our shows , Prop shop
Have you seen the two features about Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead that came out over the weekend? Robert Hurwitt at the San Francisco Chronicle interviewed Jessica Grindstaff and Erik Sanko of Phantom Limb, who created the puppets, while Jackie Burrell at the Contra Costa Times conducted an irreverent interview with author Lemony Snicket’s stand-in, Daniel Handler.
I myself have been absolutely fascinated with the orchestra of marionettes in Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead, and during tech week, I managed to catch up with Erik as well as the costume shop staff to talk about how they designed and costumed these marionettes.
The show is based on the book by the celebrated author of A Series of Unfortunate Events. At the top of the story, a composer turns up dead, and everyone in the orchestra is a suspect. But, these aren’t your everyday everyones.
“The Inspector interrogates the instruments,” says Erik, “not the musicians.” In fact, the musicians and instruments are essentially one and the same.
Erik’s marionettes are elegant human/instrument hybrids. Put simply, they’re instruments with faces, arms and hands, but Erik was careful not to “Disneyfy” them. The violins, for example, have an austere bone structure that’s not at all cartoonish. Erik created the heads and hands using Celluclay. “No one over age 8 uses it,” Erik says, laughing. “But I don’t use synthetics in my work.” The Berkeley Rep props department cast all the instruments over the summer.
While the marionettes were being made, the costume shop started working on their elaborate wardrobe. The fabric that makes up the brass section’s pinstripe suits is printed with the actual score from the show. Three different dye vats were used to create the parchment-colored clothes for the oboes. The violins wear corsets that form their body, while the ruffled fronts are the strings. “They’re my favorite,” says Kitty Muntzel, a draper in our shop. “They’re very girly.”
I asked Kitty how costuming marionettes is different from costuming actors. “Well,” she says, “you can stitch the costumes directly to the puppets!” We laugh. Another plus is that there’s hardly any tailoring and no intricate facing like functioning pockets.
One of the costume shop’s biggest considerations was the marionettes’ range of motion and where the strings are located. They also had to consider that the marionette’s bodies are fabric as well, so the costumes don’t slide over them the same way clothes slide when an actor raises his arm. Erik noted that the resistance of fabric against fabric was actually helpful when the puppeteers started working with the marionettes.
Most of the marionettes were dressed in rehearsal – after they had already been strung. So almost every morning, the costume department would arrive early to costume a section of instruments. Each section had to be unstrung, and the costumers had to dress each marionette in the quarters of their orchestra pit.
One of the biggest challenges in rehearsal was getting groups of marionettes, like all the violins, to stand up and sit down as a group. Each marionette is individually strung, so it takes an elaborate network of pulleys and expert puppeteers to make them all move the same way simultaneously while still being able to move individually.
The result, judging from the dress rehearsal I saw last week, is visually stunning. And we’re all looking forward to sharing it with you, so purchase your seats now before it’s too late!
Photo of Geoff Hoyle by kevinberne.com.
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Hello, Kitty! Celebrating two decades in the costume shop
posted by Chad Jones on Mon, Dec 14, 2009
in Backstage buzz , Costume shop
When she left her native Bay Area in the early ’80s, Kitty Muntzel was an artist and a teacher, with students ranging in age from Kindergarten to the golden years. She landed in St. Paul, and while touring the Minnesota Opera, she heard the costume shop was looking for stitchers to help build costumes for Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
“I thought I’d give it a try,” Kitty recalls. “As an artist, I had learned to sew working on fiber sculptures, and I had experience in taking something flat and making it three-dimensional.”
Kitty quickly discovered a love for sewing, and after a year under the apprenticeship of Gail Bakkom at Minnesota Opera, Kitty began working in costume shops around the country, from the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis to San Francisco Opera to the Folger Theatre in Washington, DC. With each new experience, her skills grew, as did her title.
In the summer of 1989, Kitty came home to the Bay Area when she became a draper at Berkeley Rep.
Now celebrating her 20th anniversary with the Theatre, Kitty can most often be found in the downstairs costume shop adjacent to the Thrust Stage. On a recent morning visit, Kitty was working amid dress forms displaying some favorite costumes she helped to construct over the last two decades.
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When Pixar came to visit...
posted by Margaret Whitaker on Thu, Oct 22, 2009
in Backstage buzz , Costume shop
...it was awesome!
Over the years, we in the Berkeley Rep costume shop have had some interaction with the tailors at Pixar. Kathy, our tailor, has an excellent book on tailoring odd bodies that they took guidance from during Ratatouille. Needless to say, a bond was formed between our shop and theirs.
There are a few things I never knew or thought about when it comes to animation. Being a fan of animated films, TV shows, and video games, I should have realized the amount of effort it takes to render clothes beautifully in this medium — doubly so because of my profession! But when I heard that Pixar had tailors, I was a little confused. But now I understand, and after you read this, you will too!
(This was explained to me last week, and hopefully I don't muddle it — Pixar lovelies, if you read this and I make a mess of it, post corrections and I will fix!)
