Wrapping Up

This past weekend, we had our final weekend of performances.  On our last performance, our Sunday matinee, we had our biggest house.  We had over thirty-five people in a house that seats about fifty.  We had some mistakes along the way during productions whether it was doors opening late, props forgotten, and the seat of someone’s pants ripping on stage, but it was all handled with calmness and a “It happens,” attitude.  Everyone seemed to love the show.  We had a review from the Reader that was bad, but we knew the guy didn't often give good reviews.  

My time running house was enjoyable.  We had the Saints usher for us and it was nice getting to know these volunteers of theatre.  Some of them had done acting work in the past and loved theatre.

We had strike which took and hour and a half.  During strike, I cleaned up the lobby area.  I wiped down tables, vacuumed, cleaned the two bathrooms, took out the trash and wiped down the water fountains.  After waiting around for the floor to be painted black, we hauled all the doors and other set elements out the the U-Haul truck.  Then we brought some of the doors up to Sean’s place, took the rest where they needed to be, and then headed back over to Sean’s for pizza.  I’m so thankful for everyone I met; they are good people.  I really want to live in Chicago now.

Tech Week- Day One and Two

Chicago parking is hell.  I’m staying with Sean and Sharon for tech week and I’m getting to know what living in the city would be like.  I think I’d like it, but there are advantages and disadvantages to such a change from the living environment I’m used to.  Apartments are expensive and if they’re cheap, you pay for what you get.  Neighbors upstairs may have creaky floorboards or they might be noisy in general.  Anyways, if you have a late night out, parking near your apartment building is impossible.  Parallel parking is another nightmare; I’m not very good at it and I definitely have gotten a lot of practice in with this internship.  Finding parking near the theatre on the first evening took forty-five minutes.  

Once in the space, I realized how very ill equipped the theatre was.  The seats were gross, rickety and the place was very small.  The grid was too low because the place wasn’t built to be a theatre in the first place.  The company was already realizing that renting the location was going to provide some difficulties.  The owners were unorganized and provided very little information about the theatre.  The lighting designer arrived on day 2 and she had a nightmare.  She had very few lights to work with and almost none of them had safety cables.  

My first night included painting doors and building the two walls of doors on either side of the alley stage.  There are three entrances to the stage and we have three doors assigned for each character that work; the rest of the doors don’t work and make up the walls of the space.  I worked from eight to midnight and by then, we were ready for Sharon to come in the morning to paint the floor.

Day Two brought in the lighting designer, Maya, who was supposed to teach me lighting, but tech week really isn’t the time to teach a noob.  I didn’t learn any lighting, but I sponge painted glass for the three chandeliers.  Garcin, Inez, and Estelle each have their own bench and corresponding chandelier.  The glass needed some stain on the inside so that the chandeliers gave colored light to match the benches.  Then gels were cut to cover each glass so the bulbs didn’t illuminate the grid too much.  Painting the glass proved to be a challenge.  Sponging the green one looked like mold when held up to light, but to just paint the inside would show the brushstrokes.  The color green inside the glass also kept looking more yellow.  I ended up adding black to the green paint, using a sponge to make three washes of color with swirly strokes.  While Maddie worked on the burgundy glass, I moved onto the blue glass and gave it three layers of dry sponging in two shades of blue.  The end look had a very frosted and specked appearance.

After finishing the glass, we moved into tech rehearsal.  Maya programmed cues while the actors did a full run.  Maddie was in the booth doing paper tech as well.  I watched from one side while everyone else was on the other.  I let Maya know when my side had dark spots and cast unpleasant shadows on the actors.  

My two jobs during performances is running house, letting actors into the lobby after house closes, and letting actors through There isn’t a crossover for the alley stage so actors must exit the entire building and run down the sidewalk to the lobby door to go from one side of the stage to the other.  I also have to open a door for a pivotal moment in the script when all the doors fly open and the characters are given the opportunity to leave hell.  After rehearsal, we ran through designer notes and went home.

Week 4

This week was kind of dead as far as work goes. I worked from home and pulled together some final elements.  I found a blue shirt for Estelle, a belt for Inez and tan pants for the valet.  I found a watch for Garcin to complete his look.  I made a list of things I’ll have to do as costumer. 

