www.broadwayworld.com: Thirty-four, thirty-two, thirty-two, twenty-eight, fifty-No. That can't possibly be right. I run the numbers in my head, pulling the garment from the rack to resize later.
"I'm almost done with the pants!" I call to my supervisor.
CRASH!
17 comments:
The description at the beginning gives a visceral reaction that makes me cringe; that feeling of being so close to finished when disaster strikes. I think the requirements of shop time and ushering seem fair in the first introduction of the setup. It seems like the author has learned a lot of valuable hard skills in the shop over their time there, which I suppose is the point of assigning hours. I also think the discussion about an otherwise-unknown aspect of behind the scenes theatre is an important one especially, as this person pointed out, for performers to see what else goes on. When I initially read the title of this article I expected to read something about people being overworked in a shop environment, but was happily surprised when she went on to detail all the kind people she was learning from and all of the skills and experiences she was gaining by working in a technical shop.
Similarly to Virginia, I cringed when I read the description of the clothes falling at the beginning of the article. There's nothing worse than being in a shop, hearing a loud crash, and praying nothing's broken. The last section of this article is what stuck with me the most... My high school has a fairly new theater conservatory (I was in the "guinea pig" class), and my teacher always believed that it was important that everyone on the technical theater track take an acting class their first year and those on the performance track take technical theater classes their first and second years. At first I was annoyed. I'm not an actor. I didn't want to be an actor at the time, so why take an acting class. It wasn't until much later that I realized how beneficial it really is to "see how the other side lives" for lack of a better phrase. It creates a mutual respect for the incredible amounts of hard work that goes into every aspect of putting on a production.
When it comes to the theater, the costume shop is my happy place. Yes, it may sometimes be dingy and musty, but it’s comforting to be around clothes and sewing machines and people who also have a passion for costuming. It’s true that performers often don't understand, and therefore don’t appreciate, how much work goes into creating their costumes. Every costume tells a story, and from the beginning of the design process to the final button stitched on ten minutes before opening, we’re thinking about that story. Costuming is frustrating. Sewing machines break, colors don’t match, you can’t find a fabric that matches the image you have in your head. However, the most satisfying part of it all is pushing through that frustration and creating something you are proud of despite the difficulty. Costuming is about resourcefulness, it’s about vision, and in my opinion, a little bit of taste never hurts.
I can totally relate to the sentiments of the writer. I felt a weird pang of nostalgia when they mentioned having a great appreciation for costumes but not knowing exactly the details of how it all worked. That’s exactly how I felt coming in my freshmen year. I had a great appreciation for theater (and a vague idea of what I wanted my focus to be) but scarce exact details on how the work was actually accomplished. Especially the bit with all the pants falling down, I have been in very similar situations myself. Even in our conservatory setting, I think it’s really important to at least have a basic understanding of the work the other people around you are doing. It helps ease communication and establishes an understanding between the parties. It sure is a lot easier to make an actor understand why they can’t move during holds on a tech, for example.
I’ve always been fascinated with costume design because it’s one of the realms of theatre that I have no skill in and no experience in. Along with lighting, it’s also something that I could never transition into effectively. When I first read the title of this article I was worried because I thought it was about someone spending 45 hours straight in a costume shop or something about burnout. I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t about that and instead a honest look at a first timers experience in the costume shop.
I also find it rather comical that all costume shops that I’ve seen or heard of, are located in the basement somewhere. CMU appears to be the exception to the rule with their 3rd floor shop. It was one of the first things that I noticed when I toured CMU that the shop was on the 3rd floor and it had so many windows. I’ve never seen a shop above the basement level let alone with windows.
