The Biz of Show

Promo Photos

2012-01-29T03:02:00.000-08:00

I hate promo photos. They always look contrived. The actors usually don't have the proper hair or make up, the costumes have typically been thrown together at the last minute. Often the designer doesn't even get the chance to put the costumes together and the actor or director does the 'styling' of it. The actors are often whoever is available and they create scenes that don't really exist in the play... what I really hate is when the someone says "I want it to be organic", yea like we're hiring Pirkle Jones to come and document this event that will just be happening.

That said... I did these. I pulled the costumes, I took the photos, I posed the actors... I chose the two actors with the best hair, and actually I don't think they are ever in the same scene on stage.

I guess they look at least as good as the normal last minute stuff I see.

Research uncovered.

2011-11-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

SNL, I have found your inspiration...

Details

2011-11-17T23:43:00.000-08:00

It baffles me when the historical research looks like this;

or this;

and This is what you have made as a "romantic era" dress...

It's like the Romantic Era got wrung through Little WalMart on the Prairie.

Continuity Fail...

2011-11-04T03:59:00.000-07:00

Aww... I guess this happens to even the best of us.

Lucky for me, when actors forget to remove watches or wedding rings it isn't preserved for all time.

Great Sci-Fi Costumes...

2011-10-23T02:41:00.000-07:00

I love Science Fiction. Sometimes "alien" and "future" costumes are pretty spectacular. I think I shall start documenting it...

In this edition I present the "Edo" from Star Trek TNG, Season 1, Episode 7 "Justice"

The Edo are a sensual and peaceful race that seem to only have time for leisure and calisthenics. Sadly they have a simplistic governmental justice system that results in all punishments being death. The crew of the Star Ship Enterprise find that they cannot stay due to all their law breaking.

The Edo follow the George Lucas model of "no bras in space", and are creepily Eloi-like (a-la The Time Machine)in their identical blondness. The men's shorts show a little more information than most care to know and not in a sexy A&F sort of way. Still I have to give credit for them pulling these 70's get-ups out in 1987.

I give this an
A for Gratuitous almost-nudity
D for "futuristic look"
B+ for humor
and a
C for creativity... They all have the same jumper? Even American Apparel sells the same stupid t-shirt in half a dozen colors.
B for function within their society

Overall grade; C+

Ouch.

2011-10-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

When the sidewalk up and attacked me, I planted firmly onto the concrete, hands down. Graceful. The first thing that went through my mind was "OUCH!" but then the second thing that went through my mind was... oh my gosh, my palm, it's turning blue! The scientific excitement of watching my palm swell up and turn blue with little red specks instantly translated into "so this is what a fresh bruise looks like on the palm". I cataloged this visual artifact for future theatre productions... bruises are very useful. Sometimes it's a little disconcerting how much I know about trauma wounds and kill shots. I wonder what other people think about their fresh bruises if they have no purpose for them other than use as decorations to garner sympathy with.

How to save broken and ugly armor.

2011-07-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the breastplate we had in stock... It was essentially unwearable, had broken shoulders and looked nothing approaching 'authentic'. It was more like an interpretation of armor by someone who had never seen any.

The first thing I did was detatch the busted back and the cardboard deco from the front. Then I mended the shoulders with some thermal plastic.

Next, add a massive amount of hot glue to the holes. Then I covered the shoulder patches and front with a molded vinyl from the fabric store, and used a little piping along the edges to seal the edges... this is the point where I questioned my chances of success...

Finally I coated the body in gesso and sand, then painted it black. After that dried, I sponged gold over the whole thing.

How about that? Not so bad after all.

Problem solving...

2011-07-15T20:55:00.001-07:00

What do you do with a rented shirt that has huge ties at the neck you wish were not there?

I don't know about you but I did this;

Bionic-ish

2011-07-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

My director wanted the queen to have a metal arm...

... I think I am fairly pleased so far.

Really?

2011-07-04T13:53:00.001-07:00

Slapping the phrase "Harry Potter" at the beginning of anything seems to mean "I'm inflating the actual retail price of this thing by 300%"

Really people? Really?

Girl in a Box

2011-07-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

We are all of three days into rehearsals with Cymbeline and we just did our publicity photo shoot... Looking at the image I realized that although I don't think I've ever put a leading lady in cream before, this is the second show in a row that I am doing it for. See below; Eurydice in a suitcase wearing a champagne colored cocktail style wedding gown and here... Innogen wearing a pale gold silk ensemble in a trunk. I suppose these themes are to be expected when you design one show on top of another...

On a side note, I've started a website/online portfolio check it out at http://www.alexaedesigns.com

Ok... now back to work!

Eurydice

2011-05-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

It's late... I'm half asleep but I thought I'd throw up a quick snap of the show I'm putting up this week... hopefully a real blog post will happen this week. If I am very good and get all of my work done I may have time to even write a little bit about this show. Who knows perhaps there is someone out there who hasn't given up on me posting to this blog all-together. Perhaps. This show might turn out ok... I still have a few artistic problems that are killing me but I've got two days to work them out. Wish me luck.

SASSY GAY FRIEND - Macbeth

2011-03-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the Sassy Gay Friend yet... please... there are a bunch of them and they are Fab-ulous... enjoy!

psst. Your ignorance is showing...

2011-01-21T02:12:00.000-08:00

My dear reader. If you are unfamiliar with Othello, I can forgive you. It is a Shakespeare play and also a Verdi opera. I don't expect everyone to be familiar with Shakespeare. But Please Please if you ever think you want to name something after a character in a play, all I ask is that you read that play.

Somebody in this marketing department did just enough Googling to figure out that there is a bed in the play Othello... but what they maybe missed was the itty bitty little fact that Othello smothers his innocent wife in it.
It is the climax of the whole damn show.
Maybe this company really wants you to think of them when you think about smothering your loved ones in their sleep.

"Honey, aren't you glad I got these quality sheets with the king size pillows? Just breathe in that thread count!"

It makes me wonder what other good marketing can be created from Shakespeare plays? FTD can make an Ophelia bouquet. Oneida needs to make a MacBeth banquet set. How about a King Lear suite at the resting home? Oh so many good ideas...

Lettuce be gone!

2010-12-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

Obsession, sequins, paint, and felt... today I sent them off to be with their new show... Goodbye Lettuce!

Please never come back.

The King of Broadway...

2010-12-05T00:39:00.001-08:00

You know that guy... the one who oversimplifies things and pretends to know how everything works and how to get ahead... we in the show biz meet them a lot.

Lettuce progress...

2010-12-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a new (the fourth) lettuce jacket for a kid's show. This incarnation is made with a different fabric than the first and the client requested I make a collar that is more durable... Today I played with a new material called "Fuzz Form". It's a thermal plastic that begins like felt, when heated with a heat gun it solidifies and is sculpt-able... I'm so far very happy with the results and wanted to post a few in progress photos...

