A walk on the wild side
Costume designers give life to menagerie
By Natalia Lavric
"It's a zoo in there," says Holly Cole, holding open the door to a School of Theater dressing room. She's not kidding: An unsuspecting actor looking for a quick change could be confronted by a lion, a zebra, a flamingo, a turtle, an elephant or, heaven forbid, a Komodo dragon.
The menagerie of masks, costumes and puppets -- some 60 creatures strong -- was fashioned by a winter-quarter Costume Crafts Technology class led by Cole, an associate professor of costume design whose work has touched Broadway productions and Muppets alike.
Their purpose in life? To appear in a Texas school's production of "Children of Eden" and to serve as a learning experience for Ohio University students with futures in costume design.
"Wanna get my trunk?" an elephant asks a turtle as the costume designers-turned-models walk to the Kantner courtyard for a photo op. The turtle obliges, grasping the long, fabric-covered trunk with her front feet to keep it from brushing the brick walkway.
"I’ve got tusks now, too; I keep forgetting," the elephant remarks. She straps a backpack across her chest and adjusts her headpiece using an attached wooden stick.
Out walks the elephant's other half, a dome-shaped creation with new, movable feet. The other students are impressed by how easily the legs rise and fall with the maneuvering of metal rods.
While the critters congregate for a costume issues are grade school-style photo, last-minute addressed. 
Students extol the virtues of safety pins, which provide an emergency fix until pieces can be finished.
"We need to go to the Front Room dressed like this," the Komodo dragon suggests. Picturing themselves ordering coffee next door, the creatures erupt in laughter.
As 16 students pose for posterity, Cole checks their creations. Costumes shouldn't hurt the actor or weigh too much, she explains; visibility, mobility and the ability to roar on cue also are important.
"We’re working for 40 kids between the ages of 6 and 16, and they've got to be able to work while wearing these costumes," Cole points out.
Assisting her with the class were staff costumer David Russell, BFA '93, and graduate student Brandon Kirkham, who specializes in puppet design (and doubles as a driver for Texas deliveries).
"The puppets were brilliant," says Natalie Taylor, MFA '05. "Brandon has an extraordinary ability to visualize both the design and the mechanics of puppets so that the movement is an integral part of the character." Taylor designed scenery for the Oakridge School production, and Ryan Trupp, MFA '05, served as lighting director.
In early March, the herd created in the School of Theater's costume shop was packed into Kirkham's truck and driven 1,000-some miles to the Arlington, Texas, primary and secondary school. "Children of Eden" chronicles the first nine chapters of Genesis, from Adam and Eve to Noah's Ark. (The latter scene requires all five dozen creations to take the stage.)
These projects became huge parts of students' lives throughout winter quarter. After watching demonstrations by staff members with varied backgrounds and expertise, they experimented with new materials -- in this case, reticulated foam and thermoplastics, which have to be worked, shaped and stitched into the desired shapes.
 Samanthe Burrow, a graduate student specializing in costume technology, visited as she assembled a foam pig. Her biggest contribution to the zoo was a peacock, whose long neck was made of a dryer hose neatly painted blue and gold. Its extravagant tail was several feet tall, ornately decorated with royal blue feathers.
Mandatory class labs fall on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but students often crammed in the costume shop late into the night and on weekends. "We're here all the time," says Burrow, using a curved needle to attach black hooves to a bright pink pig leg. She sews quickly, noting the approaching deadline, but grins cheerfully.
Staff costumer David Russell glances around the shop at the animals scattered here and there. "Brandon's drawings were what the students went from -- not a template, but a precedent," he says. Then, nodding toward the laborers, he adds, "They really put the magic into them."
Natalia Lavric, BSJ '07, is a student writer with Ohio Today. Posted 09-12-06 |
