M E E T: J A C K S M I T H
When/how did the planning for costuming of this show start?
"The planning for this show started in the spring of last year. Over the summer I began finding inspiration and formulating costume ideas. Once the show was cast, I began hard core working on renderings in August."
Where did the idea for animal totems originate?
"Macbeth has a large theme of nationalism and what jumped out at me from this was an idea of tribalism. In order to survive in this world of the play, and to some degree in current times as well, you have to belong to a tribe. As things get worse in a country, the tribes get smaller. Each character has a core belief structure that I found reflected in certain animals. Through research of elephants, I realized what strong matriarchs they are and felt that reflected Macduff in this performance. Adding the totems to the masks was influenced loosely by 80s/90s anime as a tribute to the idea of Japanese family crests."
What was your inspiration for the greyscale?
"The inspiration for the greyscale came from one of my favorite drag queens, Detox. I loved the canvas it created to be able to accent other colors. Once the show was going to be inside and filmed, Professor Shively and I realized we could use as much blood as possible in this show without the costume repercussions. This made the greyscale even more impressive because it allowed the color red to have a bigger impact in the show."
What aspects of costume design were changed due to COVID-19?
"The incorporation of masks, obviously. Fittings changed a lot too. I have to wear fresh vinyl gloves, a lab coat, a shield, and a fresh mask every time I do a fitting. They also have to be more spread out so there it time to clean and air out the fitting space. There isn't space in the costume shop for many students to come in and work on costumes as well, so more was put onto Heidi Jo and I than normal. With certain props, such as crowns, that could normally be exchanged from one head to another, there have to be extras made so filming can be paused, the clean crown that is only to be worn by Duncan can be placed, and then filming continues. The pandemic has made the show less cost-effective for sure."
