Opening Night

It has arrived. Tonight the show officially opens, and as I skipped out on preview, I feel slightly obligated to attend tonight. Please there is snaking a schmoozing do to afterwards. And always thanks to pass around (especially to my fabulous wardrobe crew).

Last night I did skip out, due to the fear of an inappropriate crowd. Many of the actors were nervous as well, some to the point of wanting to cancel a preview performance. But you need a first audience, regardless of how immature the previewers may be (all of the Mason Gross Theatre Students, both graduate and undergrad--shocking to think of a college crowd as immature). By all accounts, the show went off wonderfully. They laughed when they needed to and reacted less to the actors and more to the characters--a first, especially given that these are their peers on stage, not to mention one gentleman is in a dress and another does a strip dance. I was told Rico carried himself with such dignity that it would have been challenging to laugh at him.

Instead, I viewed Parson's dance company again, although only 3 of the 6 pieces were ones we had already viewed. It was an interesting experiment: seeing how well some dance worked from the front row verses the balcony. David's Wolfgang piece was much more successful from afar. Granted, his costumes were beautiful, but at a distance they were not as distracting (never, ever put shiny burgandy velvet panties on your dancers unless you want to call attention to their butts and midriffs when they twirl--they should have been in matte leotards underneath the bodices and skirts). Caught was just as effective from the balcony, though it took a second longer for my eyes to adjust to the strobe light this time. Hands was better up close, but the dancers also felt slightly off during that piece. William Ivey Long's costumes for Scrutiny were the most boring out of the bunch. Effective, yes, but with that name you expect a little more glitzy and showy than black tank tops and black pants. David's piece to the Dave Matthew's Band was run of the mill for dance and costumes. Ellen's right--the clothes (modern) were a 50 year old gay man's interpretation of what is young and hip. They all looked fabulous in their jeans though. I was glad I went though.

Let Tech Commence

Dress rehearsals have begun...as have the headaches. No major problems yet. All of the costume changes are going smoothly and I have a wardrobe crew with enthusiasm and cool heads. A pure joy to work with. Most of the changes are notes that can be fixed during shop hours. A few suit alterations which may take a bit of time, but again, nothing too major. However, we have only done Act I. Act II has a few very fast quick changes, but fewer costumes in general...ones that I'm more pleased anyway. But in the meantime...I have managed to draw for myself. I little punk girl named Rooster. I think she's too overtly sexy for her own good. Listening to Gwen Steffani and seeing previews for Aeon Flux has put me in an odd place artistically. Or maybe I'm just tired of making women out of men.

Bagel Saturday and Glutton Thursday

If this holiday has shown me nothing, I have seen how wasteful our society is. How do we celebrate the bounty and blessings of having enough to eat? By stuffing ourselves stupid and throwing away the leftovers. I had the opportunity to witness this phenomenon twice over. Thanksgiving day, of course, but again today, on Bagel Saturday.

Bagel Saturday is a tradition of the Rutgers costume shop. The day before first dress, all of the shop assistants come in to finish the work for the show. We gather around 9am to eat bagels, fruit, cheese, and whatever other munchies our professor, fellow students, and shop supervisor may provide. By 10 o'clock we usually get down to work, taking frequent breaks throughout the day to peak into the conference room for more food. This continue until all of the work is done. The longest bagel Saturday I've been to so far was Doll's House--8:30 pm. We just missed that deadline--most of the work was done by 7:50 tonight.

But food was wasted. Sure, the loaves of bread, bagels, fruit and some of the salad was divided up among the other students to take home, but the soup, which did not go over well with most of us, was dumped down the drain. Perfectly edible, but an acquired taste. Is it a coincidence that the Asian students tend to be the least picky and thus least wasteful?

Thursday, despite the glut, was a very good Thanksgiving. We cooked a la A&P Supermarket. By we I mean, Ellen and our two Korean classmates. A lot of food for four people, but we ate well, divided the food and are still eating well. A burnt pie ended up in the garbage, as did the congealed remains of the stuffing and the partially picked apart carcass of the turkey. I could have rescued more meat if I tried.

While I enjoy spending such holidays with friends, I certainly miss my family (and soon to be family).

Preview? Two Weeks? Ha!