It starts out white.

I found the only way to paint it is with Design Master's Spray paint... but it looks pretty nice if I say so myself.

90% done

2010-11-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

I am down to minor tweaking to the lining... but essentially the coat is done... the beautiful blue dress was a group effort but I might mention not a small task either. Opening is on Wednesday... oy!

6:27pm Shop update

2010-10-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

First blood of the day... for some reason the center back neck is an inch too high. After adding a little padding to the shoulders the bubbles in the back seem to be solved... not sure about the front though. The coat seems to splay out at the hip level. Still scared about the size... can't do much about that until after we fit this puppy though. Looking at this post I see that my hands/nails desperately need some TLC... another day.

5:38pm shop update

2010-10-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

main bodyof jacket is together... fearful of how small it seems to be I let the seam allowance out. Also I realize that either I've been calling the actor "Ben" while his real name is "John" OR I have the wrong measurement sheet here.
Troubling

Lacking editing on my netbook I leave you to turn your head...

3:55pm Shop update

2010-10-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

This chaos will be a jacket... it will. Pieces are cut. Hair canvas is almost all in place. Center front hem facing has gone AWOL. Tune in as this mess becomes art...

One of these things...

2010-09-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

...does not look like a lace parasol...

That's it, just a random internet snafoo that made me laugh. You may continue your regularly scheduled internet browsing.

How to be free of catalogues

2010-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

There is a danger to mail order and I do a lot of it. I do a show with a nurse and I have to order scrubs. I do a show with a courtesan and I'm ordering trashy lingerie... but then I wind up with a pile of mail order catalogs that don't stop...
Not to worry. All direct mail has to give you the option of being removed from their mailing list. Even your junk mail will have (in teeny tiny writing) an opt out section. For catalogs typically you need to find the fine print section in the middle, like this;
There should be a section that is labeled "Customer Service" "Mailing prefrence" or "Mailing options" and hopefully there will be a phone number to call. Some places only have email options (which I try to avoid because then they also will have your email on file)
Now that you have found the phone number; call it and be patient. Listen to the instructions, you will most often be directed to a real person. Here's a typical conversation;

Operator; Thank you for contacting customer services how may I help you?
You; Hi I'd like to be removed from your mailing list please
Operator; okay, do you have your customer number printed on the back of your catalog?
You; Why yes I do it is {your number here}
Operator; okay I've removed you from the list, you may receive a few more issues because they are pre-printed, but none after that.
You; Thank you, have a nice day!

Be polite, be nice, they have to take you off the list.

Sometimes they will ask you why you wish to be removed (they probably have a little check box to fill out) I usually say that either I am not interested in their product or that I don't like to kill the trees. The environmental reason will typically lead to them asking if you would prefer to receive email. I think it's important to let them know that environment is a concern so I think it's okay to lie and tell them you're already on the email list... sometimes it's true.
Keep it simple, they don't need to know that I ordered four pair of mesh panties for a show because they were so awfully tacky... you're done.
sort of...
As a follow up you might want to write to the Direct Marketing company that has and is distributing your name to every mail order catalog you never want to get. Think of it like head lice; if you catch it early you'll only have a few nits to pick out and you're done, but if you let it go, they'll be everywhere.

Good Luck! Save some trees!

Don't Panic

2010-08-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

Or more accurately when your vintage 50's silk dress comes back from the dry cleaners three hours before curtian looking like this;

PANIC!
and then step 2; stop Panicking and take apart the seams so that you can lie what is left of the fabric flat.
Sometimes these things happen, sometimes fabric that looks perfectly sound will disintegrate when confronted with dry cleaning fluid... even pros miss these things on occasion. That said... upon seeing the destroyed sleeve I did have a mega-queasy feeling. This is Bad.
Step 3; gently lay a light weight fabric of a similar weight behind the torn fabric and pin down
Do Not,(Repeat) Do Not use fusible interfacing or stitch witchery... hand stitch with a single thread the patch to the back of the tatters...
Step 4; See all of this mess... I did have to trim some of it away (sob)
Step 5; After the patch is hand stitched place the fabric on a good sewing machine and use a straight stitch back and forth, back and forth without overdoing it...
Step 6; reassemble sleeve and give it a good press with steam.
Step 7; HAND WASH ONLY from now on (holy crap that was scary)

NSFW

2010-08-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

Not safe for work... unless this is your work. I had to look for some seriously racy men's underwear today, I feel a little dirty scrolling through page after page of this kind of underwear. It's for work! I swear! I also feel a little bad for laughing at a lot of the cheesy models and funny underwear. (you're not supposed to laugh at a man in his underwear)
We're looking at gingham check things, lace up jockstraps, mesh slings, butt enhancers, package enhancers, waist cinchers... quite a variety.
These three were my favorites of the day;

Left to right;
*Mesh bird print jock strap;
1. who's really going to pay attention to the print that is on them?
2. this is one of the first things that pops up when you click "underwear" on this website and Oh-my I'm still not convinced the stylist didn't just paint his penis red...

*Hello Photoshop! I wonder why they did this... was the real guy attached to this body making a terrible face? And why didn't an editor stop and say "no this looks kinda fake"

*A kilt? really? a kilt?

Ah yes, this is my job and I'm not even making porn-money... this is for a real live play that college students are required to read to deepen their cultural experience. This is for art. Really.

needs more blood...

2010-08-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

What does a night gown look like after you have murdered your husband on your wedding night? I think probably very very bloody...

Here is the conservative amount of blood... there will be more tonight I think.

Get thee to work!

2010-07-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

"Art does not happen in your plans, or your
strategies, or even your best intentions. It happens in the moment-- in
your risks, your near misses, your improvisation, and your endless
willingness to make it work, even if you're not making it perfect or to
plan. Art is a verb, it is present tense, it is here right now. A...rt
is not a mirror, art is a hammer. So pick it up and get the fuck to
work." --Cera Byer

--I'm currently in a muiti show marathon! Hopefully good fodder for posts, even more hopefully good work that gets done on time with Quality! Wish me luck!

Designer clothing on a theatre budget

2010-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Howie-- All of your shirts have alligators on them, you're, it's like you're always in costume
Solomon-- I like my shirts they--
Howie -- You don't even have a personality, you're so...
Solomon -- and it's a Crocodile, it's a crocodile so...

These stupid little crocodile patches are apparently worth $60 each. Really you can find a polo shirt that looks exactly like it except there is no crocodile on it for about $20, so that means that the other $60 it costs for an IZOD shirt must be from these little green creatures. Perhaps they are also spirit guides that will bring you to good fortune and will make you look generally more attractive to the object of your affection... there must be more to it.

