She has just begun to knit a scarf to be used on stage two days hence for City Theatre's 'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.'
The production's costume designer says she couldn't find a scarf or a shawl (she's made one of those, too) that was right for the pseudo-Victorian setting. 'But that's all right,' she says. 'I'm a fast knitter.'"
16 comments:
It's nice to know the Pittsburgh Post is recognizing Susan Tsu! Seeing even this one picture has me so much more excited to see Jekyll and Hyde. What I found particularly exciting about how Susan worked on this project was her choice to incorporate non period influences and her ability to use restraint, as when she said she restrained herself from including a red dress despite the play feeling as if it would be well suited by the addition. Choices like this show that she isn't bound by what's predictable, though she still pays close attention to the tone and aesthetic of the play. I especially can't wait to see how Steampunk and Gothic fashion shine through in her designs. Both fashions have been significantly influenced by Victorian fashion, so they are appropriate, especially in the ways they can be used to create drama.
I am really excited to see this show. The direction Susan has taken the costumes is really exciting! I agree with Morgan, I am so glad that she is being recognized for her innovative work. When Susan explained how she was taking on this design to us in class I didn't fully understand what she meant. I now understand what she meant and I glad that she did not feel contained to the period in which the story was written. I am sure it will convey the perfect mood for this dark story and I am super pumped to see it.
I love Susan Tsu. Her knitting during the interview is awesome, and those pieces that she knit looked fabulous on stage. While watching the show all I could think was I bet Susan knitted that!
It is great to have Susan recognized for her talents in designing. The choices she made worked very well with the show. It was amazing how well the costumes all fit together when considering the various inspirations. Overall, the costumes and the show was amazing and I recommend everyone go, it's on $17 for a student ticket!
First of all, I really like how Susan is taking her ideas from many different sources and incorporating them into what seems to be quite the spectacle. Steampunk, the goth aesthetic, and especially the photographer she worked off of wouldn't necessarily fit together in any sense, but taking small cues from each seems to have really sparked plenty of design ideas for her. For me, the most interesting thing in this article is Susan's involvement in all that she does. She researches, she respects other art as inspiration, and she knits pieces when nothing can substitute.
I can't wait to see this production!
I <3 ST
This is one of the many things that make Carnegie Mellon the program it has become. The fact that our professors are still actively working in the industry and making connections and discovering methods, tools, techniques, and ideas for themselves and to bring back and teach to us. It allows the students to get experience watch the designs grow from their initial stages through discussions in class through to the final product put on stage when we attend the performances in Pittsburgh. The outside work that our professors do gives us another real experience that we can discuss in addition to our lab work for the SOD season.
As for the show, the choices that Susan has made seem really interesting and I can't wait to see how she gets clothing from all of these different periods to work together and create a cohesive whole.
Im so happy to see Susan getting recognized. I am really excited to go see this show. I cant wait to see all the costumes and how they work together. Its interesting how she found a way to work around the time period of the play and costume from different styles/years and have them work together and complement each other. I thought it was also interesting what susan was saying about the red dress.
It's great to see the work of our own faculty (and alums) being recognized.
What I found more interesting about this article is how the article focused a lot on Susan's process in developing the design. Seeing where a designer gets their research, to me, is so much more valuable than seeing a final product. Great article in that respect.
On a side note, I love Susan Tsu.
In Design for the Stage, we were discussing the question of period versus modern fashion. I've always wondered about the question of what an audience sees and accepts as conveying of a certain mood or idea vs. what that same garment or object would convey in the period. I like that Susan was not necessarily a slave to the period, as much as she respected her ideas and the mood she was trying to convey.
What I found most important about this article is the simple anecdote that the author chose to use as the opening for the article. Because Susan could not find the perfect scarf to fit exactly with her design she chose to put the time into making one. To me this emphasizes how big a part attention to detail is. There may be times when you have to make budgetary sacrifices or compromise with other designers to create a cohesive piece, however if you ever have an opportunity to make something exactly the way you wanted and fulfill a very specific vision, you should do everything you can to make it happen, even with the seemingly small stuff.
It's really inspiring to see how successful the people who are teaching us actually are. This is one of the main reasons I wanted to come to this school: because I know I am in the hands of people who not only have done what they are teaching, but continue to do so.
It’s wonderful to see Susan Tsu being recognized for her work in the theater. I’m really interested to go and see the show and see how the costumes, and set and all the elements blend together in this particular interpretation of Jekyll and Hyde. It’s great that we as students have an example like Susan to see how the industry really works and be able to see them continuing to participate in it. Looking forward to going and seeing the show!
Susan is such an amazing designer. I remember going back and rereading all my costume design books in amazement after I met her; almost every book I own has a design by Susan in it.
She's so invested in every project she does and her drawings are just wonderful. We saw some of her designs in class today and she's just a chameleon and an amazing artist. I'm so so glad I have a chance to work with her.
To sum up:
OH MY GOD SUSAN USED STEAMPUNK TO DESCRIBE HER DESIGN I LOVE HER.
I LOVE to hear what our faculty are doing outside of the School of Drama...it's amazing to know that they still have the drive, the talent, and the time to be able to do these projects! I know that sometimes their involvement ends up taking them away from some classes or meetings or rehearsals, which is frustrating, but it's reassuring to know that our professors are still influencing, and being influenced by, the "real world."
This article is definitely about how awesome Susan Ts is as well as that it is a reason to go see Jekyll and Hyde. I have to say that it is my reason for going to see the show this weekend. A lot of people from out class are going together. I saw Quantum Theatre's Cymbeline (which is mentioned at the bottom of the article) and it was awesome. The costumes were great and I want to now see something else that Susan has worked on. I think it is so awesome when we can go out into the theatre world and see a show that our teachers have worked on because then we can see their talent outside of the classroom. This is a great hing about CMU drama.
Love the resourcefulness of Susan Tsu! When in a pinch, knit it!
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