Fabric Stock To that, Jenny McNee and Erin M. West might say: "Welcome to myworld."
Not that these two women are complaining. The resident costumedesigners at American Shakespeare Center are different in so manyways, including their creative approaches, how each got intocostuming and the phases of life they're experiencing. But they dohave two things in common: Great professional and personal respectfor each other and a passion for their unique roles at ASC.
Wayward blood and cape confusion
Activity in the halls of Blackfriars' basement grew typically fussyon a recent morning as several actors descended from rehearsals onstage. McNee noticed wardrobe manager Anna Gonzalez blotting fakeblood on a white-hued servant's tunic worn by a character in "KingLear."
"Is that all the blood, Anna?"
"This is the only one with blood on it."
"Yes!" McNee punctuated with relief.
She then explained that the blood came from pouches pierced in ascene in "King Lear" in which the character Edmund, the Earl ofGloucester's bastard son, cuts his arm.
"The blood has become uncontrolled and has been gettingeverywhere," McNee said matter-of-factly.
Meanwhile, West explains to Daniel Kennedy, the actor portrayingthe Player King and several other roles in ASC's touring troupeproduction of "Hamlet," in what scenes he will be wearing one ofthe capes she made for the show.
McNee didn't set out to design costumes when she left college threecredits shy of an English degree. In fact, the 38-year-old firsttaught herself how to sew when she made a wedding dress for herbrother-in-law's first wife eight years ago.
"The girl who gave me the sewing machine showed me how to use it,"she said. "That first garment was a real joy to make because it wasa collaboration with the (bride)."
McNee has been with ASC since its beginnings as ShenandoahShakespeare not long after Blackfriars Playhouse was completed in2001. It was then that she moved to Staunton from Charlottesvillewith husband and Shakespeare actor John Harrell. The couple has twochildren, Eliot, 3 and 9-month-old Martha Jane.
Thad McQueen, who was directing the resident troupe in '02, askedMcNee to create the costumes. Back then, she worked weddingscatering, decorating and making dresses.
"I did the show within budget, on time and with a cohesive look,"she said. "I had no training, but they were like, 'You'll grow aswe grow.' And so they hired me as resident costume designer."
West, by contrast, graduated with a degree in theater from JamesMadison University, though she started out as an archaeology major.
"I took a costume design class that I really enjoyed," said West,29. "My professor in that class said, 'You should do this. You'reso good at it.' She pretty much helped change the course of mylife."
Not long after McNee had her first baby, she decided to cut backher hours. During her maternity leave, ASC brought in guestdesigners to fill in, and then arranged for the position to beshared between McNee and West, who in 2005 impressed with her workfor the resident troupe in "Comedy of Errors." ASC still regularlyemploys many guest designers, including Terry Southerington forthis season's "Measure for Measure."
Wear and tear
"For me, this place is like a second home," McNee said. "This isall I've known, although I am aware that this job is very differentfrom other companies that may have a person who does just wigs."
Indeed, ASC employs Shakespeare's original staging practices,emphasizing the language of the plays and quality of the acting. Inthat vein, the nonprofit, midsize theater also takes a spareapproach to props and doesn't use visual effects.
Each woman's approach to her work is different. For instance, theplanning phase for McNee involves creating a handwritten inventoryand budget, while West uses software spreadsheets. McNee buriesherself in information and then "works her way out," while West ismore calculated from the start.
The first thing they do for each show is read the play.
"They give us scene breakdowns, and I read with that beside me,"West said. "I try to keep in mind the pace of the play."
That's because costume changes behind the scenes must be fast andfurious. Another element of original staging practices is doubling,meaning actors must play multiple roles. So functionality,including durability and ease of use, are critical to thecostumers' designs.
"There are scenes in which an actor will exit the stage and almostimmediately have to re-enter," West said.
After reading the play and meeting with the director to get a feelfor the intended setting and aesthetic tone of the show, West andMcNee research a variety of looks from different cultures andperiods.
"Our job isn't to recreate historically accurate Elizabethancostumes," McNee said, adding that directors at times don't evenwant to convey any specific time or place to the audience.
"Sometimes we choose archetypes, like medicine man or KatherineHepburn," West said. "It's about creating something that theaudience can relate to."
"This place was founded on the idea of making Shakespeare moreaccessible," McNee added.
While McNee and West take full advantage of the theater's wardrobestock, they usually must create wardrobes from scratch for eachshow. They choose from seemingly endless fabric patterns andtextures, which play a huge role in the look of the shows, sinceprops tend to be minimal, effects and backdrops usually nonexistentand the lighting dim.
And they often must stretch the $2,500-per-show budget topaper-thin lengths. West recalled a recent show in which the bulkof her budget for "Hamlet" had to go to tights and boots, because"King Lear" began running prior and used up the boots in stock.
Before building starts, they hold a design presentation. Lately,they've had good rapport with directors, McNee said, although bothhave felt the sting of their designs being rejected, which forcesthem to start over.
West likens the challenge of building each piece to a "terriblepuzzle. You have to figure out how to work the fabric, fit it andfix it."
Although McNee and West are individually responsible for an entireshow's wardrobe, they collaborate closely on everything.
"I think because our styles and creative process are so different,we complement each other," McNee said. "We value each other'sopinions."
Once construction starts, the women have about three weeks beforethe pieces have to be ready for first rehearsal.
That's when they're putting in 16-hour days.
"I had to have my mother-in-law live with us, so I could finish'King Lear,'" McNee said.
Moving on
While McNee and family have settled into life in Staunton, West'stime in the area winds down this summer. In the fall, theWaynesboro native will start the graduate program at RutgersUniversity and hopes to makes some New York City connections intocostume work for musical theater.
West, who has done costume work with most of the area's communitytheaters, works two other jobs in addition to her part-timeposition at ASC.
"It's a lot of work, but it's really good for my resume,' she said."It'll be sad to leave because I grew up watching this place evolvefrom Shenandoah Shakespeare Express to what it is today."
McNee has high hopes for her partner.
"I've told her many times she should try out for 'Project Runway,'"McNee said. "You know they had a costume designer last season whomade it pretty far."
"You never know," West replied with an impish smile.