Because of these lines in our current play (Speech and Debate by Stephen Karam), I scoured two Goodwills and an Out of the Closet to find these two badly worn shirts with little tiny $60 patches on them. Take that IZOD, I just bought two patches for a grand total of $11! I guess that means I saved $109 at Goodwill. Not so bad.

Carrot

2010-04-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm falling behind on trying to put up a post per show... sometimes I really have my head down and I'm just plowing forward. Last weekend I did a re-furb (meaning I had to do over) on a fantasy costume I designed last summer. In the original design I had a sequined top with a sheer green overlay as the "Carrot top" but unfortunately sequins are hard to maintain and they tend to eat fabrics in touch with them... This company needed something Very Sturdy.

Meet Spandex... plain boring spandex... that I cut up, overlocked, dyed and rearranged...

...until it actually looks interesting. I am thrilled beyond words with the outcome!

Some days you get done with a costume and think "wow, I actually know what I'm doing". Which may or may not be true, but in show biz it's important to make believe you know what you're doing, so I'm rolling with it.

Conceptual packing

2010-03-15T00:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the wasteland.

The empty desert that is February and March, often January and sometimes April... no work.

Little work.

Work that trickles in as you beg friends to pay you to hem pants and repair pockets...

and sometimes you get to alter Cristo-esque blankets that cover set pieces...

This is the season when one questions the path that has led to art as a career... and pines to tell your younger self "go into biology!" "How about you try computer programming"

Soon all of the shouting about being out of work should result in a tsunami of jobs that (hopefully) will make me wonder why I was ever so despondent about this paucity of work.

(fingers crossed)

New plays are an odd beast...

2010-02-08T23:57:00.000-08:00

I recently opened a new play called Oedipus el Rey. The story is Oedipus Rex, transposed onto California Latino gang culture. I've been living with this play for weeks. I read an early draft, thought it a rough read, and slowly as we got to opening I've seen it become a solid show worth seeing. The performers are engaging, the prose is musical and the staging is dynamic. The problem I have with it is that sometimes the transposition is too literal for the action to be fully believable in a modern context. On the one hand if you're calling your play "Oedipus" you had better have the story intact. What exactly is Oedipus king of? The ghetto? The crime business? It's not clear... and finally (spoiler here) when Oedipus puts his eyes out (I will refrain from telling you how it is accomplished in this production via blog post in case any of my five readers wants to see the show) I don't think the motivation is sufficient in the modern context. Perhaps it's a moment of weakness in the play or staging that could be fixed... but the whole end makes me think that this play would be better if we weren't so bound to the Oedipus tie-in.

There are three simple but important things you need for any play. You need a performer, content(like a story, music, action, dance...) and an audience. If you lack one of these three elements you have nothing. Usually additional elements are nice (like costumes, lights, sets, atmosphere...) but you can do a show without them.
This play retells a familiar story so that the audience knows what to expect, they come in knowing 20% of the play. The journey is in the story telling. The audience enters with a fore-knowledge of the timeless issues brought up in Sophocles' Oedipus (human kind's destiny and effort to control it, violence...) hopefully they also latch onto the modern issues it brings up as well (like California's recidivism problem or modernity versus tradition). The trouble is trying to make a modern play equally effective as a classic. Is it possible the play could be stronger without the old Oedipus infrastructure? If so, who would come to see it?
The problem may be that 'Oedipus Rex' is a play over 1500 years old and our little show is less than a few years (If we count all the time it stewed in the playwright's brain). The baby play needs some maturing, but at the same time it's important to get people to come out and interact with it for that to happen.
It is an old problem. Shakespeare and Mozart stole almost every plot they ever wrote a play/opera on top of... it is a brave old tradition to get butts in seats. There is nothing new. Not really.

Rain and Rings

2010-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Monsoon season in Northern California and I am out in the middle of it. I've got a meeting at the far end of town. First I find a parking space and trek through the rain. I wore inappropriate shoes, I don't have any other kind of shoes. I don't actually own a single pair of waterproof shoes...
Meeting.
Late.
... and we break before a run through
... back to the car with the winds blowing water into my face...

I had two shopping errands to run on the other end of the city, over the hills and through the Presidio... and driving in this downpour contributes to both a lack of visibility and the increased asshole levels of everybody driving.

My first stop was easy enough, we had ordered a wig, I picked it up... easy.

Second stop was to the more popular end of the Haight Asbury...
and I stop at the cheesy jewelry store... I am on a quest for a size 4 (TINY) ring. I have one hour to find said ring and make it back across town, through the Presidio, over the hill and across the rain swept plains (well parking lot). I must face the cranky shop keeper who doesn't understand why I would want a size 4 ring. He glares at me as though I'm about to shoplift his valuable $8.99 earrings and $9.99 rings... I tell him "I'm looking for a size 4 ring that looks like an engagement ring" he "helps" me by pulling out the tray with the giant glittery butterflies and swirly glass rings. --thanks dude-- 1/2 an hour later I've looked through half of his stock and I've found exactly two rings that look vaguely like wedding rings in a size four... this is the one I chose;

...maybe a little tacky but this character also wears a pink velour sweat suit so I figure it's ok.
I braved back across the city,
Run-through rehearsal.
Back across the bridge
... just enough time to grab a banana and set up for dress rehearsal...

It's been a long 6 hours of rehearsal and driving and I'm rather soaked from the toes to the knees.

I hand the ring to the actress...

she scrunches up her little face...
"um... I'm not gonna wear this, it's ugly"

There is a word in my head right now and it rhymes with "kitsch".

New Years Resolution

2010-01-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

Ok... here it is... I don't make resolutions usually... My Goal this year is to make at least one post for every project/show I work on this year. I would like to promise insightful and enlightening material that will blow your mind... but lets just start with a simple goal. One post per show. It may be a good story or it may just be a snap shot... but it shall happen. I hope...

The photo here is from backstage at the Nutcracker last month... it doesn't count for 2010... but be warned; blogs to come.

Tomato!

2009-10-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

I designed and built this tomato jacket for an educational kid's show... makes you want to eat healthy food... right?

No, I didn't print "Tomato" backwards... that's just how my computer's photo booth works.

Macy's Passport 2009

2009-09-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

This Year's Macy's Passport fashion show was severely cut down from last year's extravaganza. My part in it was altering these 18th Century costumes for 21st Century dancing... The men did need to have stretch pants made so that they could do the splits, and all of the hems were taken up to extreme amounts, but I think that between the movement and the lighting most people couldn't see how ugly the hems were.

"Art" Opening Tonight

2009-09-05T14:26:00.001-07:00

My latest show is opening tonight in Lafayette... The show is called "Art" It was basic men's wear... on my part a fairly straight forward piece. The script however is fantastic and thought provoking... if you get the chance , go see it, or if you're nowhere near Lafayette, look for a local production, it's a great show.

