Ghosts
Any reputable theater is supposedly haunted. Indeed, Sunset has its share of ghost stories, although I have never seen or heard any phantoms myself.
Well, unless we count the dozens and dozens I’ve costumed, that is.
In October I designed both the adult and junior versions of Addams Family, which meant finding or building costumes for countless ghostly ancestors. Eighteen in the adult cast, probably close to 30 in the junior cast…that’s a lot of ghosts. The fun part of doing those shows was that those costumes could come entirely from my imagination. There are no preconceived notions of exactly what the Addams Family’s ancestors look like, so as long as I pulled ideas from many times in history, I felt confident that the audience would accept my choices.
There is a slightly different challenge with my latest group of ghosts (yes, add more ghosts to my costuming list!)…the four iconic spirits in A Christmas Carol. Unlike the aforementioned wildly imaginative ancestors, the spirits in A Christmas Carol are firmly fixed in most people’s memories. Whether having seen the show on another stage, on TV, or even in the Mr. Magoo classic cartoon, nearly everyone has an idea of just what the ghosts are supposed to look like.
I don’t believe that it is the job of a costume designer to simply copy what someone else has done (although, believe it or not, there are no patents on costume designs so I could copy one exactly if I wanted to), so I have been striving to find my own vision while staying true to what the audiences will expect. Jacob Marley needs to be ragged and ghostly, more on the order of the Addams Family ghosts and decided less cheerful than the Ghost of Christmas Present, who should call to mind a jovial Father Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come must be intimidating and terrifying. Those three are portrayed similarly enough in every show to help guide my own design.
The Ghost of Christmas Past has been the most challenging, especially since every production seems to portray that spirit in vastly different ways. I needed to find a look that would suit this particular ghost’s demeanor and would provide a sharp contrast to Marley, whose arrival directly precedes that of Christmas Past.
All four of these Christmas spirits definitely have their own identities and looks. I hope that audiences will appreciate each of them in their own right, and that Sunset’s newest cast of ghosts will “live” up to expectations!
Joanne Cunningham
Archive for Furlan Productions – Page 2
The fun and challenge of Victorian dress construction – by Joanne Cunningham
This season I have the opportunity to do something I’ve never done before – design costumes for shows that take place at the end of the 19th century. I have never before attempted to construct Victorian-era dresses, and am learning so much as I tackle this new challenge. Come on along to a time when clothes were far more complicated than they are now!
Victorian fashion came from trends that were popular in England (think Queen Victoria) from the 1830s to the early 1900s. With the increasing use of sewing machines starting in the mid-1800s, it was easier to make elaborate, lavish dresses that featured an extravagant amount of lace and other trims.
The most important feature of dresses of this era was the hourglass silhouette that women desired. Skirts were large – the use of hoops, crinolines and bustles helped to make waists appear small in comparison. In time, as skirts got progressively smaller and tighter, bodices and sleeves got larger to help accentuate the hourglass figure. Much use was made of boning to hold the shape, and lace and other fancy trim to embellish dresses. New dyes in bright colors were being developed to replace the old vegetable and animal dyes that had been used in the past. The result was dresses that were lovely, extravagant and fantastic.
As I am starting to build some of these dresses for SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE, I am learning that it takes miles of fabric to recreate the true Victorian style. The pleated ruffle at the bottom of one skirt took no less than 30 linear feet of fabric to make the finished 12′ long ruffle! The patterns are complicated and take some trial and error to understand, but as dresses begin to take shape I am excited by what I see.
The lead actress in our show will have four different dresses, and I am eager to see how they all come together. I have some incredible volunteers who are helping me this time around, which is wonderful. (I can’t imagine having to build four Victorian dresses on my own in the limited time I have between when I first meet the actors for a show and our first dress rehearsal!)
Be sure to come to SHERLOCK HOLMES and see the sorts of costumes rarely seen on our stage…amazing dresses in the Victorian style!
Only Four Actors. But HOW Many Different Costumes?????