Some of the Pixar group were tailors, and others did hair, skin, etc. The focus was largely on the body of the characters among our companions (much like it is with us). At Pixar, the tailors render the clothes to lay over the bodies of the characters. To do this, they have to take into account not only the garment that they are creating, but also the body under the garment and the accessories that may be moving freely over the garment. (So far, this sounds simple, right?)
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It's the most wonderful time of the year!
posted by Margaret Whitaker on Mon, Dec 15, 2008
in Costume shop
As I am writing this, we are underway with our preparations for In the Next Room (or the vibrator play). Following the opening of Arabian Nights, I made the executive decision to take the week of Thanksgiving off, wherein I cooked, ate and slept as much as possible. The last two weeks have been marked by a gentle ramping up of productivity, and a little bit of sick and travel. I went back down to San Diego to talk to my former classmates about Clambake last week. I was out sick for two days this week, and in fact, I am still sick, but I just can't watch any more tv or I will go absolutely nuts, so here I am!
This week is all about skill checks, gathering information rolls, and putting stuff away. We are in communication with our designer about the costumes for the vibrator play: this entails detailed discussions about how big those bustles are going to be, what the fabrics are like, and how we will deal with all of the dressing and undressing onstage. In an effort to be frugal, I am not spending money like its going out of style at Zappos; I am hoping we can reuse some of those fine looking shoes I purchaced for Joe Turner on this show. We are also making sure we have accurate measurments for the actors, and contacting some outside sources to build some of the dresses. We got a lot of dresses to build, eek!
The last thing I am doing is working on my secret ornament project for our gift exchange in the costume shop... I'll post a photo after the exchange is over... I don't want the surprise to be ruined...
Costume sketch by designer David Zinn
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Extreme makeover -- or carve inches off, the Costume Shop way
posted by Costume Shop on Mon, Sep 29, 2008
in Costume shop
The dress forms in the costume shop are crucial tools in developing a costume pattern.
Once the show has been cast, we check the dress forms in stock and match them to the actors’ measurements. Seldom do they match perfectly, so we often do some shape-shifting by adding batting, quilted fabric, and spandex to pad out the forms.
Using muslin, we sculpt the shapes of the costumes over the form to build the costume silhouette, and then use that shape to create the pattern for the actual costumes.
For Joe Turner's Come and Gone, two girls have been cast for the role of Zonia Loomis. These girls are little, and our smallest dress form is a women's size 6. We can always make our dress forms bigger by padding out, but we can't make them smaller...unless the prop shop ladies give us a wonderful gift--a foam dress form.
In this case, Janet Conery became our resident Michelangelo--but instead of a hammer and chisel, she used an electric carving knife. She started by drawing a topographical map of the areas she wanted to remove directly onto the form. Then, demonstrating Michelangelo's approach to carving (he conceived of a figure being imprisoned in the block, and freed the form by removing the excess stone), Janet sliced and diced the form to release the little girl within the woman. Seldom has weight loss been this easy!
After sizing the dress form down, Janet made a spandex cover and taped the neckline, waistline, center front, center back, and side seams with twill tape.
Thanks to the prop shop, and a little creative carving, we now have a little girl's dress form--allowing Janet to begin draping the dresses and jumpers for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
Top: Janet marks where she will remove material from the foam dress form. Second photo: Janet carves the form to match the girls' measurements. Middle left: Fitting a spandex cover over the top of the foam form. Middle right: The finished dress form. Bottom: Muslin mock-up of Zonia's dress.
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In between days
posted by Margaret Whitaker on Thu, Sep 25, 2008
in Costume shop
It's a gray day outside, or at least I assume based on it being a gray morning, and I am lurking at my desk. We are in between shows right now, not only in between the opening of Yellowjackets and the start of rehearsal for Joe Turner's Come and Gone, but also in between the prep for both Joe and The Arabian Nights, which we will be working on simultaneously.
Right now, I am working on renting costumes for Joe Turner. Primarily this entails sending a rental packet out to various theatres and getting boxes back filled with lovely things. Currently we are waiting for packages from Oregon Shakes, costume rentals at the Guthrie, and Odds in New York. I have already pulled some marvelous garments from ACT and they now rest in a holding state.
Now, you may ask why so much renting? Well, because the design for this show requires the clothes to have a sense of age and authenticity. To make that happen, it makes sense to find clothes that, well... are old and have some wear built into them. It can be a challenge to take built pieces and weave them in with these rented pieces, but the craftsperson will work to age the built pieces so they fit seamlessly into the aesthetic of the show.
I have also ordered a TON of shoes from Zappos. Tons. Granny boots, men's worky boots, all manner of boots. In the immortal words of Kelly, "Oh my god, Shoes!"
*theses shoes rule*
Soooooooo, now I wait. Wait for boxes, and boxes, and boxes to arrive.