Professional Shopping

2009-09-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

I shop all day... I'm the one with the tape measure and the clip board, "I don't work here, but I can tell you where men's sports wear is, oh and they're out of this in blue..." I'm the one sifting through the racks mumbling "too old, too young, too gay, too American, too Euro-trash, too ugly, too small, uh maybe, maybe, no..." I'm the one with the three receipts and a bag of returns. I'm the shabbily dressed one who doesn't balk when the cashier says "$503.98" because I'm not spending my own money. I've got a wallet full of receipts and I hold onto the pen to scrawl cryptic notes about who gets which one... I am the professional shopper. It's bizarre, even to me.

Lettuce Head

2009-08-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie today... covered a top hat for a lettuce.
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Comedy Promo (SF Shakes)

2009-08-05T02:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the fantastic promo video SF Shakes made for Comedy of Errors... I love it because it's practically a video portfolio for me!

Plaid

2009-07-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

For my latest show I needed a suit that was made in the largest plaid possible... for about $30.
I found a suit at Thrift Town for about $20 and decided to paint the plaid!
Here's the prep... There is a procedure to it all involving placement and replacement of tape...

I did need a hat to match...

Ta Da! Plaid!

Check it out if you're in the bay area; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival!

Candy Apple Green

2009-06-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

It started with the hat.

I fell in love with this hat... I have to get it on stage... I want to put it on the mother character in the prologue...

It's a 50's hat, so I want a 50's garden party dress to go with it... and I want the dress to be plaid so that she matches her husband (trust me it's that kind of a show)... I searched and searched and no candy apple green dresses, no plaid dresses, and certainly no 50's dresses in a size 12... for one thing this is a color that isn't manufactured anymore. I mean sure you can find things "close" but if you see this fabric up close it is luminous. It's the same green they used in Austrian Tyrolean coats as well. It's green but it glows with a golden secondary tone that you only notice when you hold it next to modern greens. The modern version always looks like a sad and flat rip off next to these old textiles. Anyway Plaid; the most difficult thing you can cut a pattern out with...

...and of corse I think that cutting it "on grain" (meaning the lines would go straight up and down) doesn't look good or period enough... so my designer side has a little fit and makes my stitcher self cut the whole thing on the bias (diagonal is a really tricky way to cut things, and extra tricky with plaid)...

... and as if that weren't enough my designer self insisted that I add green ribbon to the plaid so that it would match the accessories and that glorious hat!

I hate sewing for myself. I'm also making a crinoline...

Anyways... updates to come, wish me sanity.

Look like a Pro

2009-05-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have now worked for the San Francisco 49'ers. It's a company I never expected to need me. It seems that the sports uniform industry is one that would have a full set-up that wouldn't need to call independent costume designers.
This odd job was to dress their "Look like a Pro" fiberglass figurine. The old uniform was torn from the awkward way you needed to get into it, and anyway he was wearing the old uniform.

It was interesting looking at the differences between the old uniform and the new one. Subtle things that really only a football player is ever going to notice were in my hands, as I cut it up and glued it together. The new jerseys have shorter arms, giving a better ability to reach and move arms around. The new pants were cut without a crotch seam (less binding). The new socks however are much cheaper than the old ones. Hopefully the players just toss their socks every game because the new socks are mostly disposable...

Here is the guy I worked on. We added handles to the inside,and pillows for the knees. The uniform needed to be glued and bolted onto the figure. Apparently drunk fans often will try to steal parts of it in plain sight. The guys who work at the stadium seemed to like their jobs but all found a way to mention with a groan the drunk frat boys who make their lives difficult.

After a couple afternoons in a Candlestick Park storage closet we managed to get their guy all new and shiny so that fans can get goofy photos taken.

I love that my work has so much variety to it.

Jack behind the scenes

2009-05-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone in this photo went to school and got a degree to do this.

The fellow in the swim cap can recite Shakespeare on command. The Man holding the mirror underwater for the light effect can make a palace out of plywood and foam, and the woman in the foreground has all of the major papers in the SF Bay area on speed dial... and yet here we are doing a publicity photo shoot. The Shakespearean actor must act goofy, hold his head up and "make bug eyes" under goggles for a camera 6 inches from his face, while the scenic artisan splashes water to make ripples in the water that the journalist will assess for its artistic merit.

Jack Goes Boating; Opening at The Aurora Theatre soon...

Happy Birthday Uncle Will!

2009-04-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

William Shakespeare, born 1564ish and died April 23rd 1616(or there abouts). I dare say 80% of his works are still great and relevant and keep me employed year after year. Old Chris Marlowe never did that for me. SO Happy Birth/death day-ish Uncle Will!

War Music

2009-03-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

... the new piece at ACT in San Francisco, War Music, had this promo video. I know many of the actors in this piece and they seem excited about it. Hope to attend and follow up with a review...

Orginization?

2009-03-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

These were at a small theater company I visited and my head hurt to see the "orginization" there... This is what happens when you leave things to unsupervised volunteers... Here is a sample of the problem;

Take a good look at the boxes above... Let me take a moment to explain exactly what is wrong with this;

"Cumberbunds + Suspenders"
1. It's spelled Cummerbund
2. The box also contains Sashes
3. Cummerbunds and suspenders do not serve the same function and are not used in the same outfits (the suspenders that are hard to get to amongst the Cummerbunds are going to be used much more frequently)
--Solution--
Put the suspenders in their own box, cummerbunds and sashes are ok to mingle

"Teddies, slips, bras+ tops/ Bum rolls pads, etc"
--ok this is an everything box full of things that you don't have a lot of, you are forgiven, although a box of slips alone would be useful.

"Goggles + knee pads"
1. Eew
2. actors also say "EWW"
3. anyone who has worn knee pads while working hard can tell you why this is bad. Imagine a lot of sweat, imagine crawling on the floor... now put those sweaty dirty things in a plastic bin to stew with things that go on your face... even if you had washed the knee pads before putting them in this box (which you clearly did not) it's not sanitary,
--Solution--
Put knee pads and elbow pads in their own box, and always CLEAN them before storing them.
Keep Goggles with sunglasses

"Ties + Scarves"
1. So you're putting together a nice suit for your leading man, all you need to complete that outfit is the perfect... scarf? Really?
--Solution--
Use your head, think about what you'll be needing when you reach for a tie, what it will be going with. The only thing that would be ok to have with your ties might be bow ties... although in fact I find that putting ties in a box just leaves you with a nasty tangle of ties that take forever to look through.
Hang your ties, box your scarves, ne'er the two shall twain.

--This has been a public service, thank you--

A bloody buisness... (not for the faint of stomach)

2009-03-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Every time there is a show with blood it seems there is a need to re-invent the wheel.

The problem with there not being an obvious method is that every show has a different need for effect and application of blood.
For one show the blood is supposed to come "gushing" from a wound, or the floor, or come dripping down from the skull... For another it may be a bloody nose (that is supposed to just coagulate and not run alot) The best and only kind I use for scabs and bloody noses is Ben Nye's fresh Scab.

