Interview: Tech Talk with Costumer Veronica Prior

We continue our series on technical theatre artists in Austin with a look at the Art of Costuming. The dictionary defines costuming as "the act of furnishing or designing costumes" but that definition doesn't really tell someone exactly what all goes into that act. A costumer is the person who, for any particular production makes, sells, or rents the costumes that you see for every stage production you attend, whether it is modern dress or elaborate period outfits. It is their work that tells the audience exactly what time period a play is set in more than any other technical theatre element. We sat down with Award Winning Costumer Veronica Prior to find out a little about her and what all is involved in the art of costuming.

BWW: Can you give our readers a little background on you?

VP: I started doing theater at Sam Bass Community Theatre in Round Rock in the 1980s. I acted in one show, and costumed the next, with some help from a friend.

BWW: Unlike most of the tech theatre people in the area, your day job is also in the field of costuming. Can you tell us a little of what that's like?

VP: I was lucky enough to land a job at A Cut Above Costumes in Round Rock, because the owner, Ramona Haass, saw a show I costumed and liked my work. She was teaching English at Round Rock High School, at the time, and costuming all their shows. Eventually, she quit her job, opened the shop and hired me. Ramona is usually designing multiple shows at the same time, so, between that and the plays I do on my own time, I sometimes have to stop and think about which costume goes with which show. I have learned a lot, working at A Cut Above Costumes, because leaving her teaching position did not stop Ramona from being a teacher, and I have had the benefit of that.

BWW: How did you get into costuming?

VP: At Sam Bass, I met a wonderful person, B J Machalicek, who was directing a melodrama. She needed a costumer, and another friend said she would help me. I knew nothing about costuming, and even less about melodrama, but we muddled through. For a few years, I just sewed things...I learned how to make a frock coat out of a suit while working on The Hound of the Baskervilles, and made some gowns for The Remarkable Mr Pennypacker. The first show I costumed on my own, with much fear and trepidation was Deathtrap. I borrowed most of the costumes from the actors...but I did learn how to make a tear away shirt, a skill that has come in handy...

BWW: Where in the area have you done costuming?

VP: Most of my work has been with Sam Bass, and more recently with Austin Theatre Project. I did some work for The Georgetown Palace Theatre, and another Georgetown theater, San Gabriel Productions. I've done one FronteraFest Short Fringe production and, with Le Easter, a Loaded Gun Theory show.

BWW: What is your training?

VP: Strictly "On The Job" training, ongoing. I've known many theater teachers over the years, and they have all said that there's nothing like just doing it. Every show I design, I learn something new.

BWW: Do you have any mentors or influences?

VP: Unquestionably, Ramona Haass. I've been working for her for 10 years now, and she has been immeasurably helpful. I would also like to acknowledge B J Machalicek and Kaye Brown as having taught me a lot.

BWW: What is your favorite thing to costume and why?

VP: I like period shows, and fantasy shows, and when the two meet, I'm in heaven!

BWW: When you sign on to costume a show; where do you start?

VP: It varies. If I'm not familiar with the piece, I read it first. A meeting with the director and the rest of the production team is a good place to start. I will go through the script, noting anything that gives clues about the costumes. In discussion with the director, I will ask about his or her concept and palette.

BWW: What resources do you consult? Are there any books you use? Do you look at pictures from past versions of the same show?

VP: I have quite a few old costuming textbooks, and one that has lovely illustrations of period silhouettes. I do use Google Images to pull up past versions of the show... and, if it's a period piece, I'll watch movies set in the same period.

BWW: How much inspiration for your design do you draw from the script? How much of it is the director's input, and how much of it is your own ideas?

VP: That varies, too. If the director is one who just smiles and says, "That's why I have you," then I'm on my own.... just me... and the script... but then there are those directors who have very specific ideas about the way they want the show to look. Like that one, directing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, who told me, "Each of these characters represents one of the seven deadly sins. Costume accordingly." I do love a challenge.

