Tech...Dress...Costumes...

So I just got home from rehearsal tonight and today's was the closest it's been to the final production. We've been doing tech all week but the second run today was with all the lights in the house out and everyone watched it as if they were just an audience. It was great!

Parts that were pretty funny in rehearsal were hilarious this time around and there were little bits here and there that the actors changed, like intonations and expressions, that were great! It really felt like it was coming together. Backstage, it definitely is. We added green to Frog yesterday and after the additions of some snaps, velcro, patches, and other little things, there's not too much left to do. The Big Bear hat might change before opening but really, everything is coming together. Even the bra trick is usually fast enough! Searching for the right top for Giselle was pretty tough and overall, I think most of the shopping time went to that but the top she has now is perfect and I'm glad the color works well for Sayoko, even if it wasn't what was originally planned.

The musicians have their costumes now too and they look great! The style is great on them and the color ties in well with the set without hiding them. Commuting to and from rehearsal every night this week has been a little tougher than I would have hoped but I've learned my way around Boston and the Mass Pike pretty well, which is an unexpected perk. I think my favorite part of this whole experience has been Sydney's comment about her pajamas. It's always nice to hear that a costume you worked on is an actor's "most favorite costume ever" (and she looks adorable in it). I'm really looking forward to hearing what my friends and family think of the show after it opens.

*Paige*

Paige Warren: Holding Down the Fort

So while Miranda is away on a vacation this week, she left me with a couple assignments to work on. I'm currently in the middle of working on Sala's (Sydney's character's) pajamas and trying to think of more ways to make the illusive 'bra trick' work as well as researching different potential narrator hats.

Last week she asked me to look up "too cool for school" hairdos for Sala which was great! I'm a huge fan of Harajuku fashions (particularly Decora and EGL) so I realized a lot of those styles, which are based on little girl hairstyles, would work really well on Sala. I happen to have the Fruits and Fresh Fruits books which I went through, marking the styles that would work for Sydney, and passed the research off to Miranda.

This process has already been really rewarding and I'm eager to get back to work on the pj's. I am a little anxious since I'll be speaking in Miranda's place for her at this Sunday's production meeting but I know I don't have too much to be worried about since everyone's always been really nice and welcoming at the meetings. Next week we're really gonna dive right into building, shopping for, and painting more of the pieces as we get closer to tech week.

*Paige*

After The Quake: Paige Warren

I was beside myself nervous when I first met the Costume Designer, Miranda Giurleo, for whom I would be interning, and again when I met the rest of the cast and crew for After the Quake. I had no idea what to expect since this would be my first costuming position outside of an academic setting and it was the first time I would be working in Boston. Although I kept reminding myself that the three years I spent in high school working on costumes and the two I've spent so far in college at UVM had prepared me for the majority of my responsibilities as Assistant Costume Designer, I was nervous that I would fall short and let the designer, and myself, down.

When the time came I was relieved to find out that many of my responsibilities were just what I was eagerly anticipating and that the cast and crew have been very welcoming, supportive, and helpful. Since the company and the production are a smaller scale than I expected at first, I've found that I've been able to really focus on the business side of costuming (less of what goes on stage and more of how it got there to begin with). I can't begin to describe how amazingly helpful this process has been, especially at a professional company, and how much I've learned in just the first few weeks of working. Speaking of which, I actually need to update the Costume Bible for After the Quake now. I can already tell that this production is going to be enriching in many ways.

Paige