ALONG COMES MARY

If you follow ACM pretty regularly, you probably know The Pasadena Playhouse is one of my favorite performing arts venues in the LA area. Currently playing to rave reviews & sold out crowds is Stoneface, a brand new play chronicling the life, rise & fall of Buster Keaton. I am so pleased to have below an interview with Costume Designer, Jessica Olson, who gives us a glimpse into this amazing new theatrical experience!

Taking a look at your background in the program, you have such a successful resume! What got you interested in costume design?

Thank you! I come from a theatrical background: both my parents were actors. I fell in love with theatre at an early age. When I was 16, due to scheduling conflicts, I was unable to perform in my high school’s production of “The Mad Woman of Chaillot”. I still wanted to be involved in the show, so I volunteered to design the costumes. Little did I know what I was in for. After my first few all nighters and the creation and purchasing of over 23 costumes, I was in love with that aspect of theatre. I’ve never looked back.

My first LA theatre job was actually on the wardrobe staff for Vanessa Stewart’s play “Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara” at the Geffen Playhouse. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by clothing, especially historical clothing. It is a love that I shared with both my mother and my grandmother, who was an excellent seamstress and designed much of her own clothing.

2) Can you explain a bit what the process is like working in your field?

As with most design fields, my process begins with the script. I take some time to read it, analyze it, and seek inspiration from it. As a designer, the art that I create for the stage is not solely for myself nor from myself. Usually the director can inform me of a direction in which to take the mood and form of the show. After I have a concept,  I will do research on the time period or, if it is a show without a historical time period such as fantasy, do research on clothing or objects that may bring inspiration.

I am a very hands on designer. I like to be in the shop when costumes are built and to often build costumes myself. My team tends to be a small one, usually just myself, my assistant, the amazing Monique Ayala, and a wardrobe supervisor. I usually engage in all aspects of the costuming process from the rendering to paperwork, the shopping to the crafting and stitching. I draft my own patterns as well. I am very involved in the obtaining and creation of the costumes. Some costumes we build, others are shopped, and some are rented.

Tech and Dress are the most hectic times as we discover what works and what does not as the other design elements join costumes and present the final picture.

3) What makes Stoneface different from other productions you’ve designed for?

For one thing, this show is very dear to my heart. Both Vanessa and French are friends of mine and I have been involved with the show since it’s very first read-thru.

It also incorporates the use of extensive video, meaning that some costumes had to be completed over a month prior to opening so they could be used when we shot the film footage. Once filmed, they are set in stone. Generally speaking, theatrical design is much more fluid than design for film or television. Many changes can take place between the start of a technical rehearsal and the first preview and it can be stressful knowing that some costumes cannot be changed.

Additionally, the story is not told in chronological order. It ranges nearly half a decade: 1917-1951. Aside from slides, the costumes are the best clue to time period available to the audience. On top of that, most of the characters existed in real life. Buster Keaton, Roscoe Arbuckle, and Norma Talmadge (among others) were famous and can be looked up on-line. It means that I had to be extra diligent in my research so that I could do them justice and make them recognizable. As a designer working on a biography of sorts, you walk a thin line between rigid historical accuracy and a fluid design that can communicate character to the audience.

I chose to use a limited palette when designing this show, sticking to sepia and black and white, essentially paying homage to the world of film in which Buster Keaton existed. The use of the colors is very intentional and is meant to convey a meaning, the more color in the costume, the more positive meaning that character has to Keaton. It is very rare to have a biographical story  in which one has the license to use conceptual design. I was so blessed to work with our director, Jaime Robledo, as well as the other designers, Joel David, Jessica Mills, Jeremy Pivnick, Anthony Backman, Ben Rock, and Cricket Myers to create such a conceptual and complete world.

4) Is this your first time with The Pasadena Playhouse?

Yes it is and it is such an honor to have worked there.

(The always versatile French Stewart as Keaton)

5) What can the audience expect to take away from this production?

This show is full of surprises. One expects a show about Buster Keaton to be full of stunts and sight gags; filled to the brim with comedy. While this show is visually stunning and certainly provides the audience with the expected physical comedy, it is a show about a man who struggled with fame and who struggled with his own demons. And that heart, that passion, that sheer genius that Buster Keaton displayed in his work is force behind this show. He gave his heart and soul to his work and that shines through in Stoneface.

Stoneface plays through June 29th & is a must-see for anyone interested in Film History &/or great theatre. Learn more & get your tickets HERE! xo