Before going into tech week, we have a final designer rehearsal.  All the designers could see the run through rehearsal, the actors left, and then any final designer needs were discussed.  The pants I found didn’t fit and the shirt wasn’t the right color blue to match the skirt ordered online.  

For tech week next week, I will be learning lights, hanging them, and also will get some instruction for costuming and basic sewing skills on a sewing machine.  During performances, I'll be house management.

Week Three

Finding a light blue 1940’s style dress proved to be impossible.  I faced challenges in finding items and eventual edited some of my designs.  For Estelle, I went with a light blue skirt found online and I will find a blouse to match.  I went home and pulled clothes from my own closet to fit and get approved next time I see Whitney and the cast.

On June 26, I helped man the fundraiser table for our Balloon Pop at Headquarters.  For $5 a pop or $20 for 5 pops, guests could pop a balloon to find the number inside that corresponded to a prize on the table.  There was also free pizza to the first 25 people to show up.  

This Monday, I got to visit rehearsal at Whitney’s apartment where I gave three actors haircuts, finalized what costume pieces we needed, and sat in on rehearsal.  The men needed haircuts that were 1940s and Inez needed a freshened pixie cut that was a bit more edgy.  I loved the finished looks.

We figured out the final items needed for each character.  The coats and other outerwear were cut because of stage space and budget.  Estelle has her skirt, shoes, jewelry, clutch, and lipstick.  She needs a shirt and handkerchiefs.  Inez might need a new shirt, but we have one that works for now.  She has her pants and shoes.  We opted for a vest because suit jackets swallowed the actress’s figure.  I needed to find a belt for her.  Garcin needed new shoes, but was complete.  We thought about the fedora and decided to eliminate it because it would get in the way on stage.  The valet was styled based on what he brought in.  None of his shirts or pants worked because he looked too business casual.  We needed a lower status look like Fred Mertz from I Love Lucy.  We decided skip the shirt and just have a white undershirt with suspenders.  His boots worked, but I must find khaki pants for him.

Sitting in on rehearsal was cool.  From the first read through to present, so much had happened.  Whitney knows what she wants and she’s good with playing with the subtext of the script to create unique moments using the character’s personalities and their relationship to each other.  She also worked differently with each actor, but always with equality.  She always follows through with what she wants. If an actor doesn’t get her direction the first time she’ll still work on it until she’s satisfied.

Week Two

Once I had my designs approved, I immediately dived into finding clothing items that matched my sketches.  The concept for the costumes is unraveling and taking off layers.  The characters enter wearing coats, jackets, scarves, purses; the things of their earthly world that represents them.  Costumes reveals the way a character expresses their personality.  Now, they're in hell together and the comforting fashions of the old world will fade away.  The script mentions the room is hot and my job is to give them articles of clothing that they can play with to show the heat in the room.  The concept of unraveling comes into play as these characters start to unnerve one another.  They'll start to come undone.  Layers are shed, sleeves are rolled up, shirts are untucked, and hair is messed up as they deal with the heat and each other.  The shedding of layers becomes a symbol revealing ones true self.  The characters disclose the deeds they've done on earth to land them in hell and in the end reveal the torture of human nature.  

Estelle

 For Estelle, I'm going for a sophisticated and feminine style.  She'll enter with a head scarf, gloves, coat, and hair up in a elegant chignon.  As the play progresses, she sheds these things to reveal a modest, expensive dress, pearl earrings and necklace.  At one point, she begins to take off her dress as well.  Her hair becomes unkept and although she took pride in her appearance through her makeup maintenance, she eventually allows those habits to fade as well as she gets enveloped in dealing with the other two characters.

Inez

 Inez is my favorite character because she is the most self-assured and has the deepest awareness of the situations she faces.  Her monologues are profound because she understands the human psyche  and uses it to her advantage.  She knows how to take care of herself.  I want her to look strong, androgynous, and stylish.  She was a postal clerk on earth so she should wear the business attire of the office, but look lower status than Estelle.  She'll end with a clutch and suit jacket.  She'll shed the jacket, untie or unbutton her shirt top, and kick off her heels.  She'll have a watch to remove at some point when she realizes time is irrelevant.

