'JEEVES IN BLOOM' - Jeff Recommended!

Jeeves In Bloom opened last night at First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook, and has been Jeff Recommended!

Jeeves looks over Gussie Finknottle and Bertie Wooster

Check back for more photos and sketches soon!

'THE CASTLE OF OTRANTO'

The Castle of Otranto, the theatrical adaptation by David Rice of the novel by the same name, is opening October 3rd at First Folio Theatre.

Here are a few costume sketches:

Matilda, Manfred's unwanted daughter, falls tragically in love with Theodore.

Manfred is ruled by a curse that was put upon his family.

Bianca, Jacques, and Diego - the bumbling, saucy servants.

'JON' - Jeff Recommended!

Collaboraction's Jon opened last night at the Building Stage! This premier based on George Saunder's short story by the same name has gotten a lot of attention from the press.

Jon is set in the corporate facility where a group of teens have lived and worked since birth, knowing very little about the outside world around them. They rate designer clothing, fad energy drinks, and new teen-consumer items under the management of the facility staff.

Jon falls in love with Carolyn, both having grown up in the facility, and soon Carolyn becomes pregnant. With the prospect of raising a baby as a teen mother in the facility, Carolyn begins to question if the only life she has known would be the best for their child.

I created a bold color scheme to make the group of teens cohesive, and within the group I designed character-driven silhouettes that distinguished the teens as individuals. Kimberly has a punk streak, Ruth is a bit of a goth, Carolyn is the class-president-type, Josh has a little young republican in him, Brad is a video game 'nerd', and Jon is a stoner-jock. I used these labels loosely, as all of the clothing they wore (and the way they wore it) needed look as if it were designed for the mainstream American teen, but with an added edge. I drew a lot of my design inspiration and research from advertisements and store fronts.

The facility staff wore the office "uniform" of corporate America: khaki pants, blue collared shirt, a bland tie, cell phone holster on the belt, and key card lanyard.

Chris Jones reviews Jon on CBS Chicago - view the video here!

A video clip from Jon posted by video designer Mike Tutaj.

A second video clip posted by Mike Tutaj.

And, a third video clip posted to blip.tv.

An interview with George Saunders about the play Jon:
Consumed with Desire: Writer George Saunders Discusses His Collaboraction Collaboration, by Monica Westin from Newcity Stage

An article about Director/Adapter Seth Bockley's meetings with George Saunders from Collaboraction's website.

Collaboraction's 'Jon' Has Finger on Pulse of Our Robotic, Materialistic Society, by Hedy Weiss in the Chicago Sun-Times

Hyper-Marketed Worlds Rings True In 'Jon', by Chris Jones for The Theatre Loop at ChicagoTribune.com

'Jon' - Theatre Review, by Kris Vire for Time Out Chicago

'Jon,' by Tom Williams for ChicagoCritic.com

'Jon,' by Tony Adler for the Chicago Reader

The Medium Is The Mess: Collaboraction Adapts A "Genius" Short Story, by Jonathan Messinger from Time Out Chicago

Teens Try To Get Real In Fleshed-Out 'Jon', by Mary Houlihan for the Chicago Sun-Times

'THE MADNESS OF EDGAR ALLAN POE: A LOVE STORY'

My first Chicago show - The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story just opened! Co-Founder of First Folio Shakespeare Festival David Rice wrote the adaptation of several of Poe's short stories, and it's been Jeff nominated for best New Adaptation.

I will also be designing Jeeves Intervenes at First Folio in January, and Driving Miss Daisy in the spring.

'THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS'

I was Associate Costume Designer for Book-It Repertory Theatre's production of Isabel Allende's novel The House of the Spirits, running in Seattle June 7-24.

As Associate Costume Designer I worked closely with Costume Designer Pete Rush. I collected research, made design choices, and created and altered costume pieces. Most importantly I guided the costume design through tech week after Pete left for the east coast due to prior commitments.

Maintaining the connection between the generations of women in the family was the most important design element. The play spans over 70 years and nearly five generations in three acts. Costumes were not only the main tool used to illustrate the passage of time, but also the key visual sign of the women's interconnections. Beginning with Nivea, and continuing to Alba's future daughter, the women were dressed in whites and creams. As each woman passed their knowledge and traditions down to their daughter they added a light blue scarf, shawl, or sweater over their white costume.

Reviews:

The Seattle Times: 'This old "House" opened a lot of doors for Isabel Allende'

The Seattle PI: 'Book-It's version of 'House of the Spirits' offers insight into Chile's own 9/11'