Monday, February 24, 2020
CMU Costume Studio Creates Onstage Magic Behind the Scenes
www.cmu.edu/news: The storytelling that happens on stage goes beyond an actor's performance — it begins in the very fabric of their costumes. At the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, costume design and production students use fabric, design and their imaginations to visually enhance an on-stage performance.
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I am currently on the wardrobe crew for Into the Woods as my freshman run crew assignment and it has honestly been one of the most valuable experiences I have had at CMU up to this point. I also had a hand in creating some of the pieces for the show through work study in the costume shop, and Oona has been such a great designer and mentor throughout this process. Seeing her designs come together was amazing because it was so hard to know what to expect until it was all put together. For many of the garments she covered up beautiful fabrics with other textured pieces to create amazing mixed fabric. I wish that audience members could come up at the end of the show to fully appreciate the work that went into each piece. So much of the texture is lost at a distance, but it was still so worth it. Her process for designing this show works so cohesively with the other designers' work and highlights the talents of the actors so effectively.
This is such a cute lil video. I, along with Mitch, am involved in work study in the costume shop, so I was there at time that they were filming this video. I was surprised though because this was two entire days of video that was condensed into such a short video. It is nice to see Carnegie Mellon shine a spotlight on this department that is so well-regarded in the actual theatre community but is mostly unknown to the outside world. And Oona worked so hard and created some really wonderfully stunning designs for this show, and she is so deserving of this spotlight. It is fun to see the costume studio alongside the crazy robots that Carnegie Mellon creates, and it helps us lonely little drama kids feel validated within the University as a whole. I hope this trend will continue, with more spotlights on some of the other departments here in SoD.
I am so happy there was a story on something going on in the School of Drama. I feel like a lot of times the SoD is so separated from the rest of CMU, for reasons we can't control at times such as being so busy, but I hope with this more students can see how much work we put into the productions here. Honestly, the 1 minute video of Oona explaining the process is so entertaining for me as well. The only time I have been in the costume shop is during the first mini of the year as I was in the costume stagecraft class. Outside of the costume studio, I always see the concept drawings of the costumes and they seem so cool! I am sure each department would love it to have a video done of them and I would watch them all if they did them for each show produced here at CMU. It is a wonderful way to share all the hard work the students do in this school and it definitely gets me excited about watching Into the Woods!
Even as a design and production student, I don't get to see all the behind the scenes of each production, especially not costumes. I have been on numerous scenic and lighting calls, that added to the fact that the costumes stagecraft mini is my last mini means I rarely see the process of costume design and construction even though it's something I really enjoy. I'm really glad this article and video came out because it highlights Oona's incredible design and the hard work of the costume students. I for one had no idea Rapunzel's dress was dyed; I just thought they bought fabric in that color and got to work. It is articles like these that really let us know how things are done for those who were not there in person. Into the Woods was fascinating to watch and I am so happy for Oona and her team.
I feel like ever since it was announced that Into The Woods would be the next musical, I was very excited mostly because I love costumes in fantastical shows and what better than Into The Woods.
I saw the costumes of the Into the Woods like a week ago and I have to admit, they are so gorgeous. The way they depict the characters in just wonderful and I am so happy that the entire Costumes team has been successful in creating the vision that they had seen.
I am going to watch the show this weekend and I am really excited to see it because I want to see how all the design elements coming together and creating this show. It has so many layers and facets to it that it only makes sense that all these design elements only contribute to the overall charisma of Into the Woods.
This is so cool! I always forget that CMU is a widely known theatre school and often forget how big our productions actually are. It’s really cool to see an article about not only a show I saw just a few days ago, but a show that my friends are in and worked on as well as a show being produced at my school. I’m so happy that someone even noticed the costume flip from ugly witch to beautiful witch because that moment was really spectacular and I know Una worked extremely hard in that garment. The fact that the author of this article took the time to write about Into The Woods and in such a great light is really nice and comforting to read. I think people have high expectations from CMU School of Drama, so when those expectations are met or exceeded it validates the hard work and time everyone put into a production.
Oona is my queen. I absolutely admire her as a designer and a human, and I feel so incredibly fortunate to be working wardrobe for my Into the Woods run crew assignment. This article beautifully captures Oona’s vision as a designer and her keen attention to detail. That’s probably what I admire most about her; she devotes the same amount of attention to the earrings a character wears under their wig that she devotes to the color of Cinderella’s ball gown. Also, I am Rapunzel’s dresser, so I spend a lot of time with her costumes. However, I am just now learning of Oona’s allusions to captivity with the black lacing in her dress. It makes perfect sense. Even in her research, she brings the details to the forefront of the costumes. I am so pleased with the entire design of Into the Woods, not just the costumes. Each area integrates with each other, which is a blessing to the story as a whole.
This video filled me with so much CMU pride, my blood could be tartan. When watching the show, I could not take my eyes off of the costumes due to their precise aesthetic to our interpretation of the show. Oona clearly thought out each character and how the details of their outfit relate to their characteristics. The fact that Rapunzal had straps on her dress to symbolize her imprisonment blew me away and gave me further appreciation for the thought put into these outfits. I am hoping to declare costume design in the future and watching this video made me more excited than ever. Not many people are aware of just how crucial the look of the costumes can be to the feeling of a show, and Oona not only stuck to the themes of the show, but created something uniquely her own style. It’s art like this that inspires me everyday at this school.
I would like to start off by saying that I think that Oona’s designs are absolutely beautiful and that they are so cohesive with the rest of the show. Her attention to detail, as well, is absolutely amazing. I am of the firm belief that even small details that the human consciousness does not necessarily pick up on are often perceived through the subconscious which, with enough information, can then transform a piece or a character or a person. The human brain is very good at making connections between things, especially when there are common preconceived notions within the audience. I think that Oona really understands that and took the time and the effort to make sure that she did her job to captivate the audience and entice them not only into the story of the play, but the story that this particular production of “Into The Woods” was trying to tell.
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