Two weeks to preview. And I don't have to go to the East Village to find a new accessory for our male dancer. Nor do I have to cry over miles of poorly pleated silk organza. Or second guess the overall look of the show. Everything has arrived in the shop (minus the tuxes coming in on Tuesday). Budget is no longer an issue with so little left to buy and all of the returns. Last round of fitting on Tuesday and then, after the turkey induced stupor, we go into tech. I'm all a-tingle. After the show closes, there is only a portfolio review and a flight. Two weeks of family and friends (and a whole lot of fiance).

And I'm taking the evening off to see Harry Potter.

Never-ending pleats

Today I became the bearer of bad news. It is a bit of a thrill actually. First the bomber that $&@*ing bomber jacket. It could be leather or it could be grey, but not both. That and the idea of grey scale to make a person appear to be part of a different world (or in this case a figment of the character's imagination--I don't know about anyone else, but my figments aren't grayscale--full blown color with detailed tattoos, thank you very much) doesn't work. And the budget restrictions of course. We're pushing a cushion of about $200 now. I need to save some for tech, and for dry cleaning.

The director was very accommodating in this situation.

Bad news #2: Promise me if you drape or build a garment you actually look at the rendering or ask what fabrics to use. Our top stitcher in the shop (also one of the best designers in the program at the moment) did her own thing and had to redo the waist on her dress. I thought she was going to kill me when I pointed that out.

Bad News #3: Pleats. Pleats gone haywire. The wedding dress is suppose to have a petticoat/ underskirt with three tiers of tightly pleated organza. Pleating that apparently cannot be done beautifully in our shop with our equipment. So bad news for me. With no budget left, we cannot send it into the city to be professionally pleated. With no budget left, we cannot buy new fabric. I could come up with an alternative petticoat. Or go over budget. Either way, the poor theater practice student (i.e. practicum) spent four hours pleating fabric that will have to be undone.

Bad News #4: Maybe there wasn't any more. I just felt like the dark storm cloud all day today.
On the bright side, I slept for ten hours last night and am second guessing my designs less.

Sunrise, Sunset

I witnessed both today. It's very disturbing how dark it is and how late the sun actually rises, even after day light savings ends. I don't think the sun peaked its head until almost 6:30. But it certainly got bright quickly when it did come up.

Thanks to the shenanegans and distraction provided by a fellow costume major, I made it through the night intact, though battle weary. It took a while for the effects of the midnight diner run to wear off. Diner food seemed like a good idea at the time...

David's class went well. Still think he's too linenant on my work. I know this project was well below par for me, yet I manage a high grade. I dispise the favoritism that seems to occur with certain professors. At least David gives honest feedback, regardless of the grade. Nine full color renderings for the first scene of Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets for next week. If I can finish reading the play tonight I'll be in a good spot. If I manage six hours of sleep all the better.

Third round of fitting with our actor palying a woman today. Without the aide of the shop supervisor. One of the new grad students is lacking in basic stitching abilites and it shows in the dress he tried today. It's frustrating to see a decent mock up of a garment progress into a trainwreck like that. Especailly with the shop supervisor's eagle eyes missing. His other items went well, but I've reached the point in the process when I begin to second guess everything and see the limitations of budget, time and expereince take their toll. But on the bright side, three dresses (two of them the wedding dresses) were cut today, the second major round of fitting sis just around the corner and only accessories (and a grey leather bomber jacket) need to be hunted down.

Things are looking up, as frustrating as life is. I'm sure the rest of the week will go swimmingly, until Sunday night when I find myself still painting in the office at five in the a.m. And I will be seeing two Moliere pieces nect Saturday. Which means I need to stay on top of thing for the rest of the week.

Bit of Color

I'm on the eve of another all nighter...prepping myself for the long hours to come. However, I do feel much more inspired to work on David's homework. I attribute that mostly to the avoidance of problems that occured to me while watching a rehearsal of Audrey.


Quick changes aren't the issue. Dad looking like a woman isn't the problem. The bachlorette party--the director's open to changing the choreography if need be. I want to sit down with the script again and really focus on the changes...two of the character really need to have them down pat to keep the show moving. And I'm starting to doubt some of the choices I've made, mostly concerning the hard to find items that I needed to "settle" over as nothing more appropriate showed itself. So in theory, my disappointments and concerns are a matter of circumstance and not poor design...not worth beating myself up over...but I've found the theatre to be full of masochists.