Joanne Cunningham, Costume Designer
It should come as no surprise that to design costumes for a large musical takes a great deal of time. With 30+ people in a cast, and with each person probably requiring multiple costumes, a costume designer’s organizational skills are really put to the test when the upcoming show is a large one.
This is why it is a nice break to occasionally do a small show, one with only a few actors. After all, how hard can it be to costume just a handful of people?
Well….sometimes it’s not all that easy, especially when those few actors are playing a dizzying number of roles. Such is the case in Sunset Playhouse’s upcoming production, 39 STEPS.
When I offered to design this play, I assumed that having only four actors to costume would be a breeze, especially since lately I have been doing exceedingly large and complicated shows. Let’s just say that my assumptions were slightly incorrect. Between these four tremendously talented actors, no fewer than 28 different people are portrayed…and each one needs to be costumed in such a way that the audience will be able to differentiate between them and recognize them each time they appear on stage.
Many of the character and costumes changes are exceedingly quick and happen on stage, so some costumes need to be rigged for easy on/easy off changes. Do you really think that jacket is buttoned? If I’ve done my job well, it will appear so. The reality, of course, is that I am giving my utmost thanks to the inventor of Velcro, a costume designer’s greatest tool. It comes in mighty handy in a show such as this one!
In order to make sure the actors know which costumes to wear at which times, designers usually prepare a costume plot. This is a scene-by-scene listing of who is on stage and what, exactly, they should be wearing. Costume plots often resemble large spreadsheets. An actor can follow his or her costume changes across the page, using this as a roadmap to make sure that all needed pieces are pre-set in places where they can be easily accessed during the play. In ONE memorable scene in 39 STEPS, two of the actors change roles more than a dozen times. Needless to say, that’s one complicated costume plot!
Be sure to make a date to come and see THE 39 STEPS and see if you can keep track of all the costume changes. I’m certainly hoping that the actors will manage to remember what they are wearing when!
Looking for something fun to do this spring? Why not Audition for THE 39 STEPS? This hilarious show features non-stop action and will be directed by Diana Alioto. We are looking for a great cast and crew for this exciting show. Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Scripts are available to check out for a cash or check deposit prior to auditions. Auditioners will be asked to fill out an Audition Information Sheet prior to auditions; one may fill this out the night of the auditions or ahead of time by downloading the THE 39 STEPS Audition Form.
Here are the dates of the auditions and information about the show:
Auditions: March 2 – March 3, 2015 (7-10 pm)*
Performances: April 23 – May 10, 2015
Hitchcock meets hilarious as Englishman Richard Hannay encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents and devastatingly beautiful women in this fast-paced whodunit. Part espionage thriller and part slapstick comedy, four actors play over 150 characters in this ingeniously adapted homage to film noir and theatrical stagecraft.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
All the roles in the play are performed by four actors. One plays Richard Hannay; a female plays the three women in the play; and two “clowns” play every other character, including heroes, villains, men, women, children, and even the occasional inanimate object. The following is only a partial list of those many characters.
Richard Hannay: A dapper English gentleman, Richard Hannay is bored until Annabella Schmidt comes into his life and starts him on a heroic and hilarious journey.
- Annabella Schmidt: An exotic secret agent, Annabella Schmidt is in dire need of Hannay’s help.
- Pamela: A beautiful woman, Pamela is lured into Hannay’s adventure but is skeptical of his claims of innocence.
- Margaret: The wife of Crofter the farmer, Margaret is a shy young woman who dreams of life and adventure in the city.
- Crofter: A deeply jealous and suspicious Scottish farmer, Crofter houses Hannay for a night while he is on the run.
- Mr. Memory: A stage performer, Mr. Memory has the ability to recall thousands of facts on command.
- Professor Jordan: Surrounded in mystery, Professor Jordan may hold the key to learning what and who “The 39 Steps” are.
- Other heroes, villians, men, women and inanimate objects.
THE 39 STEPS is not a show that is done often so if you are looking for an exciting new production to be a part of, please consider coming to the auditions next week!
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