BWW: What is your basic schedule, from being signed onto a show through opening night?

VP: I don't actually recommend procrastinating, but the ideas have to sort of percolate for a while, before I can do anything concrete. As soon as I have an idea, I'm off and running. Shopping thrift stores for things adaptable, and for fabric, curtains,

bedspreads... anything that has the potential for becoming what I need. I will rent what can't be borrowed or built, and build what I must. The goal is to have everything ready the week before Tech Week, but when the production has to be loaded in five days before opening, that's when I take the costumes. Sometimes I round up a lot of things, especially if it's a contemporary piece, and take them all up to the theater and everyone gets to play dress up until the director and I are satisfied. But it all has to gel by Tech Week.

BWW: When is your schedule the busiest?

VP: When I am idiot enough to take on more than one show at a time. This season, I had two shows and an event to costume at the same time, and I was busier than a one-armed paper hanger.

BWW: Most audience members aren't even aware of the planning that goes into a show. Do you often participate in production meetings and/or design meetings? How do you prepare for meetings? What do you bring to the team at the start?

VP: I like to have a production meeting early in the process, and then I like to go away and be creative. I've been know to totally forget about production meetings while in the midst of putting a show together. I'm always grateful to stage managers who keep me informed even when I forget to show up. Sometimes such meetings are half an hour away, and I consider the drive time a waste, when I could be sewing. My part of the meeting is usually just a few minutes. I break out in a sweat when someone asks me for sketches... my process is organic, the ideas can change, and I don't sketch well.

BWW: Costuming is not the same thing as making every-day clothing from scratch. Can you explain for our readers how the two differ?

VP: Maybe a little. The costumes have to express something about the characters, and, hopefully, further the story. If a character changes his personality during the course of the story, his costumes must reflect that. If there is dancing, the costumes must allow for a lot more freedom of movement than ordinary clothes do. They also have to be able to take a lot of wear and tear. Actors don't have time to be careful of costumes in the midst of quick changes, so the costumes have to be built well enough to survive. Sometimes, an actor has only one costume throughout, so it must be very carefully chosen. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

BWW: Do you make your budget or is it more often given to you at the start? What do you take into consideration when making your budget? If items aren't available to you and not considered in the budget, how do you obtain them?

VP: I've never actually stolen, but I have begged and borrowed. Usually, I am told the budget, and, of course, it's never as much as I would like it to be. I do the best I can with what I have to work with, as we all do.

BWW: What are the biggest challenges you find in costuming?

VP: Mostly, trying to make the show look the way the director wants. On a personal level, trying to convince myself I know what I'm doing. When the show looks right to the director, and I'm convinced it's the best I can do, I'm a happy camper.

BWW: What are your three favorite productions you've costumed and why are they your favorites?

VP: Hamlet at Sam Bass was a huge favorite, because the director, Lynn Beaver, set it in the Regency Period, which is fun, I got to make the dip-dyed Ophelia dress, and put all those actors in tailcoats and stocks. The aforementioned production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has to be on the list, because of the symbolism, and Austin Theatre Project's Rocky Horror Show was a blast from start to finish.

BWW: Do you have a dream show to costume?

VP: The Lion in Winter. I've been told that the movie with Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn was not "historically accurate," but, from my point of view, it's hard to tell what was actually accurate. When telling a story that's larger than life, it's a disadvantage to get trapped by historical accuracy. One of the purposes of costumes is to suggest period, but I think, in The Lion in Winter, it's all about character. It comes back to that combination of history and fantasy that encourages my imagination to take little trips into the unknown...

BWW: Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers of BroadwayWorld?

VP: Now there's a limb to crawl out on! I would like to say that I appreciate BroadwayWorld and other sites and pages that promote theatre in Austin. There is so much talent here, and the theatre community is so creative...I'm lucky to be a part of it.

Thank you, Veronica, for taking time out of your busy schedule to teach our readers a little bit about the Art of Costuming.

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