On a more colorful note, I tweaked the portfolio shots of my dress from Doll's House last semester. I had forgotten how blue that thing was! Color always seems to cheer me up...ironically not when I wear it, just when I view it. I still find more comfort in my blacks than in a brightly colored shirt. Maybe that's why I've had an inclination towards fall. It may be my favorite season, but is the most emotionally taxing season as well. Even before grad school began. I blame the lack of light, though it would help to hae a little family support on the East coast. Well, we all live with the choices we make and I only have to struggle through for another year and a half.

Next Saturday, again because of the masochist in me, I head back into NYC for the fifth weekend in a row. I doubt the homework load wil be any lighter, but I fully intend to enjoy myself this time. Columbia University is staging two Molieres: Scapin, which we will be doing at MGSA next semester, and The Misanthrope, one I don't believe is staged too often. Given what I've heard about that program, both shows should be good. And if not, at least I've seen some more theatre. If I didn't have tech the following weekend I'd probably head up again to see Light in the Piazza or Sweeney Todd. There will be plenty of oppurtunity before the semester's end, I'm sure.

Shopping Spree

The show's going surprisingly well, though I have to make yet another trip into the city to finish shopping. Trims this time--the pricing part of any show. Today was another marathon day of driving through rush hour traffic, dodging little children mulling about the mall and shuffling through overstuffed racks. It's funny how the second round of shopping usually yields the better results. Let's hope the pants fit the actor this time. All I'm saying is the costume shop will not need to be doing any special padding for the bachelorette party scene.

The character playing Audrey's father is looking more feminine every time we have him in for a fitting. When I saw the cast list I groaned at the actor they chose--a larger, very masculine man. Extra attention was placed on the undergarments, which turned out looking very natural, and not terribly garish under the clothing. The dresses flatter as best they can (and the one both he and his daughter wear looks stunning one the daughter). In the fitting, the actor very quickly gets into character. His hands flutter lightly, He stands a little more upright, chest slightly foreword, with a look on his face that seems to say "I thought I could be prettier than this." Just two weeks left until the show moves into tech. We're actually in a pretty good spot...until you realize we loose three days to Thanksgiving.

No wallet yet, though I did finally check the car I was in the last time I had it...to no avail. Nine hours of sleep last night...roughly the same amount as the rest of the week combined. Once I make it through Thanksgiving, the light at the end of the tunnel will reveal itself. I already have the plane ticket.

Hot Air

Well, some tropical air and come to think of it the hot air died out fairly early. I just received an email from an Aunt in Oregon reminding us of our relatives in Florida. I hear about the destruction Katrina caused, and the fear of Rita and the passing of Wilma, but it never occurred to me that my extended family in Florida had been hit. All's well from the update, though a bit shook up.

The other hot air was the discussion I was prepared to have with the director about the stripper. I bounced my thoughts off of several people (with a more gossipy and complaining manner than I should have been discussing the problem with). Everyone seemed to agree...the guy's strip show was less about the tease and more about the end product. Our director seemed to have the female burlesque world stuck in his head. Despite gut reactions from several people (I was disappointed to discover none of the people in question had ever witnessed a male strip show that wasn't on screen or on Broadway a la Full Monty), I did what I should have done when the issue first became an issue and did the research. Regretfully, I do not have the time or finances to witness the show first hand. I did the next best thing--called up an agent in New Jersey to discuss male strip routines and costumes. It took a bit of coaxing to convince him I was not trying to book a show, but researching for a production. In the end he confirmed what I thought. The costume didn't matter so much as what was underneath. The clothing itself is fairly run of the mill...shirt, tearaways with the flavor of an occupation...etc. Very little tease involved.

I talked to the gentlemen, visited their site to print off images of their shows (mostly guys already down to their pouches), and prepared for a fight. Turns out our director had stewed upon the same problem. When I approached him asking to discuss the stripper he was very open to talk. I mentioned research and he was all ears. I stated the lack of tease and the forceful, in your face quality and he was sold. Exactly what he had been dwelling on the night before. It hadn't been sitting with him right either and what he had been trying to sell to me about female strippers just wasn't working with the male stripper. We both agreed, moved on, and now I have one more sketch to do. Designs go into the shop tomorrow.