There are different colors and viscosities.
As far as viscosities go there are bloods formulated to be pumped through tubing called, oddly enough, "pumping blood".

The pumping blood is most usually needed for "blood razors" in shows like Sweeney Todd. Here is a video a prop master made to display his version of a blood razor;

Towards the end of the video you will notice that he tilts his hand away and you see that his thumb is on the expired blood pack attached to the razor (quite a handsome design I might add)

Colors;

Varieties of colors are typically "dark" and "light" with a wide variation therein between brands. Mostly the color is chosen by where the wound is and how fresh it is ("arterial blood" is un-oxegenized and is darker whereas "venous blood" is generally brighter). Often the lights will also factor in as to how bright blood should be (if there's a lot of blue light, the red of the blood becomes florescent and darker liquid is needed).

A little tip though; blood can be made darker with a little green food color and brighter with a little glycerine or shampoo.

Some blood is formulated to be safe to have in your mouth (not ingested) called "mouth blood". There is "film blood" that isn't uncommon on stage but what makes it special is that the color is especially realistic, and there is also just run of the mill "stage blood" that is usually too thick to go through tubing at a rapid rate but still a somewhat realistic viscosity to look like a wound. Usually your run of the mill "stage blood" is best in blood packs for war wounds and hand held head wounds.

Drying is also a factor to consider. When cleaning up blood, you want it to be wet, but if an actor is "bleeding" all over the stage it makes everyone's life hard.

Many people will swear by some special blood formula that they've created but really unless you're in need of a lot of blood for a show (where the cost becomes prohibitive) I find that the commercially available stage bloods are best. Mostly because of all of the engineering that has already gone into the commercial bloods they actually do what they are advertised to do and I find that they are more consistent and don't cause staining as much as the home made variety.

Re-inventing the wheel often means experimenting with new varieties of blood in order to insure that you get the correct drip time and color for your specific scene. It also involves testing to see which kinds will stain skin;

and fabric.... you will note that I've tested three different types of fabric as well (Poly, silk and cotton)

Whenever you see blood on stage there has usually been a great deal of experimentation with types and production meetings involving phrases like;

"when you gouge an eye, how much blood does it actually contain? Would it just be clear?"

"we'll let's pretend they went all the way through into the brain"

"ok, then how oxygenated is brain blood anyway?"

P.s. Please remember stage blood has a shelf life and usually isn't much good after about 6 to 10 months. Have Fun!

What's it like working in the theater...

2009-03-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

I found this picture on the web (clearly a joke) but with a few minor adjustments it seems works better;

There are advantages to working in theater;

Flexible hours (although there are many more hours than in most jobs)

Usually awesome people, plus if you don't like who you are working with they go away in about 6 weeks until the next time.

No cubicles ever!

Constant creativity; always learning new (often useless) information, solving weird problems, creating new things, and re-creating old things. There is lots of research and drawing to be done.

You get to work with your hands a lot... so much the occasional hand massage is needed.

You get to work the night shift (which I LOVE) and do your grocery shopping while all the 9 to 5's are working.

Yes, there are really good reasons that I like my work (most of the time). But as a career, sometimes it feels futile. The money doesn't get much better as you move up. Theater companies sometimes have a modest amount to pay/budget, and other times the same company will give you two cents to pull a miracle from the air.

Sometimes all jobs seem to dry up as theaters try to "tighten their belts".

Heavy lifting? Why yes, heavy lifting, not just for carpenters, but for us all. Costumers haul costumes from rentals to and from the shop, the theaters, stock rooms, dry cleaners, outsourced places... Props people haul furniture and whatnot around similar routes... and actors have to often move said furniture on stage while singing and dancing.

It's often great work, but a hard life. Advancement comes in the form of working at bigger theaters, usually no benefits, and if you actually were to calculate what we make hourly it would make you cry.

In conclusion kids, if you think you want to do theater for a living, think hard, and think about what kind of lifestyle you would like to live (not just what kind of work you want to do).

Porter Pan; the cow head that refused to grow up

2009-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

This beautiful cow head was created in less than a month. The flocking is especially impressive. The artisans who made it, coated the foam rubber with medical adhesive, charged the whole thing with electricity in a special room and blasted it with cow hair... a very realistic effect.

What I am making this week...

2009-01-28T00:11:00.000-08:00

So today I was at the fabric store buying six yards of lime green corduroy. The woman measuring the bolt casually asked "so what are you making?". With equal ease I answer "I'm making a giant Peter Pan costume for a cow"

(pause)

The woman stops as though in a time warp and looks up.

"yes, for a cow"

Time continues and all the woman can say is, "bring a picture, that's something I'd love to see".

To keep afloat in these dry patches we must find interesting jobs to get us through...
I cannot publish the preliminary plans for the Porter Pan or any of the other cow-stumes I'm helping with but below is the cover for this year's cow calendar just to give you an idea;

Another sinking Ship

2009-01-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

There are many businesses that are doing poorly in this economy. Any lack of diligence in financial spending from the past is suddenly catching up with everybody. Depending on corporate sponsors who are failing can sink a non-profit's income rather quickly, and any number of other factors unique to each company will lead into the sudden discovery that there is no more pay-roll past a certain week.
American Musical Theater in San Jose found themselves under a $2M debt because of a bad business deal and have already gone down with Chapter 7 bankruptsy
Shakespeare Santa Cruz recently needed a bail out of $300,000 and miraculously made their goal.

This week another local company is facing financial crisis. Instead of commenting on it at this point, I am simply posting the email that we were all sent. It may edify, and who knows, some angel may decide to give them the $300,000 that they need... I wish them luck, mostly because I like working there;

**** the email ****

The Magic Theatre Must Raise $110,000 By Friday [January 9th]:

Please Help Magic Reach Its $350,000 Goal

Please donate now to save this treasure of American Theatre

https://server15.lfchosting.com/pursued/magic/pages/donate_form.shtml

San Francisco's nationally acclaimed new plays theatre, MAGIC THEATRE, has raised $240,000 since its initial appeal seven days ago. With the funds raised, we began rehearsals for our next production—Tough Titty by Oni Faida Lampley—slated for previews beginning January 24th. Our staff, furloughed for two weeks, is back at work with pay. In order to continue the 43rd season beyond Tough Titty and stay open, MAGIC must raise a total of $350,000 by January 9, 2009. The funds will allow us to retain staff, continue the season, and remain responsible to our creditors.

In a world where more and more theaters are eliminating the challenging and risky work of mounting new plays altogether, please help us fulfill our commitment to new work. We're $110,000 short of our goal. You can make a difference. Please donate now.

