Most Mavericks know about the theater productions, but not many people know about what happens behind the scenes, such as costume design. The colorful works for past shows are hung in a hidden closet in the theatre room.
“There’s a lot of cool stuff in there,” head costume designer Courteney Kenyon said. “It contains the history of our program.”
Some worlds that have been created by theater teachers and students include Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Costumes for mainstage productions are designed by the theatre teachers, but students always have some say in the designing process.
“We like to design the costumes, and then show the students,” theater teacher Aaron Johnson said. “They have really good ideas that we incorporate into the design.”
The creative designs are not easy to bring to life. Costume designers work for five or six hours on some Saturdays to make costumes such as the purple, paint-splattered coat of the Mad Hatter.
“My favorite costume ever is from A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Kenyan said. “We made a ‘metal’ arm and leg that looked really cool in the end.”
Costume supplies are not cheap. Some costumes, including fur coats and wedding dresses, come from Goodwill. Other costumes are made from fabrics bought at Lowe’s.
“Costumes come from all over the place,” theater teacher Erin Shaw said. “Sometimes we recycle costumes from previous shows before we use our budget.”
Theatre, especially costume design, allows students to learn while expressing their creativity.
“I’ve learned a lot of helpful little tips making costumes,” Kenyon said. “I love creating a fantasy world through my eyes instead of acting.”
