Costumes

Pardon me while I start off on a bit of a rant... not too much, just a minor treatise on the creative process and the surest way to either align or alienate yourself from other creative people.

First of all, I like to think of myself as a craftsperson: someone who creates things that are usually pleasing, interesting, intriguing to others, using skills that I have learned and honed through practice. Everything I do can be done by anyone else on the planet, and the delta between the results is usually only the difference in the amount of time we've spent in honing the skills used in creating the work.

In regards to theatre, I'm easily embarrassed, and polite but usually quite dismissive when people praise my work. In all honesty, I'm actually annoyed by it most of the time. Now before you go in search of a sharp object to deflate my ingratiate ego, let me explain. I REALLY don't see myself as an artist. There are people with whom I align myself who are VASTLY more talented (as a craftsperson or artist) than I.

Cases in point: the Charlotte's Web music director, John Gaston is exceptionally gifted and talented, and I am thrilled to have the chance to work with him and pick up on how he does what he does so well; fellow castmate Jeff Raum is a talented muralist and make-up artist, in addition to his performance talents; Todd Weldon (Nuncrackers, Deathtrap) has a remarkable voice and stage presence that I enjoy watching, and I can't wait for the chance to work with him. I know that by working with each of these people and aligning my talents with theirs, our collective products are truly greater than the sum of the parts, just as was suggested in my earlier post regarding the "message" of Godspell.

Great, but what does this have to do with costumes?

My vision for Godspell costumes is to have the costumes be basically cream-colored as their base, much as though the fabric had been hand woven by the character, as an extension of their skin and soul. I see lots of texture and depth, and I want to have the feel of borrowed decadence. This puts one foot firmly in the Commedia del'Arte arena. I want these people to look like they have just been pulled out of an old trunk and put on stage. The colors are faded. The fabrics are worn in places. But what comes through it is the message and the life energy of these people. And those costumes slowly whittle down to the most essential components of the characters.

And I want to start off with masks for the philosophers in Tower of Babble. Right now, I'm hoping for soft-sculpture masks, but that can take a LOT of time. There is a children's clay product produced by Binney Smith (the Crayola Crayon folks) that is very light but sturdy, and air dries, but I'm not sure how the finished product would hold up under weeks of abuse and sweat. We'll see. It's only a vision.

So what's the problem?

I can't find anyone who wants to help me work on it. Each costumer I've approached bristles at the notion of having to MAKE costumes. They'd rather go to buycostumes.com and, well, buy costumes. I'm not suggesting that we can't BUY components for the costumes, but these will need to be CRAFTED.

I work my ass off when I build sets. For Deathtrap, I spent well in excess of 60 hours building a custom antique desk, French doors, built-in buffet, working fireplace, and sliding barndoor. I loved getting my hands dusty and picking Tom's brain to see how we could most efficiently and effectively get everything done. And we did it. It's a great-looking show.

So why does this not carry over into my peers in regards to costumes? I don't know the answer, but it's frustrating. When I mentioned the vision to each of the potential costumers I spoke with, I got either a serious eye rolling, or a polite but pointed, "So, then who are you going to have build these costumes?", knowing full well that by sharing my vision with them that I was asking them to consider participation in the effort. No such luck. No nibbles. No interest.

So, THAT is the surest way to alienate yourself from creative people: to wrap yourself so firmly in the reality of how something CAN'T be done that you can't offer any approach to how something COULD be done. I'm guilty of it too. My wife tells me that I'm always too quick to say "No!" when she asks for something for one of her productions, and I try hard NOT to do that anymore.

So, I'll work up some costume design sketches and use those to show to potential helpers for the costume crew, and we'll see what we get. Maybe the best way to counter CAN'T is to stun them visually with COULD.

- Sean

Score Feedback

Well, I've been wrestling with the spam filter on Bill Wagner's email account. I've had three messages returned unsent, so I had Tom Eubanks give him a call to make the pitch for the music budget. Once that's all clear, I'll get the materials together to give to him and send Alex Lacomoire the contract and fees for the expanded score. I'm still questioning whether or not I need the Dan Schachner expanded drums, guitar, and bass charts. I like them, but I don't know if they will be worth the extra cost, or if Bill will even want to use them.