Our core value of risk over commercial gain makes MAGIC a challenging endeavor in any economy, and going forward, MAGIC is committed to a new model of financial stability for a new world—without compromising our mission. Today however, MAGIC's accumulated debt of $600,000, combined with sharp declines in earned and contributed revenue due to the global economy, place us in imminent peril of shutting our doors in March.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel explains the importance of Magic's mission in this letter of support. Please click here to read A Message from Paula Vogel.

For 42 years, San Francisco 's MAGIC THEATRE has been central to the cultural life of the Bay Area and beyond, giving life to some of the most important, diverse, and powerful voices of contemporary American artists, including four Pulitzer Prize winners. From its humble beginnings in a Berkeley bar, MAGIC has emerged as one of the crown jewels of American Theatre. For those of you who have sent us money, large amounts and small, we are grateful. If you have waited, please donate now.

In an attempt to close the gap between MAGIC's expenses and revenue lost as a result of the recession, the Board, in concert with the staff, raised additional funds and cut the $2 million budget by over $300,000. The closing of MAGIC THEATRE would be a great loss for artists and audiences here and across the country. The second largest theatre in San Francisco , MAGIC employs 200 artists annually and touches the lives of tens of thousands of people. We need to keep our artists and our work on the stage!

Artistically, MAGIC is thriving, building upon its rich legacy under the artistic direction of Loretta Greco, who joined the theatre last spring. The critical success of the first two productions of this season demonstrate the rigor to which MAGIC adheres in each aspect of new play production—and the hoped for excitement, awe, and wonder that come from watching great art play out for audiences.

We need your help to raise $110,000 by January 9, 2009. Please help us keep our doors open by making a donation today of $15.00 or more. Please give whatever you can to save MAGIC THEATRE. No amount is too small or too large. Each of you can make a difference.

Musicals Everywhere

2008-12-09T02:02:00.000-08:00

News that Shrek is becoming a musical left me bemoaning the sad fact that there is so little original thought that goes into musical theater these days... and then I found this;

Financial crisis sinks AMTSJ

2008-12-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

A former employer of mine is no more. As of Wednesday last week the entire company closed down. For the full (official) story check this link; AMTSJ closed
and/Or This Link for the SF Chronicle's article...
or Here for Dallas' statement on their "indefinate postponement" of the show that essentially broke the camel's back. Rather fittingly you will notice that the woman issuing the statement's last name is "Hatchett"

Advice from 1850

2008-10-24T00:41:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading through the Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book from 1850. I thought I would share a tid bit of the advice from it...

"VARIOUS USEFUL RECIEPTS, &c. OF OUR OWN GATHERING;

To remove stains from Silks, Linins and Wollen Stuffs-- Mix a wineglassful of rectified spirits of turpentine with half a teaspoonful of essential oil of lemons and keep it in a well-stopped bottle. Apply a little upon the stain with a bit of woolen or silk. The colors of the fabric will sustain no injury from this application.

To remove freckles-- freckles may be removed, we are told, but do not vouch for it by the frequent application of spirits diluted, or alkaline solutions the latter of just sufficient strength to prick the tongue.

To cleanse the hair-- It is recommended to use a little soda in the water instead of soap. Rosemary steeped in water cleanses the hair nicely; or an egg well beaten and mixed in warm water has the same effect.

A Piece of Good Advice-- Never seem wiser or more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like your watch, in a private pocket, and do not pull it out and strike out merely to show you have one."

A Trauma of Redcoats

2008-10-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

The British are coming! The British are coming! And boy do they look tacky!

For the past three weeks I've been on the hunt for British Redcoat costumes. Apparently they are not a readily found item... most of what I've found has looked like this;

and this;

which would be ok for Halloween (maybe) but we're really trying to make it look like this;

I've had several restless nights dreaming about redcoats. Either not being able to find them (a realistic variety of dream), being carried away by a tacky polyester clad British army (a slightly rediculous variety) and being buried in them (um... an obvious viariety)... until finally I found a store on ebay that sells these;

Normally these take a 3 week turn around but after several emails and finally a "I trust you just call me" phone conversation with a very nice and well educated vendor I've managed to get us four Revolutionary War costumes that will be beautiful and fit our actors. Hallelujah! Pass the ammunitions! Here's my $1300 and I am doing a Happy Happy dance around the living room.

Curtian Call/Costume Parade

2008-10-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the theater posted this online and I think it's a pretty good costume parade...

Comedy of Errors photos

2008-10-06T00:42:00.001-07:00

Right now I'm so tired and yet awake... not awake enough to make sense, but awake enough to post a few photos... I did bring the film camera this time. Bought a new battery for it and let's hope that's enough. If nothing else, the producer took some good shots to share with me and these at least give you the idea of what the show looks like. I'm actually pretty happy with it.

Comedy of Errors Research

2008-09-14T22:51:00.001-07:00

I thought I would show off some of the inspiration for my next show, The Comedy of Errors.

I am drawing a lot of inspiration from the Tokyo counter culture scene (the Harijuku style). Bright loud colors, odd proportions... fun.

I hope to figure out how to put some crazy dreads on stage, and crinolines...
The Courtesan is going to be very Rockabilly/Bettie Paige... sexy!

That's it for now... updates to come (most likey on Postcards)
Ta for now!

Troilus and Cressida Research

2008-09-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

For the Curious I decided to post some of the research I did for Troilus and Cressida.

Here you see the Trojan army; based on Iraqi/Middle Eastern military. In the end I changed the Trojans into a blue uniform that would have been truly useless in the desert, but prooved useful to tell soldiers apart on stage. What carried over was the cut of the uniform and the way they are so well tucked together. Priam (The King) had one scene that wound up being cut...

The greeks were inspired by the US Army, and a little by Apocalypse Now and Mad Max

These were images for Thersites; the narrator/ magpie/ camp follower... part Greek, part Trojan, mostly just looking to survive.
The Greek Generals;
Cassandra (the woman who foresaw the destruction of her family and city) was put in a straight jacket... and Cressida (a pretty war trophy) was intended to be modern day Mid-Eastern beauty.
For production photos click here.

Evita Fittings

2008-07-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

This week began the epic journey that is Evita. There is a cast of 34 including teenagers and children. The average cast member has about 7 to 10 costumes each. That's only the amount of costumes, the changes are more than that because they repeat a few of those. We now kiss our free time adios... and get hunkered into the routine of frantically setting up alterations between fittings that last about two hours each. Today we spent two hours with our Evita and we will have at least another two fittings with her... all I can say is thank goodness she is a delight. She mentioned that there were a few videos of her on youTube that she can't bring herself to watch... however I decided to look her up and found the video at the bottom... the one good thing about doing a stressful fitting week is that the cast is fun and being with a bunch of theatricals isn't so bad most of the time.

Thank You Google!

2008-07-20T10:31:00.001-07:00

I Googled my name and found that I got a mention for my Octopus costumes in a theater review;

It's only one line, but hey my costumes were "a visual treat"

Awesome!

