EAST OF BERLIN & THE RUSSIAN PLAY

East of Berlin and The Russian Play has been one of my favorite productions to design.  This is the first time these two one-act plays, written by Hannah Moscovitch, have been produced together on the same bill.  When Ronan Marra (director) gave me the scripts I was immediately taken with the stories' similarities.  The narrators played nearly identical story-telling roles, the three characters in both plays had complementary characteristics, and the two plays had many overlapping themes.

Since these two plays were not originally written to share billing, I wanted to use my costume design to unite the two, create visual ties between the characters and themes of the plays, and make a cohesive production.

East of Berlin is set in Paraguay and then Germany, also moving in time from the 1960s to 1970s.  The Russian Play takes place in 1920's Russia.  Using these constraints of time and place, I designed costumes for each one-act that would "mirror" the corresponding characters in the other.  This is much easier to explain visually:

East of Berlin and The Russian Play have been extended at Signal Ensemble Theatre, and now close on December 18th. 

...more production photos to come!

Sarah and Rudi in East of Berlin

Sonya and Piotr in The Russian Play

'AFTERMATH' Reviewed by VARIETY

Signal Ensemble's Aftermath was reviewed in Variety earlier this week!

Aftermath is currently running at Signal Ensemble through January 23, 2011.  For my post on the show when it first opened in May, click here!

And here are some more reviews of the fall remount:
Review: Aftermath/Signal Ensemble by Brian Hieggelke for NewCity
Review: 'Aftermath': Internal Implosion Results in a Super Nova! by Kate Walsh for TheFourthWalsh.com

'AFTERMATH'

Aftermath is a new play about founder of the Rolling Stones Brian Jones' life, work, and early death written and directed by Signal Ensemble's Ronan Marra.

I designed costumes for the show, including portrayals of George Harrison, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, and, of course, Brian Jones.

The play is narrated by Brian Jones and seems to come from his memories. I wanted to limit costume changes, especially for Brian. I often feel that too many costume changes in memory plays can be distracting to the story. I chose key scenes and moments for the characters to change costume based on how necessary the costume was to the storytelling.

Costume designs for Brian Jones

One set of costumes that I felt was very important to the storytelling was Anita Pallenberg's ensembles. Costume was the perfect way to underscore Anita's relationships with Brian Jones and Keith Richards.

Anita Pallenberg's while seeing Brian Jones (left) and while with Keith Richards (right)

Costume designs for Keith Richards

Aftermath sold out the entire run just three days after opening! Luckily, we're remounting the production in November- so if you missed it you can get your tickets here.

Reviews:

"The lighting by Mark Hurni, costumes by Elsa Hiltner, sound by Anthony Ingram, props by Mary O'Dowd and videos by Jack Newell are just the icing on the cake of a production that has every detail covered." -Aftermath by Alan Bresloff for SteadStyle Chicago

'Aftermath' by Signal Ensemble: They've Got The Rolling Stones Under Their Thumbs by Chris Jones for The Chicago Tribune

'Aftermath' is Signal Ensemble's Jukebox Musical That Nails a Tricky Genre by Chris Jones for The Chicago Tribune

Review: 'Aftermath'/Signal Ensemble by Neal Ryan Shaw for Theatre for Newcity

'Aftermath' by Tom Williams for Chicago Critic

'Aftermath' at Signal Ensemble Theatre by John Beer for TimeOut Chicago

Life of Brian - A Rolling Visionary by Scotty Zacher for The Chicago Theatre Blog

Signal Ensemble Shows the 'Aftermath' of Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll by Jonathan Grabinsky for The Maroon

'THE BIRTHDAY PARTY'

Petey, Stanley, and Meg at breakfast, ACT 1

Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party opens this Monday, July 28 at Signal Ensemble Theatre.

The Birthday Party is one of my favorite plays, and I was very happy to have the opportunity to design costumes for director Aaron Snook's production.

The costumes and set for this production were very naturalistic. We wanted to create a realistic world in which Goldberg and McCann could create a psychological disturbance, but leave the surface in Meg and Petey's home unchanged. Goldberg and McCann's disturbances were underscored by Julie Ballard's lighting design.

Meg and Petey at breakfast, ACT 1

The color scheme for Melania Lancy's set was grayed cream and beige - a dried up and withered palette. This made an excellent backdrop for my costumes. Meg, Petey, and Stanley's colors were moldy and deteriorating while still keeping their vibrancy.

Stanley and Petey wore mainly plaids and stripes. These patterns created a barred in and jailed aura around the characters.

Petey and Stanley, ACT 1

McCann and Stanley, ACT 2

I gave Meg a boldly floral teal dress for Act 1 and 3. The scooped collar and large flowers gave Meg an agelessly youthful appearance; yet the blocked and linear layout of the flowers added to the overall trapped feeling of the play.

I wanted Meg's party dress to look like a little girls 'special dress-up dress'. I knew at once that it needed to have a puffy skirt, a large bow, and some sort of rhinestoned brooch, all adding to a youthful air while staying in the same vibrant molding color scheme.

Meg's house dress ACT 1 & 3 and party dress ACT 2

Goldberg and McCann wear dark suits, ties, and black fedoras - a uniform complete with small insignia lapel pins. When Stanley enters in Act 3 McCann and Goldberg have dressed him in this same uniform, although Stanley's uniform is slightly ill-fitting - as though it has been years since he has last worn it.

McCann and Goldberg, ACT 1

Lulu entered in Act 1 in a sweet red floral jumper and white cardigan; the epitome of the girl next door. Lulu was the only character who came from the outside world, grounded in a truly natural, 'modern' reality. Meg, Petey, and Stanley have a very closed off existence, very little contemporary influence from the outside world, few visitors, and Stanley rarely leaves the house. I dressed Lulu more flashy colors that the other characters. She brought life, and fresh air, into Meg and Petey's house that could only be illustrated with a cheerful floral dress and girlish sweater.

Stanley and Lulu, ACT 1

When Lulu enters for Stanley's birthday party she is wearing a much more mature and fitted red dress. This vibrant sexy, yet sweet dress expresses Lulu desire to both attract and retain her girlish innocence.

The party with McCann, Lulu, Stanley, Goldberg, and Meg, ACT 2

Some reviews:

"The design team — Melania Lancy (set), Julie E. Ballard (lights), Elsa Hiltner (costumes) and sound (Anthony Ingram) — has done impeccable work."

-The Birthday Party' Celebrates a Perfect Moment, by Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times

"Snook is also measurably assisted by Elsa Hiltner’s elegiac costuming, Melania Lancey’s quaint set and Julie Ballard’s moody lighting. All three elements add up to create a world of lyrical realism."
-'The Birthday Party', by Brian Kirst, Chicago Free Press

"The production values, always high caliber in a Signal Ensemble show, are evidenced by Melania Lancy’s quaint cottage-like set with Elsa Hiltner’s costume design together with Julie E. Ballard’s lighting and Anthony Ingram’s sound design."
-'The Birthday Party', by Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com

Intelligent Birthday Party; Partial 'Torch Song', by Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune

'The Birthday Party'
-Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago

'The Birthday Party'
-Jack Haffenkamp, Edge-Chicago

'The Birthday Party' (Signal Ensemble Theatre)
-Rob Kozlowski from The Rob Kozlowski Chicago Theatre and Vintage Film Medicine Show

Tension Crashes Intriguing 'Birthday Party'
-by Barbara Vitello, The Daily Herald

Theatre: 'The Birthday Party'
-Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times