Witness a day in the life of the WICKED wardrobe department! Then Robert (Woodruff) had the idea of Alec playing both parts. In each of the choices, there is a balance of Turkish and contemporary. We had so many different ideas for the final scene, but I think we found the right combination:   sort of Turkish, sort of Little Richard, sort of a champion wrestler, sort of gospel singer. PC:   Well, how about The Tempest , which you’re in the middle of right now [produced at the La Jolla Playhouse this summer]? It scares people to think that they can’t be good designers unless they are great drawers, but there are some fine designers who don’t draw very well. Not just the people we’ve talked about, but Sharon Ott, Des McAnuff, Carole Rothman. In this interview Susan Hilferty explains how “Every single show I do starts from a different place.” But regardless of its starting point, they are all a response to the text. Comments Off on Modern Designers Project- Susan Hilferty. You feel like your mother is in the room at all times, there’s a sense of being supervised, not in a critical way, helpfully, but still…   It’s hard to maintain the idea of working as an individual artist, of doing things for yourself. St. James Theatre New York City Buried Child … Normally an actor comes to a fitting, lifts his arms and says, “Yeah, that’s O.K., I can lift my arms, but I also have to turn around and sit on a chair.”   These guys go, “Well, it feels O.K.,” but then they’ll do a backflip, bring in a friend who stands on their shoulders, and cartwheel across the room. I use museums and books all the time, constantly. Interview. He still feels like Avner, but he also feels right in that world. As with dancers, your job is not only to come up with a whole visual idea, but also to enhance their movement and physicality. Susan Hilferty:   The original Chicago production was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It’s actually a huge struggle every time. That’s why we did the atomic research:   the idea of man having such power over nature. It’s very strange to be in a school situation working with professionals. Regional credits include the Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Repertory Theatre, Center Stage and Berkley Rep.   Film and TV credits include Laurie Anderson’s “Home of the Brave,” “A Different Twist,” and “The Resurrection of Lady Lester.”   In the field of dance she has designed costumes for Alvin Ailey and Jennifer Muller. In South Africa they don’t have professional designers the way we have here or in Europe. Lestat's On Park. Most people don’t get into the union for a couple of years after grad school. At the time, she thought “a set designer was somebody who did big paintings, someone who illustrated the play.”   A latent interest in theatre was ignited during a year abroad in London where she saw such productions as The Tempest at the National, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at the Young Vic, The Rocky Horror Show, Sizwe Bansi, and Equus. It's a creature who has held on to the idea of morality and speaks out for the underdog. Fresh out of college, Hilferty made her living working in costume shops and began designing at small theatres. How did you start to talk? I'm also doing a Chilean play about a night in Russia. [Editor’s note: For an idea of who works behind the scenes at WICKED, check out this video about hair and makeup or this this video filmed backstage.]. Are they jetsetters, living on their yacht in topsiders and cashmere sweaters? I describe myself as a storyteller, not just a clothing designer. When we did Blood Knot , it was very different from any other relationship I’ve had in the theatre because Athol was the author and the director and he was also an actor. Lestat Interview With A Vampire. And I would describe it as a brutal facade which should feel like an oven or a reliquary in that you should have the sense constantly that it might explode, and it does. Website by tinymill.com. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. It doesn't mean anything by itself, though it's beautiful. To see this dress and knowing all of the people who have worked on it—all the drapers, stitchers, dyers, milliners, cobblers, and wig makers, etc, the list is really long—to see that all of their work represented—and all the actors who performed in the roles, the musicians in the pit, in many ways this represents all of us. It’s less serious:   the stage manager does the set, or the director does the clothes. Sponsored Content Tony-Winning Costume Designer Paloma Young on Loving Regional Theatre, Her Surprising Connection to Susan Hilferty, and More By Playbill Staff Oct 13, 2020 After seeing numerous applicants coming in for interviews woefully unprepared artistically and … He goes all the way with it—bleaching half his head and perming the other. So we reduce the power of the policemen to a sound, and flashing light, and a car. I knew Denslow was trying to make a village or community out of the world where they have pointed-toe shoes and pointy hats. Have there been significant changes in ideas from one production to the next? After the first discussions, in which he talked about his gut-level reactions to the play, Doug immediately came up with several set ideas, and I started bringing in pictures. 