I know we do crew for performers, but something like this where you are actually working in the shop might be beneficial as well. I feel like what we do as design and production majors remains a mystery to a lot of people or even if they do see they do not realize just what goes into it. Even though at the moment I just wanted to go home, I am very grateful for the crew hours that I had to do with each department my sophomore year. I not only gained more experience and skills in those areas, but I also had a new level of respect. Also, I want to note that it is crazy to me that the costume shop is at the bottom of the cathedral of learning. I feel the desire to just wander around that building for the day to see all of the different nationality rooms but also random places like the costume shop.
This was a very interesting read. I very much agree with the sentiment that working and learning in different areas of theater makes us better theatermakers. Like another commenter mentioned, this article specifically made me think about how much I really appreciate how we spend so much time in different areas through crew and Stagecraft over the first year and a half of our time here. Even if I’m not necessarily going to declare the specific area I’m working in, I will have an appreciation for the amount of work it takes and an understanding of the area I wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise. Learning how things like how costume stock works and basic sewing skills are just augmenting your knowledge, and might be useful down the road. I think the author of this article really learnt a lot, and that this knowledge, appreciation and respect for this area of technical theater will stay with and aid them for a long time.
One of the mostly beneficial aspects of my undergrad education was the production requirements for all majors. Everyone, regardless of concentration, was required to take 12 units of production hours. Similar to the situation outlined in the article, these units could be obtained by working in the costume shop, scene shop, run crew, ushering, or electrics. There was also a requirement for everyone to take stagecraft and a beginning acting class. These requirements were fundamental in shaping the students as well-rounded theatremakers. I firmly believe that the downfall of conservatory programs is that the lack of cross-departmental experience. The undergraduate DPs here at CMU are very fortunate in that they get to experience a variety of disciplines before declaring a major. But for many of the performers in our program, their only experience with backstage production is their crew hours. To me, that isn't adequate education, nor is it enough time or experience to develop an appreciation for the work and artistry that goes into stagecraft. Many performers are still appreciative of the work, but they don't know. Similar to how any of us on the design and production track don't understand the pressures of acting when we've never been on stage.
Honestly, I would love for CMU to allow for more cross-departmental education.
I thought this was going to be about customers being overworked but was also happy it wasn’t because it was a good read. I appreciated the narrative style wherein she described her school context in a college with her background in costumes which was more sketching than making. I also thought the trials described such as mixing up tags and having to learn how each shop organizes itself are relatable and insightful. As for the part at the end I also think it’s important for people in the entertainment industry at large to have exposure to all the disciplines included in putting on a production because not only does it wide your skills as craftsmen and technicians and theater designers at large, but it gives you an understanding of what your colleagues do and having respect and patience for them as well.
I really enjoyed reading this because even though I have never met this person I feel appreciated by them. Working on shows can be super stressful and so much of your hard work goes unnoticed. I love the feeling when I walk into a costume shop. Everything about it just feels right, from the slight clutter from being in the middle of a show to the racks and racks of stock costume that does tell a story. Even thought his person was only working in the shop for 45 hours total I think they really understood what it is like being a crew member building a show. I wish this was an opportunity that we could give to our actors just to widen there view a bit more. This could help them gain more appreciation for what the crew has to do while they are of rehearsing. Overall great article!
I really enjoyed this article. The opening memory brought a gut reaction to me as I have felt that pain of being almost done with organizing and to have it all fall apart. I think it is super valuable and important to have acting students learn the technical side of theatre. I personally think they should learn the basics of all aspects of the technical theatre so they can have a clear understanding of the work people do to improve how they are perceived on stage. Many performers do not know the effort, science, creativity, and hours that are put in at the technical stage and they take it for granted. When actors have a clear understanding of the technical aspects it tends to improve their performance as they become more collaborative with the technical side instead of just demanding or frustrated. This is a valuable skill for any performer to have and I’m glad this student appreciated it.
