'GIFT'

GIFT, a new devised work by Sam Porretta, opens November 16th at Collaboraction. Previews begin tonight!

Use promo code 130 to get tickets at Collaboraction.org

Photos by Saverio Truglia

AFTER DARK AT THE ART INSTITUTE - MODERN ART WING

I designed costumes for the Art Institute of Chicago's After Dark at the Art Institute with Collaboraction.

The event was on Friday, October 2 - and here's a promo video for the event, featuring the costumes that my assistants and I created.

A very special thanks to Assistants Kelly Coll and Kelsey Rhodes!

'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.

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE FEATURES 'EL GRITO DEL BRONX'

Last Tuesday's New York Times included an article on Collaboraction's money-back guarantee for their latest show El Grito del Bronx.

A Chicago Production Lures the Wary with a Money-Back Guarantee by Erik Piepenburg for the New York Times, September 1, 2009

This photo, taken by Saverio Truglia, was included with the article.

PRINTERS' BALL

Columbia College Chicago's Center for Book and Paper Arts hosted this year's Printers' Ball.

Columbia's Spectacle Shop worked closely with the Center for Book and Paper Arts to create an overall look for the event that would greet attendees when they entered the building and stay with them as they roamed the multiple floors the event covered.

I designed these two Rococo style dresses and created them out of paper with the help of Columbia's Spectacle Shop and stitcher Kelsey Rhodes.

Here's a video interview from Amy Guth from ChicagoNow with the two ladies who wore the gowns for the event - Sarah-Jean Benjamin and Mari Provencher.

Paper Dresses at Printers Ball from Amy Guth on Vimeo.

Printers' Ball video featuring the paper gowns
More detail photos to come!

'EL GRITO DEL BRONX' - Jeff Recommended!!

I've designed costumes for El Grito del Bronx, opening this week at The Goodman's Owen Theatre.  El Grito del Bronx is being produced by Collaboraction and Teatro Vista, in conjunction with The Goodman Theatre.

This is the world premier of Migdalia Cruz's dramatic play. As Lulu prepares for her wedding, she reflects on her violent and abusive childhood, and the events that have drawn her and her brother, Papo, apart.

For tickets visit Collaboraction.org! The show runs July 17th through August 2nd.

View the online program.

Here are some reviews:

'El Grito del Bronx' by Hedy Weiss for The Chicago Sun-Times

'El Grito del Bronx' a Mixed Bag by Chris Jones for The Chicago Tribune

'El Grito del Bronx' by Kris Vire for TimeOut Chicago

'El Grito' Can't Quite Imbue Its Bloody Violence With Meaning, by Kerry Reid for The Chicago Reader

'El Grito del Bronx' (In English) by Randy Hardwick for ChicagoCritic.com

And, here are a few video clips from the production:

MANIFEST 2009 - RAY BRADBURY COSTUMES

As part of Columbia College Chicago's NEA Big Read grant, I designed costumes for characters from Ray Bradbury's novels, short stories, and film scripts. Below are a few publicity photos from Columbia's Manifest.

My design for Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, the Dust Witch with Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway.











The Dust Witch from Something Wicked This Way Comes.












Clarisse from Fahrenheit 451

RAY BRADBURY AND MANIFEST 2009

Ray Bradbury was Columbia College Chicago's 2009 Honorary Degree Recipient. In conjunction with Columbia College's National Endowment for the Arts Big Read grant, I designed and created 18 costumed characters from Bradbury's novels, short stories, and screen plays with Columbia's Spectacle Build Shop.

These costumed characters participated in Manifest, Columbia College Chicago's end of the year arts festival.

Here is a video interview with Ray Bradbury, featuring many of my design sketches.



Special thanks goes to:
Jennifer Friedrich, Columbia College Chicago Manifest Artistic Director
Joy Dennis, Columbia College Chicago Spectacle Build Shop Manager, Sculptor
Jesarae Richards, Manifest Painter

THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS- BIG READ COSTUMES

Columbia College Chicago won one of The National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read grants this year. As part of Columbia College's program to promote reading, using Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, I designed and created 18 costumed characters from Bradbury's novels, short stories, and screenplays with Columbia College's Spectacle Build Shop. The characters participated in Columbia College's end of the year arts festival - Manifest.

Columbia College's Big Read program and the costumes that I created were featured on the NEA's blog:
'Into the Fire', The Big Read Blog, May 18, 2009

Ray Bradbury is my favorite author, and it was a dream to design and build costumes for the characters from his books!