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Now I know. It's a blind hemmer!
posted by Lynn Eve Komaromi on Mon, Sep 22, 2008
in Costume shop
A couple of weekends ago, I was leading a backstage tour for donors (one of my all-time favorite things to do as part of my job), and I got a question I couldn't answer. "What kind of sewing machine is that?" I was asked as we stood in the costume shop. I was stumped. It looked industrial, yet it had delicate thread looped through its needle. "I'll get back to you on that!"
As I start my 12th season at Berkeley Rep, I find myself still learning about all of the little details that go into the makings of live theatre. Today I learned what a blind hemmer is. Our first hand, Janet Conery, explained to me that this machine is used to make "blind" hems, the kind of hems you can’t see. I also learned it's a machine that we've rarely used despite its life in the costume shop for the past 20 years (after receiving it as a donation). When the machine is employed, more often than not, it's to make a chain stitch in long swaths of fabric more quickly than using another type of machine. Who knew?
I've also learned other things over the years--for instance, the excruciating detail that goes into painting faux tile by our scenic artist or how our props department can recreate a realistic screaming baboon simply from looking at a photo or what the actors' union requirements are for the laundering of costumes. Sharing these seemingly insignificant details help to fill in the big picture of just what it takes to make theatre. I know that I'm awestruck by it, and I often find that our donors are as well. Certainly, seeing what happens behind-the-scenes, up close and personal, gives you a whole new perspective the next time you're sitting in the audience.
Our next donor backstage tours are happening in February. I'm hopeful to get another question that stumps me, and connects me a little bit more to the life behind the scenes.
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From the Tailor's Corner
posted by Costume Shop on Mon, Sep 15, 2008
in Costume shop
Now that Yellowjackets is up and running, it's time to turn our attention to Joe Turner's Come and Gone. The Theatre is lucky to have a fairly extensive collection of men's costumes from the turn of the last century, which means that most of the menswear for this show will be pulled (taken from our already-existing stock), purchased, or rented.
However, we'll be building the children's costumes, mostly because child actors are double-cast (two children share the role and alternate performances). This means we'll need to have two of everything for them--and it's easier to build their identical costumes from scratch than try and find duplicates ready-made.
Also, after looking at the costume renderings and the actors' measurements, we are guessing that we may need to make a suit for one of the actors rather than try to find or rent it. This is where the fun begins. Normally I would start to draft this pattern, but since we have some lead time, it's a great opportunity to let my first hand, Nelly Flores, learn my tricks of the trade. So, armed with brown paper, an L ruler, a pencil, an eraser, and my favorite drafting book, Regal's Garment Cutter, I will set her loose to draw lines, plot points, and connect the dots--all the while, letting her know I'm here to answer the inevitable, "what does it mean when it says, 'Apply the strap measure to points 20 to 21 and 27 to 32?'" I love that question.
Oh, sorry, I must leave you now--I'm hearing that whimper of confusion from the corner.
Stay tuned for more tailoring fun when we turn pattern to muslin.
Photo: The costume warehouse, which holds hundreds of costumes, for all eras and sizes, is one of our first stops when we begin deciding how we'll construct a show. (Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com.)
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Where do sneakers and T-shirts come from?
posted by Margaret Whitaker on Mon, Sep 8, 2008
in Costume shop
It feels so very good to get Yellowjackets up and running. Our first show of the season is open and here in costume land all is well. I am not sure what will be interesting to you all to read, so perhaps this should be an introduction/primer to what it is like to be a costume design assistant. Let me know if this is dreadful and I will make sure to be more entertaining next time. :}
On this show, I mainly spend a lot of time shopping. I also make shiny charts and produce paperwork, organize receipts, and do returns. (On this show, I am very lucky and our lovely intern Lauren is available to pack up return boxes for me... We shall see if I can keep her for such fine tasks throughout the season!)
When you see the show, pay careful attention to the shoes. Of all the things we have spent time and energy on, the shoes may be the standout items. Some of the shoes were shipped from a mysterious website that was nearly too good to be true, and the boxes themselves came directly from China. They were dusty and beat down and well, looked like they had been transported from 1994 thanks to a certain Delorean retrofitted with the Flux Capacitor! Needless to say, they represent some of the most authentic footwear we have in the show, so please give special note to Damian and James and their excellent footwear.
One of the other things I get to do in this position is research specific items, which can be really fun! I spend a lot of time on the internet hunting down information to make sure some of the more period specific touches are as accurate as possible. Its kindof like being a dramaturg for a bit, as I try to make sure we don't make a hideous mistake and accidentally use, for example, a Rush T-shirt that postdates the play. Heavens forbid that we accidentally put up a shirt that is from '98, rather than our Rush Presto shirt that is from 1989. Test for Echo would have been a subtle faux pas but I can guarantee that there will be Rush fans who would have noticed such an error.
So that is a little taste of the kind of work that I do here in the costume shop. Tune in next time for a lively primer in 1910's undergarments and the joys of renting period clothing!
Photo of Ben Freeman (in his Rush T-shirt) courtesy of kevinberne.com.