Garcin

Garcin is a coward, but he dresses to not show it.  As a journalist, Garcin kept up with the style of the men that fill the newspaper room, one of the rooms that haunts him in hell.  He cares about what those men think of him even in the afterlife.  Since he looks to others for his self-worth, he must care about his appearance by maintaining a stylish suit.  He may or may not have a fedora.

As I started my search, I quickly discovered what I had expected to happen: finding clothes without a budget is difficult.  First, I had the actors bring in clothes from their own closets to rehearsal.  From that pile, I completed Garcin's look except for shoes and a hat.  I realized he should have a watch, too.  We found a coat for Estelle and two pairs of shoes for both female characters.  Then, I took measurements of the actors, asked how much they were willing to spend on their costume and went from there.  I looked at all the local thrifts stores in the area I was staying and the thrift stores near my hometown as well.  One of the problems with thrifting is that I end up shopping for myself too. :P  However, while resisting personal bargain hunting, I still only found one pair of pants in a whole day’s worth of shopping (3 hours).  One day wasn't enough to get me down so I searched for four more days.  While I don't have the budget to make any clothes, one of the actors has offered to teach me some sewing skills to help me for future costuming projects. :D

On June 20-21, I helped out at Honest Theatre’s gig at Custer Fair.  Custer Fair is located in Evanston, Illinois, and is an arts fair that covers several streets with art and food vendors.  Several arenas are set up with musical guests as well.  It was fun to explore on my break.  For two days, the company performed, “Roarin’ Dan!” by Ashley Manning-O’Dell, a children’s half-hour pirate show.  We had three shows a day on the depot stage at the Piccolo Theatre.  I was stationed in the lobby each day to collect donations from exiting guests and ran errands for the company when they forgot a couple things.

On Sunday night that weekend, I attended a leadership meeting where the company discussed budget costs and other new business.  I learned how hard it is to start a theatre company.

Week 1: Getting started

Well, I’m on a new journey in Chicago this summer. I have an internship with Honest Theatre Company.  They are based in Rogers Park and the summer production is No Exit, an existential classic by French playwright and philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre.  I know the script well and I love it!

My first day consisted of walking the streets near the performance location, Profiles Theatre.  I met up with Sharon, the wife of the Artistic Director, and we asked local businesses to hang our production posters in their windows or on their community boards.  Despite it getting a little cold, misty and windy, it was fun getting to know Sharon and a bit more about the company.  I was really excited to work with them.

Next, I met with my supervisor, Kelly and Sean, the Artistic Director, about my tasks for the summer.  I will be designing costumes, hair and makeup for the production, house manager during performances, and organizing a fundraiser to help fund the show.  I know I’ll be challenged with planning and organizing my time with planning an event--something I have no experience in--but I’m ready to take on a challenge.  I’m also going to learn other technical elements such as hanging lights.  

On June 8th, I sold tickets for the Geek Bar fundraiser.  Honest Theatre was hosting Monday Melee which also included a raffle and a Cosplay competition.  It was super cool success.  I met more company members and watched some intense Smash bros.

One of the winners of the Cosplay competition- she won a badge to Gen Con

On the left is the Melee tournament and on the right, I'm manning the raffle booth

The very next night, we had our first rehearsal and production meeting at director Whitney’s apartment.  The story of No Exit follows three characters: Garcin, Inez, and Estelle as they are put in a room with three benches by a bellboy.  They are told they are in hell and realize it’s quite normal; there isn’t the expected torture, fire and brimstone.  It is rather hot in the room, but that’s about it.  As they continue sitting on their respected benches, they realize that events must turn miserable eventually and understand that the three of them are meant to be the torturer for each other.  They realize Sartre’s statement that “hell is other people.”

In the production meeting, I found out the vision for the show.  There’s no time period, but Whitney wanted a modern twist on the 1940's.  We talked about each character and the kind of look she needs them to have.  She likes minimalist looks that range in boldness to softness depending on the character.

A glimpse at my costume design pin board. Go pinterest!

Maddie, the stage manager, and I at our first meeting!

That’s all I have for right now!  For the rest of the week, I’m researching my fundraiser, costume and hair designs and cute places to visit in Chicago--like doughnut shops and other fattening restaurants--while relaxing at my friend’s house (shout out to Kaitlyn and her family)!