So, some worthy feedback from the CDs I gave out with my custom mix came in. Erin Fagundes liked the arrangements, but some of the voices bugged her. Agreed, and hopefully we'll be able to move past "impersonations" quickly in the vocal rehearsal process. Bob Decker seemed to love everything on the CD, and pledged his support, should I need it.

Still no feedback from Shawn Lanz, Arryck Adams, or John Gaston. I'll see Shawn and Arryck tonight at the Elite Theatre Company meeting, where all the directors will be meeting and greeting potential cast and volunteers for the next several shows. I'll also ask Bryan Harwell again if he can work to develop an organic percussion ("Stomp") intro for the top of act two and "Beautiful City" and work with Arryck on the choreography for that number. For John, I won't see him again until next week, so I'll solicit feedback then. I'm sure he's been busy. I need to send him an email regarding Forever Plaid, and CC Todd Weldon and Zach Spencer on it, but that's another train of thought...

I also introduced the subject of having opening night out in the courtyard of Heritage Square, kicking off their summer concerts series a week early. That will alter how I design the set (mobile versus static), and how I approach the blocking. But on the extrememly positive side, it will make the show that much more portable, in case we want to move it to another venue later. The mind bubbles with posibilities...

That's it for now.

- Sean

Charlotte's Web

Well, I got a great part: Lurvy the farmhand on Zuckerman's farm. I was fortunate in that I was not double cast, so the role's all mine. Many of the main roles are double cast, such as Wilbur and Charlotte, so that will make rehearsals a little difficult (especially in a 2-hour rehearsal slot), but the show will be more stable as a result.

The readthrough last night was nice, but a little rushed. Most folks got there a bit late, myself included. As I get used to the travel time required between work and the theatre, I'll get better at it. The great news is that I get home from rehearsal by 7:30 PM, with plenty of time left to help with homework and put everyone to bed.

We start music rehearsals tonight. I'm excited to start working with John Gaston the music director to see how he handles things. I always enjoy watching talented people work, and in doing so I learn more about the process and how better to approach such things. Celeste Russi is in the cast, but I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to her regarding Godspell and ...Forum. I loved her vocal characterization of the Goose during the read through, and her husband Aaron has been perfectly cast as the Gander.

Choreography starts a week from Saturday morning, so I'll get to work with Arryck then.

I also saw Bob Decker there last night, my friend and colleague from ETC. I promised to bring him my Godspell Sean Mix v2.0 tonight so he can get a sense of what I'm trying to accomplish.

- Sean

Networking

So, I auditioned for Charlotte's Web at Conejo Players last night. I'd met the director, Erin Fagundes, back in November when Shawn Lanz and Arryck Adams brought a group of folks to the Nuncrackers preview. In speaking with her over the past month, I'd told her that my goals in auditioning and/or participating were pretty simple:

• Work with Arryck so I could get a sense of how best to interface with him in Godspell
• Build relationships with the "Conejo Kids" (Shawn, Arryck, and the other folks at Conejo Players)
• Perform in something my kids would enjoy
• Find a place to do shows closer to home

It was overwhelmingly great fun. It's nice to see a thriving community theatre at it's best: when it's serving the families of the area. Being a kid's show, there were plenty kids auditioning, all at varying levels of talent and experience. The handful of adults who auditioned were all pleasant and friendly.

So first was the vocal audition. I sang Giants In the Sky from Into the Woods. I was a little short on breath, but it went fairly well. I was the last to sing, so after that I went immediately back to learn the dance. Arryck was very patient and energetic with us. I did fine, I guess, but I was sweaty and winded by the end. The readings were easy, but a bit tedious. The kids often have problems reading lines, so that part can be frustrating. I got good, positive feedback from Erin, and I was on my way.

I gave Arryck two copies of the Godspell: Sean's Mix v2.0 CD, and also gave two to Erin for her to listen to. We'll see if it spurns any interest. It's a good mix, if I do say so myself.

- Sean