Costumes and Cackles

I've been to two USF plays so far this semester, Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and Brandon Thomas's wonderful farce Charley's Aunt. I've also been fortunate enough to attend a costume seminar while my schedule was still open to the matinee performances and noontime seminars. While both plays made me laugh hard enough to cry, I found the seminar to be one of the most valuable insights to myself. I was able to see things about the costumes and their part in the story of the play in much closer detail, (having been in the farthest reaches of the theater  for both plays). I found myself moving my pencil faster than my mind could process all the information.

Some tidbits I picked up there include that the pockets on Petruchio's inside out breeches were added to aid in the audience's perception of the strangeness of his garb in his and Kate's wedding scene. True period breeches wouldn't have had such wonders. (I bite my thumb at most current designers of women's pants for that same reason.) Also, in case those who have already seen the play didn't notice, the couples in Charley's Aunt are matched across colors throughout the play (this was interesting news as I hadn't seen it yet. I went the following evening). I also learned that Amadeus has 87 costumes and more wigs than the rest of the festival's season put together. Fun, fun!

So long for now folks! Look forward to writing again!

There's a First Time for Everything

Well, life's experts say that there's a first time for everything, so here I am on the first day of a new semester and writing my first blog entry. This is a wonderful way, suggested by the wonderful Shakespearean actress and professor, Melinda Pfundstein Vaughn, to keep track of my experience for the future reference of myself and others.

A small intro to myself, I am currently a Sophomore at Southern Utah University and hope to pursue a career in costume design and construction and a minor in creative writing. As such, I hope to provide you with a well written, thoughtful, and entertaining perspective on the events I experience here at SUU.

My Experiences from the 2014 fall and 2015 spring semesters last year include being a part of the wardrobe crew on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, themed in the Wild West, four corners area, and Joseph Stein's Fiddler on the Roof. The quick changes I helped out with included: Helena going from Desert stained rags to her wedding finery,an interesting change to be sure, and changing a villager of Anatevka from a normal wedding guest into a bottle dancer, and then to a woebegone refugee of the same village. Those changes didn't have quite the amount of frantic energy as Midsummer, but were important all the same.

So here's to new beginnings and a successful semester to everyone!