Clothing word of the Day

2008-07-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Since I am doing Sweeney Todd right now I was thrilled to learn This word;

Brought to you via Dictionary.com;

tatterdemalion \tat-uhr-dih-MAYL-yuhn; -MAY-lee-uhn\, noun:
1. A person dressed in tattered or ragged clothing; a ragamuffin.

adjective:
1. Tattered; ragged.

Last time peasant blouses surfaced, in the 1960s and '70s, they were part of an epidemic of Indian bedspread dresses, homemade blue-jean skirts, Army surplus jackets, Greek bookbag purses and love beads, the whole eclectic tatterdemalion mix meant to express egalitarian sentiments and countercultural solidarity with underdogs everywhere.
-- Patricia McLaughlin, "The peasant look", Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, April 25, 1999

Some shop!

2008-06-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

I must take a moment to pat myself on the back... my shop is getting to be so organized! This week I finished measuring and tagging all of the blazers...

and the suits...

I separated and labeled the sweaters, the pants, the knit tops...

I made sure the shoes were all on the correct shelves (A Sisyphean task at best)...

Why is all of this super anal work important you ask? Mostly because when you're pulling for a show time is not on your side. If a designer needs to dig through 50 pairs of black pants to see if she can find one pair that will fit an actor, it is actually more time efficient to go to the store and buy a pair that say "38x32" on the tag... then the next designer has 51 pairs of black pants to ignore because none of them are labeled. Pretty soon you have essentially a stock that is a big laundry heap where nothing is useful because nothing can be found. A disorganized stock is about as useful as no stock at all. Thus; I'm pretty pleased with my efforts.

Shakespearian Insult Time!

2008-06-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Why art thou then exasperate, thou idle immaterial skien of sleave-silk, thou green scarcenet flap for a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's purse thou? Ah how the poor world is pestered with such waterflies, diminutives of nature!
--Thersites, Troilis and Cressida

Does half of your brain hurt?

2008-06-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

Check this out; http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=25642

Muddy shoes

2008-06-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

Today I had the fun of painting clean pretty clothes into looking like they've been through a week long trip in the catskills with rain, mud, a porqupine fight and the rescue of a bleeding dog... here's my "studio" mid process...

To ruin shoes it requires the following steps;
1. Field research

2. cover the shoes in a mixture of Gesso, and potting mix
3. paint over dry Gesso a layer of Raw Umber acrylic paint

4. Next layer is a Burnt Umber (leaving a little Raw Umber peaking through)

5. a slight smatterning of Burnt Sienna...

Voila! Shoes that feel like new but look Disgusting!

Mold making for Evil Dead

2008-05-26T00:48:00.001-07:00

Zombies!

2008-05-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

Right now my housemate is working on Evil Dead The Musical, so I've been hyper-aware of all things zombie. Yesterday he spent the whole day making life-casts of the entire cast (he promises a youTube video, totally different than the one below). Attending the session were; the prop master, the set Designer/tech director , a prosthetic's designer, the prosthetic's designer's friend, the prosthetic designer's friend's wife, the Contra Costa Times reporter, the SF Chronicle reporter, the actors, various actor's girl friends and boyfreinds, and the set designer's dog. Zombies are fascinating. Why is that?

Waiting around... (an update)

2008-05-25T13:41:00.001-07:00

At times the life of a theatrical is like a long anxious spring break with no money... yep it's called unemployment. This past week I had cleared for a job that I thought would start right away on. I attended the first rehearsal and was ready for the designer to tell me "ok lets start fittings on Saturday". It's a short turn around, most designers are anxious to start right away. Not so. The designer told me "I want to start fittings next Thursday" leaving me a week and a half that I could have been working off my debts.

I am unemployed.

I am broke.

I am bored.

I had such a frenzy preparing for this week that everything is clean. Everything is ready. I even made myself a summer shirt...

It's hard to be too upset about an unplanned "vacation" but without any money to do anything in addition to the fact that I had rejected work makes it rather lame.

On Thursday I got a call to help out for emergency stitching on Friday and Saturday... Hallelujah!

In a town...

2008-05-19T18:22:00.001-07:00

Ok we didn't get the movie voice over guy to do our trailer... but my stage play has a trailer...
wacky!

check it out HERE!

Water water everywhere...

2008-05-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tech cancelled tonight due to strep throat... sickness is a show stopper whenever there is kissing involved. Thankfully the evening off allows me to get artsy things done that I hadn't expected to finish. No time to blog at length... my long dinner is about over. Hopefully everything will be back on track tomorrow.Above our kick-ass P.A. walks the deck while the producers read the lines and the Stage Manager runs cues with the board ops... can't waste the whole night.

Tech Week

2008-05-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

(tek•week) n. Jargon 1. The week in which a theatrical production works with all technical elements and performers in the performance space. 2. a 40 to 80 hour work week where everybody ignores "labor laws" ; I haven't been able to sleep more than a few hours a day but I'm in Tech Week so it is expected. 3. The week in which friends and family of theatrical workers must accept the near to total absence of said theatrical ; I haven't seen my sister for a while, either she was abducted by aliens or she is in Tech Week.

--abbrv. Tech

--archaic. Hell week

Me and my wooden friend; together again.

2008-04-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

While studying Costume design in school I was flummoxed by how many designers are terrible at rendering (that's designer speak for drawing and painting your ideas in a semi-technical manner). Now I understand. Honestly it is something that isn't necessary all the time. Last night I sat down with my watercolors and my little wooden model and painted the first full color rendering I've done all year. Often directors are intimidated by completed drawings, as though the ideas were in stone. Often it just takes too long to complete a set of drawings for a show. Sometimes clippings from catalogues and research books are plenty of information. Usually the only reason to actually sit down with your pen and ink is because you are fortunate enough to have a shop building your show. Mostly this is not the case and it is just lil' ol' you (and maybe an assistant) doing the show by rubbing two pennies together hoping they will make a nickel. This rendering was done to help my collaborators visualize what I've been telling them I'm planning. Sometimes it's hard to have somebody show you three pictures and tell you "we're using this jacket, this hat and these pants, only this will be tailored in and this will be painted like this..." in this case it was easier to sit down and draw... like a real artist! I wish I had more drawing and less shopping in my work(sigh). Forgive my reluctance to post my work online. I am happy with the drawing, but it is my professional work and I don't need to give it to the world for free.

