Costume department gears up for shows
Costume studio manager Bethany Padron knows first-hand what the process of creating costumes is like, since she’s involved in fashioning all the costumes for the Theatre Department’s productions.
Graduating from the University of North Carolina Art Institute, Padron has taken her skills and applied them to the University of South Dakota Theatre Department, working to share her knowledge with students.
Padron said constructing costumes comes second nature to her, since she started sewing in the eighth grade.
“I love working with my hands,” Padron said. “It is even more rewarding watching my students create something with theirs.”
Now an instructor on campus, Padron is kept busy with not only her classes but also with her duties as costume studio manager.
With the upcoming show “Romeo and Juliet,” Padron, along with 22 students, is already busy preparing for the show’s opening Nov. 21.
No stranger to the stage, musical theatre senior Lukas Ptacek said a show isn’t complete until the costumes are.
“You need four things in any production,” Ptacek said. “An audience, lights, people to work backstage and costumes.”
The responsibilities and tasks that come with each day are ones that keep Padron active. Preparing for a production, it is Padron’s job to make sure all the actors have what they need. Whether it be a costume or a special prop, her responsibilities are essential to all the behind-the-scenes activities.
With help from student technical assistants, the jobs are always completed on time. However, each costume takes some time to produce.
“Depending on the show, each costume usually takes about four weeks to complete,” Padron said.
Cutting patterns and creating a whole outfit from nothing but fabric and string is something Padron and her students have found rewarding, she said.
Costumes serve as more than an outfit to wear, Ptacek said, as different clothes tell a story about different characters.
“Any lasting question you have about your character is answered with the costume,” he said.
Ptacek’s favorite costume throughout his years at USD was in the show “Pippin.” His tailored costume kept him comfortable and looking his best throughout the entire show, helping to make it his favorite to perform in, Ptacek said.
[notification type=”grey” title=”Tips for making your own Halloween costume”]Senior Hunter Winklepleck lives with students majoring in theater, and after getting tips on how to make his Halloween costume stand out, he decided to create his own costume this year. Winklepleck, a hospital administration major, brainstormed multiple ideas and went on a search for inexpensive pieces. “My aunt gave me a shirt from Vegas that will be perfect for my outfit,” Winklepleck said. “It’s too small, but the character I am dressing as wears a shirt that is too small for him.” A larger-fitting shirt would be more comfortable, he said, but capturing the character’s true identity is more fun. For students still looking for the perfect costume, a quick stop to a secondhand store or a garage sale could prove successful, Padron said. “Completing a costume from scratch is fun but will take time,” Padron said. “For those who need something fast, thrift stores almost always have something fun to wear.”[/notification]
(Photo: Junior Kristian Asfeldt, left, and first-year Nicole Scotting, right, sew costumes in the costume studio located in the Warren E. Lee Center for Fine Arts Oct. 27. Theater students are gearing up for the upcoming show “Romeo and Juliet”. Mikkelle Carlson / The Volante)