Final Designs

God Bless the scanner and photoshop. Without them, I probably would have been fighting with my paint for several more hours than I needed to. Tonight was our "final" design meeting. The verdict is still out on whether or not we have a production meeting tomorrow. I'm in a good spot as far as the show is concerned. The stripper seems to be the only costume of concern. Female strippers I don't think I'd have much trouble with. A male fighter pilot. That is the challenge. How many pieces can come off? How raunchy? The director keeps flipping between raunch and good taste. It just feels like the amount of time and energy he's putting into this one trick pony seems to inflict more harm than good on the production. It feels like he's dragging a small bit in the play into a full out production number. Granted, I love the excuse to do research, (not that I ever have the time) but I'm not sure what I've shown him will be too far from the real thing as it is. Or the number will be cut completely in the end. This is a new piece. Some drastic changes are bound to happen sooner or latter. In truth, I'm tired of looking at the same sketches over and over and am ready to start the realization of the designs. I received my budget today too. That put a smile on my face (I'm not being sarcastic--it's a bigger chunk of change than I was expecting).

David's class went over very well. I should probably pick up my grade as it is sitting downstairs as I type. Romeo and Juliet is now officially done. The main criticism: Be proud of your work. Next project: Circus.

Paint like you mean it

23 of 25 designs approved! Next incarnations will be in paint. I will be watercoloring away until Monday morning.

Put some lead in it

Pencil lead that is. Four hours of sketching later I have new costumes to show our director tonight. It looks as though I may be in a better place than our scenic designer, but only time will tell. She's building her model as I type, so given that she still has five hours before the meeting, it is likely that a miracle will occur. Regardless of the results tonight I WILL be getting some sleep. There's only so much my drawing arm can handle in one day.

I am much happier with the direction my costumes are taking, modern realism and all. Hopefully, I'll still be happy when 8 o'clock rolls around.

Androgynous

Posts may be few and far between as I attempt to struggle through Audrey. The most recent version of the script is several times better...the characters are beginning to be less the stereotypes that I originally sensed. Unfortunately, the earlier version must still be hardwired into my thinking as most of my rough sketches reflect the stereotype and not the person. I'm having such a difficult time with the Dad. I suppose the lack of experience with transsexuals may be a factor. Michael Miller lent me Cage aux Folles (the French movie, not the musical) to get ideas. Granted cross-dressing and transexuality are two different things, but it is a start. I may also be shopping with our actor and playwright on Sunday to find out what may work on him.

It is so much easier to get answers from the playwright than our director. I'm sure he has done fabulous work in other places and other times, but I have been less than thrilled with his previous production here, and with his process so far. At times during meetings I am interrupted, run over or completely ignored. I'm still not sure how much of that is intentional and how much is the result of his poor hearing. He cannot read rough sketches well; so much more time needs to be spent on fully rendering a thought to paper. Kina, our Korean scenic student, had a much more difficult time, though I don't know if she realizes how bad it really was. Language is always a barrier for her to begin with. When pushed in the right direction she's done fabulous work, but she has trouble managing our terminology, allegory, metaphor and the like. When a director states something, she tends to take it literally and apply it directly to the problem. In the end our director will get exactly but he asked for from her, but nothing that he wanted. The part that really irked me and the other designer was that the director began talking to Kina's advisor instead of directly to her, but not as a translator. It appeared as though she didn't even matter. Our lighting designer is terrified because of the abuse a former lighting designer from this program took for the director on the last production. It's such a shame to see our meetings deteriorate and painfully inch forward.

That feeling vanished in the read through. The director works very well with the actors and sincerely appears to want to produce the play Sara wrote. I'm afraid the production quality will suffer.

I am currently stalling from any other work. Tonight I should be up to eyeballs in paint again. Only 13 full color for David this time around. And 8 corrections to make to my rough ideas for Romeo and Juliet the Ballet. Audrey will certainly take up more time. And the makeup class needs two weeks of assignments graded. One step at a time. A few short nights last week, but this should be manageable. If you don't see any posts next week, you'll know it wasn't.