The characters included:
The Dust Witch from Something Wicked This Way Comes
Mr. Dark from Something Wicked This Way Comes
Will Halloway from Something Wicked This Way Comes
Douglas Spaulding from Dandelion Wine
The Ice Cream Suit from the play of the same name
The Illustrated Man from the short story collection of the same name
Spaceman from a short story in The Illustrated Man
Montag from Fahrenheit 451
Clarisse from Fahrenheit 451
5 other Firemen from Fahrenheit 451
Little Nemo from Little Nemo in Slumberland
Ylla from The Martian Chronicals
2 other Aliens from The Martian Chronicals

And photos will follow shortly!

Special thanks to:
Jennifer Friedrich, Columbia College Chicago Manifest Artistic Director
Joy Dennis, Columbia College Chicago Spectacle Build Shop Manager, Sculptor
Jesarae Richards, Manifest Painter

'KATTYWAMPUS' - SKETCHBOOK 2009

Here's a video clip of Kattywampus from Collaboraction's SKETCHBOOK 2009. Kattywampus was devised by actor/choreographer Joseph Ravens. I created the spandex pouch unit that he wore for the piece.

'PARA CARMEN' VIDEO - SKETCHBOOK 2009

Para Carmen was devised by Sandra Delgado for Collaboraction's SKETCHBOOK 2009. I designed and built the period costumes.

'BEATRICE AND BEAU' - SKETCHBOOK 2009

I designed costumes for Beatrice and Beau, one of the 14 short plays in this year's SKETCHBOOK at Collaboraction. Since light plays a large part in Beatrice and Beau, I kept the pallet light for the hipster-chic couple.

MANIFEST 2009 - COMMON GROUND

Another sneak peak a few of my designs for Columbia College Chicago's annual Manifest Spectacle Fortuna parade!


I designed these costumes for Common Grounds - Columbia's LGBTA group. The women wear an exaggerated "bubble" dress with a cinched belt, and the men wear "bubble breeches" and a fitted vest with a "bubble" lapel.

Photos thanks to Alexis Ellers
Styling by Jennifer Friedrich, the Spectacle Fortuna Artistic Director
Hair and Makeup by Jennifer Friedrich and Tania Gonzalez

'CONSTRICTION' - SKETCHBOOK 2009

Constriction is one of the short plays in Collaboraction's annual short play festival SKETCHBOOK.

A gang of girls are way over their heads when they kidnap a teacher and she accidentally overdoses on laughing gas...

SKETCHBOOK 2009 - 'NEW AMERICAN FABLE'

Collaboraction's SKETCHBOOK 2009 - New American Fable opened last night to a packed house at Chicago's Building Stage! Seven new short plays and seven devised works were chosen to be part of this year's festival. There is a huge variety in the types of theatre, dance, mime, and movement pieces that make up this year's festival. I designed all sorts of costumes ranging from space suit liners and turn of the century migrant farmers to a WWI German Zeppelin pilot and a Harajuku inspired girl gang.

With over 200 artists involved in SKETCHBOOK 2009, the design process was extremely collaborative. Each of the individual pieces are all so unique, yet as a whole the festival needed a design that flowed through out - unifying the pieces into a collective work of theatre. I kept an eye of wonder in all of the costumes I designed. Something new and fresh, or slightly magical that gave a new perspective on what could be fairly ordinary. Since there is such a variety in performances I interpreted this differently for each piece.

In Para Carmen - a choreographed dance based on Lhasa de Sela's piece 'De cara a la pared' - I used a whimsical, light, and ethereal palette to create the early 20th century migrant farm worker's clothing. A light yellow bonnet shared by 3 dancers signified the passing of one woman's lifetime as it flashed before her in her death.

In What Am I Supposed To Be I created caricatured, storybook-like costumes for many characters, including a blushing bride, an experimental scientist, a convict on death row, and an American soldier. But unlike a storybook, these characters were all not what their costume suggested they were. The bride was nervous and unhappy, the scientist's experiment had gone horribly wrong, the convict was not just waiting for his death, and the soldier struggled with society's simultaneous expectations and neglect.

For Beatrice and Beau I coordinated outfits to create the picturesque cute couple. Both were completely dressed in very light colors - creating an other-worldly tableau. There was also a care-free ease to their costumes which contributed to the "roles" the characters were forced to play within the piece and highlighted their disillusionment at the end of the play.

Here's a short video from WGNTV in Chicago!

Tweets in Collaboractions' Sketchbook fun to follow'by Hedy Weiss for the Chicago Sun-Times

Theatre Review: Sketchbook Festival by Nina Metz for The Chicago Tribune

I will be posting more photos and information of my designs in the next few weeks.

Special thanks to my crew of wonderful and talented assistants:
Bethany Kelly
Kelly Coll
Kelsey Rhodes
Krystal Troutman
Stephanie McNair
Stephanie Paradiso

Don't miss SKETCHBOOK 2009 - New American Fable - there's no other theatre like it playing in Chicago. The shows run through May 10th. Use promotion code 165 for $3 off any tickets at Collaboraction.org.