Ultimate Things
Unreliable Narrator Theater Group, July 2016
Dir. Carl Danielson
In this original play, two stories were told. In the first, a small conservative town is turned upside down when a newcomer--who may or may not be an alien--announces he's the messiah. In the second, a jaded Hollywood producer must get over her writer's block by coming to terms with her abandoned faith. Both were a nice mix of worldly and supernatural costumes, with a rapidly-changing cast of supporting characters.
For Act 1, Jesusness, I had fun dregging up the best/worst of conservative '80s outfits for the townspeople, then foiling them with an over-the-top Leave it to Beaver alien family. I also got to design an Alien Jesus, who had to evoke Jesus enough to be beliveable, but have just a twinge of errieness about him. I chose to do this by making him just a little too shiny, with a creepy medallion that was a later motif with the other aliens. I also got to tailor a pastoral collar, which I had never done before. In the final scene, when the humans become the oppressed race by their Alien overlords, they got an outfit of dystopian jumpsuits, work boots, and a blinking, neck-mounted tracking device.
For Act 2, Hellencholy, the two main characters--peppy, optomistic Sophie and miserable junkie Maggie--were offet by appropriate colors. God got a modernized look with a casual white outfit under a simple white robe, and all the glittering Hollywood characters were decked out in purple. My favorite pieces from this segment were some hooded white ponchos, which could easily adapt to the environment by picking up the stage lighting. With a simple light change, they could go from demonic talking grass, to angels, to devil imps. (I'm still finding constant uses for these ponchos since they've joined by costume closet!)
Dir. Carl Danielson
In this original play, two stories were told. In the first, a small conservative town is turned upside down when a newcomer--who may or may not be an alien--announces he's the messiah. In the second, a jaded Hollywood producer must get over her writer's block by coming to terms with her abandoned faith. Both were a nice mix of worldly and supernatural costumes, with a rapidly-changing cast of supporting characters.
For Act 1, Jesusness, I had fun dregging up the best/worst of conservative '80s outfits for the townspeople, then foiling them with an over-the-top Leave it to Beaver alien family. I also got to design an Alien Jesus, who had to evoke Jesus enough to be beliveable, but have just a twinge of errieness about him. I chose to do this by making him just a little too shiny, with a creepy medallion that was a later motif with the other aliens. I also got to tailor a pastoral collar, which I had never done before. In the final scene, when the humans become the oppressed race by their Alien overlords, they got an outfit of dystopian jumpsuits, work boots, and a blinking, neck-mounted tracking device.
For Act 2, Hellencholy, the two main characters--peppy, optomistic Sophie and miserable junkie Maggie--were offet by appropriate colors. God got a modernized look with a casual white outfit under a simple white robe, and all the glittering Hollywood characters were decked out in purple. My favorite pieces from this segment were some hooded white ponchos, which could easily adapt to the environment by picking up the stage lighting. With a simple light change, they could go from demonic talking grass, to angels, to devil imps. (I'm still finding constant uses for these ponchos since they've joined by costume closet!)
My sketches:
Production Stills Courtesy of Hannah Robertson.