Costume Fittings

2008-04-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

In Costuming a play we go through a process of "fittings" where we try everything on actors and make adjustments as needed. Getting there goes like this;
As I approach fittings I become a tightly wound ball of antici...pation. I get anxious about every choice I've made and actually seeing it on the actors. I spend hours putting every sequence of choices in order, rearranging them, getting rid of some things before bringing them into the fitting. I lay out scenes on the table to see what draws attention or if I've chosen things that are all too similar... I think this process of pre-fitting selection is more intense on modern shows where there's not really the option of making drawings in advance.
What I really hope for in a good fitting are the following;
1. the actor looks 'good' ('good' meaning; the way that their character should look)
2. the actor is happy and sees how the clothes will support the action&character
3. the director likes it
4. everything is close to fitting (nothing is worse than having a whole fitting where you've shopped everything too small, too short or whatever there is to make the actor feel like a physical freak)
As I get more adept at sizing people up these fittings do go much more smoothly than they did when I first started out. However experience is not a panacea for perfect fittings and every show is different. Eras, brands, characters all change how clothes do or should fit on a body. Once you get a garment on a person it changes completely, thus as I approach fittings I become hypercritical of every garment I encounter. I judge everything about it including how it feels, looks, how it will look under stage light, stitching quality, where the darts are, how the colors will look on the performer, pleats, buttons, lining, what historical eras or people it reminds me of... yea there's a lot of thought going into the decision between "blue jeans with a dark rinse vs. blue pinstripe dress pants". As the fittings get closer, getting myself dressed in the morning becomes more of an ordeal than it should be.
Once I've been through first fittings I'll be able to breathe a little. I'll at least have a better idea of how effective my choices have been, how my actors wear their clothes, any ideas the director and I have missed... A wealth of information awaits me on the other side of fittings, but for now I must rearrange the costume rack again and make another trip to the mall as I face the unknown before me.

the dress complete

2008-04-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

"Head wound; dark blood or light blood?"

2008-03-29T02:25:00.001-07:00

This is what I text to my father (the former EMT) and my friend Kevin (the former ER psych worker)... really I revel in this. I love coming in to work and discussing blood and guts and "exactly what does your eye look like when it is being gouged out?". This week I've had the fun of destroying a perfectly good wedding dress. When I bought it, the woman at the counter looked at the dress and up at me with a wistful longing and asked me, "are you getting married?" I answered with a simple "no" and her heart sank a little... I think she would have cried if she had seen what I was going to do to it... here is phase one;
1. take a perfectly good wedding dress, cut up the hem...

2. drag it through some mud, dye the train, and dump some brown paint on it.

3. repeat but create a nice ombre by adding black & drag through some more mud...

Phase two will involve blood... ah I love my job sometimes.

ok I'm back... with a rant about fur

2008-03-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have always thought that fur is gross. When I was a little kid I remember my mother inherited some fox stoles, that looked a lot like our family dog by the way, and I screamed and made her get rid of them. Fur is just a barely processed carcass and I find it so morbid to want to wear it around. For normal people a distaste for fur is probably not a big deal. Basically you just don’t buy it and you don’t have to deal with it. You could be an activist and make a point about not wearing it or designing with it (as Stella McCartney has done so tastefully). You could be a big self-important ass hole and throw paint at other people’s furs, but that’s the kind of forceful preachiness that is akin to door to door proselytizing. Either way you would not have to actually touch the dead thing. In my world however I HAVE to deal with old rotting nasty furs. In the costume world we have to portray every possible type of person in every possible era. It is impossible to avoid the fact that in many eras and many places fur is not the faux pas that it is here, thus I am forced to store fur in my stock. I have to touch the nice ones as well although I still think that they’re ’icky’. Despite the fact that fake furs these days look lovely and real and store very easily, at work I have five boxes full of stoles and collars and bits of furs... I just slapped the label "dead things" on them and put them up on a tall shelf hoping that if a designer wants to use them that they will be the one sorting through them. Unfortunately, my avoidance of the dead things does not stop them from coming in. People bring donations and think that they are being so generous by giving me new boxes of rotting dead things that they couldn’t sore either. Old ladies sigh as they hand them over to me wishing that they weren’t so "politically incorrect these days". I smile and leave the dead thing in the box until they go away and I can pull out my gloves so as to avoid actually touching it. Right now I have a full plastic bin in my shop waiting to be inventoried and examined for usefulness. It’s too disgusting. It’s like reaching into a bin full of writhing snakes... I lack the stomach for it right now.

RIP?

2008-03-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

...nevermind

Beading

2008-02-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in New Jersey there is a woman sitting alone at an easel hand beading a gown for Bob Mackie. Craftsmanship is often a devalued commodity in our ready-to-wear culture but it still exists. Bessie Nelson still hand beads for big name shows and performers because there are no machines to do it and the outsourced labor is insufficient to withstand a pounding from a Broadway schedule. The New York Times says that Bessie charges about $5000 to $8000 per outfit which seems to me a truly reasonable fee for a high profile outfit that will withstand a pounding and probably take anywere from two weeks (a rush order) to two months to bead by hand, one tiny bead at a time. Check out the full New York Times article HERE.

Load-In

2008-02-19T23:38:00.000-08:00

The "Load-in" is where all elements of a stage production are pulled into the actual stage space. It's usually a long two or three day process involving a lot of overtime and skipping around labor-law loopholes. My housemate is a technical director (he's in charge of building the scenery) and recently made a time elapse video of his Cabaret load-in. So here is a minute of video representing about three days of work.

Reality Check

2008-01-31T16:22:00.000-08:00

"oh you work in the theater, that must be so Fun!"
I look at the woman's face all aglow with dreams of a career in the arts, nights spent in the theater and a life of fulfilling conversations about art. I smile and say as compassionately as possible,
"Most of the time it is".

That is as true as I can be with most non-artists. Painters, illustrators, animators, and other such people making a living in the arts can understand. Most parents of artists have a tenuous grasp to a firm hold on the life of an artist or artisan. Spouses of artists can mostly understand... it's not that a career in the arts is not "fun" but it is also a maddening drive, it is a lifestyle, it is a job. I couldn't trade my sewing machine for a cubicle but after ten hours of sitting in front of the humming beast hemming soft goods there is no counting the other careers I could have chosen that would not involve eye infections from fabric dust.

In this blog I hope to share what it is truly like to work in the arts. It can be great, it can be torture, it is often crazy and exciting and at other times is just dirty and gross. Hopefully I'll be able to coax a few of my peers to contribute as well... we will create a collection of stories that will comfort other artists with camaraderie and educate anybody who has dreamed of a career in the arts.

February is going to be a bumpy month for me. I'll be scrambling for work in a very slow and short month. I'll also be working on getting all of my tax information together which I assure you will take a good amount of time. This year I am waiting on no less than 8 different w-2 and 1099 forms, I'm counting on making a post about that fun.

Until the next...

Blog pending...

2008-01-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

It seems that blogs with a specific focus are more interesting. There have been articles, news, clips, and events that are more related to my work than to my "how was your day?" blog... so I'm starting a new theater/show buisness related blog... soon. Today I am mostly just getting it set up. So if you happened to surf into this blog, check back in a week or so, I should have more interesting posts up by then.