Costumes are something I have a pretty limited amount of experience with, but also a huge amount of appreciation for. I got to take a short costume design elective class my senior year of high school and although I did not really understand a lot of it (textures, time periods, color theory, there are a whole bunch of things), I was always really happy to go to that class, and I was really interested in what my teacher had to say. I think having a good costumer can really make or break a piece. When I performed in a costume that fit me correctly and that I really enjoyed wearing, I would feel much more confident than when I had to wear a costume I absolutely hated. One year for a piece about water, the entire company had to wear blue unitards, swim caps, and goggles. Although I both hated the costume and also thought it was the funniest thing ever, the costume being flattering and actually fitting me well was a huge game changer.
I absolutely adore how this article radiates its appreciation for those within the costuming industry as well as acknowledge the extreme amount of hours that go into creating pieces for the stage. I find it very important for people to engage in other parts of theater in which they are unfamiliar with. As witnessed within the article it brings forth a new sense of appreciation and admiration for those within that specific area after witnessing all they do. From the costume designers/constructors, actors, directors, sound and lighting designers/technicians. Their are so many people that work together to produce what we perceive on stage. Since some areas are not as acknowledge as the others it is through programs such as that of CMU's that create a more unified and understanding environment. It is also nice to see that people are excited in trying things that they have no expertise in or had the urge to engage in!
I admit that 45 hours simultaneously seems like a lot of time and very little time. This is one of those moments where I’m very glad I’m at CMU. We are required to spend all of our time in simply one concentration before we declare that that is our concentration. If this person isn’t going into costume design, this could very easily destroy part of their love for costumes. It would be much better, in my opinion, to have the student spend this 45 hours in various departments, as opposed to simply just one. Kind of similar to how our stagecraft works. However, this person is a performer. So although I’m glad they learned a lot, I wonder if that was time that could’ve been better spent in multiple departments as opposed to just one.
I thought this blog post was going to be some internship where the student had to work 45 hours in a costume shop a week. Something that would be difficult. I am really glad that Pitt is requiring their Theater Arts minors to take a class that will have the students learn about the behind the scenes processes. I am also really glad that this particular student gained an appreciate for the work done in a costume shop and acquired more skills for themselves. We love a well-rounded student. However, I am sort of over the “oh I didn’t realize how much work you all do” storyline. Like it’s overplayed. If you want to be involved in theater, you should know what positions there are and what work goes into a production. Granted this student is only getting a theater arts minor, so I don’t know their exposure to theater and everyone has to start somewhere. Certainly when you are watching something like the Tony’s the actor is the most visible person, but there are lights on stage, and a set and costumes. Those things didn’t spawn from nothing and it shouldn’t take you 45 hours in a costume shop to realize work had to go into making all that happen.
The phrase "first one in and last one out" feels like it could apply to so many departments in theatre, y'know? Electricians have to turn the lights on and put the ghost light up. Carps are already in the space doing their notes and props artisans are constantly shopping 24/7. But do you wanna know who theatre really drew short straws for? Costumers! Wardrobe supervisors! They literally have to stay back after performances go well past bedtime hours and they make them wake up three hours later to steam more costumes and ditty bags! How is that even fair? Every costumer I know only talks about the pay disparity between their department and others on union calls and it's just awful. Why? Because of prejudice in the industry that is already still male dominated. All costumers deserve so much more credit than they deserve and I hope whoever wrote this blog appreciates them now more because of it.
Oh, the glorification of the immense amount of hours student designers spend within the various studios is quite a treat to read. If I am honest, when I selected this article to read, I thought it would be something along the lines of talking about how demanding taking a theatrical design course can be, just like our Design and Production courses here at CMU. However, I was left disappointed when I found out that the author was instead commending the immense amount of hours placed on students as “humbling”, something that frankly leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I love this program and the work we do, however the conversation of being accredited for the work we do is and will always be a prevalent topic. We as students are constantly striving to do our best, which leads to hours spent in the studio, and often leads to neglect of personal needs, and it is honestly frustrating when discussing with others why exactly we as students feel under-appreciated and under-represented when talking about student output and reflection in academic units.
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