7 notes. Well all right, I’ll try it. The world is always changing. SH:   I think it’s essential for a designer to be able to draw, simply as a way to communicate. Signature Theatre (New York City) New York Wicked 2003. PC:   So the images are about the clash of technological civilization versus the “primitive” island? Emab Forsheda. So I was lucky enough to be assigned to do A Lesson From Aloes . That’s the great part about working with people who are physical performers:   they can become the car, they can become a puppet, they can create a dwarf or the BIG policeman on stilts. If they’re policemen, they’re in pink, reflective glasses and a fake nose. Actors normally are used to doing a total transformation, to becoming a character. When they’re part of the band they wear red, and dark glasses, and fake noses. Ethyl is such a find, he’s such a great stage presence. toggle search form. How did that come about? The costume is currently on display in the American Stories exhibition. So that’s the part I find most exciting. Carley Anderson … I did hundreds of sketches of the hat. Between 12th and 14th Streets Leapin' Lizards! In previous productions the Duke was in a tail coat. Erin Blasco is an education specialist in the New Media Department. So in Comedy , at the same time that we were creating characters, we wanted the integrity of the vaudeville personae to be maintained—that’s what they do on stage, that’s who they are, that’s the major reason for wanting them in this production. The Elphaba dress, hat, and broom are currently on display in American Stories. Photo by Joan Marcus. To me it is the main reason I am in the theatre, because it is a collaborative art…   It’s very difficult to explain how you work with a director. They just have different personalities and different ways of working. Since everybody plays at least three or four characters, with not a lot of time for changes, and since these are not performers who do big acting transitions between one character and the next, the costume choices are big. “Being a theater designer, the text could be a piece of music, a piece of choreography, a play—but the text is the trigger.” Susan Hilferty Interview by Downstage Center Downstage Center. Right now I just opened the revival of the musical Annie. Born in Arlington, Massachusetts, Hilferty had little exposure to the arts as a child. Video interview with Hilferty discussing the costumes from Wicked. You never quite know where you are. Aksi Kamisan. Through the first week of previews, we tried for a total transformation, really dressing him like a woman. That's really what the dress is about. I wish I had even a smidge of the amount of talent this woman has! In Susan Hilferty’s bustling studio workshop on West 24 th Street in New York, you will find shelves overflowing with books and drafting tables covered in papers. The court: should it be hot or cold, is it contemporary or future, are they military or civilian? Being at Yale was a tremendous experience in terms of really developing as a designer, both in sets and costumes. Explore ANNIE's N.Y.C. For me that led to research on the Bikini atoll (site of the first hydrogen bomb test in 1952). I didn’t know any other designers; I’d never seen another designer’s portfolio, or another designer’s resume. One of the feelings you may get in this production is of civilized man raping primitive cultures. Then he responds to those images and we keep going on from there. I recently went to see the … Lestat's San Diego. That's why I brought the large brim up in a sweep, a natural curve that you see in bones or worn away rock and then also it allowed us to see her face. Her portfolio – therefore – stretches to over 300 productions with one of her most famous (Wicked) earning her a Tony award in 2004 for her costume designs. Gershwin Theatre New York The Oresteia 2019. My relationship with him has developed over the years; I’ve become his “eyes” in the theatre when he’s performing as well as directing. My mother called while I was doing the test and asked, “What are you doing?” and I said, “Oh, nothing, ma,” because I really thought you were not supposed to talk about it. “We didn’t have a television,” she says. Anything will serve: newspaper clippings, magazine photos, or illustrations in books. SH:   Actually, the original production of A Comedy of Errors at the Goodman Theatre was the first show we did together. In fittings, this show was hilarious. So in my artwork, there’s a wide range. Public television station WNET has teamed up with the upcoming Broadway revival of ANNIE! 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