Fresno Beehive: From Page to Stage Series - Costumes
Here is an interview our local theatre critic (and fan!), Donald Munro, did with our very own Trina Short about the making of the costumes for the show. Check out her great sketches!
From page to stage: Creating the costumes for ‘Yo, Vikings!’
By: Donald Munro
February 17, 2012
Original Article: http://fresnobeehive.com/2012/02/from_page_to_st_2.html
I’ve been following the progress of the new musical “Yo, Vikings!” — which will receive its West Coast premiere at Children’s Musical Theaterworks — on the Beehive for several months now. As opening night rapidly approaches March 2, the show’s production team has kicked into higher gear. Today we spend some time with Trina Short, the costume designer.
The musical is based on the popular book by Judy Schachner about a young girl with a vibrant imagination who stumbles upon a world of ancient Viking warriors. It’s been presented in workshop form and performed in a truncated version on the East Coast. The musical’s creative team, Sam Willmott and Marcus Stevens, who will be in Fresno for tech week, have added four new songs and expanded the show from 60 to 100 minutes for CMT’s March 2 premiere. Skyler Gray directs. For a detailed account of the progress of the show, check out CMT’s Tumblr.
We caught up with Short via email to chat about her contribution to the show.
Question: When you were reading the show through for the first time, what was the creative process like for you? Did you see fully formed costumes for each character in your mind? Or did you see something less specific than that?
Answer: The first time I read through the script, I was so caught up in the story and the characters, it was impossible NOT to imagine their costumes. During the next few days, I had a hard time concentrating on anything else until I could sit down and create some renderings for these larger-than-life vikings. The exciting (yet terrifying) thing about this show is that it has never been done before. These characters are going to be introduced for the very first time on our stage in costumes that I design and build!
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a designer?
The fact that this is a brand-new musical is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. It has been a challenge because there is no jumping-off point. When a costumer designs for a Disney show, there is a myriad of media to turn to for samples of what the costumes should look like. Their costumes are pretty cut and dry. If you make don’t make Prince Charming look like the movie version, the 5 year old critics will let you know that, “The Little Mermaid married Prince Eric with a red sash, not Prince Charming with a blue sash!” When it comes to “Yo, Vikings”, we are creating the mold. In all aspects of the show (sets, costumes, choreography, etc) we are hoping to become the “blueprint” for other production companies who stage “Yo, Vikings” in the future.
How many costumes does the show require?
I will be creating upwards of 35 costumes.
What was your thought process in terms of the Viking costumes?
As I researched the Vikings, it became clear that I needed to define my thoughts on the direction I would go with them. I loved the textures and the ruggedness of the real Vikings, but I also loved the more fanciful Vikings in “How to Train Your Dragon”. I realized that I was going to need to find an “in-between” that would appeal to a wide variety of age groups. I believe I have done that by creating some vikings who take themselves way too seriously and others who will keep the audience laughing.
As the main character, Emma has a central role in the show. Do you approach the task of designing her costumes differently because of that?
Emma is a special girl. Everything she does is inspired by experience. What she sees on the street, learns in school, finds in her backyard, she becomes. In the very first song alone she transforms eight times! Emma is a colorful girl and her costumes will reflect that.
What is the most involved or difficult costume to build for the show?
The first song creates a challenge because the changes are going to be so quick, but so far the most involved costume has been for the Viking “Olaf, the Borish”. Honestly, the challenge is in making the Vikings look realistic, yet allowing them the room to dance and move freely. Josh Montgomery’s choreography is amazing and I want to make sure their costumes are not restrictive.
Where are you in the production process? Are you still designing, or are you already building costumes?
At this point I am done with the designs and have moved on to gathering and building. I am using everything from leather craft to paper machete and taxidermy.
What is one thing about the costume-design process that you think people would be surprised to learn?
The costumer is not just one person. There is a team of people helping behind the scenes. I have had help from my family as well as other families from past CMT productions. I also wish that people could see the magic that happens back stage as the show is staged and performed. It truly is a pleasure to be a part of that secret world!
How did you get this gig?
I am the mother of ten children ranging in age from 21 to 4 yrs old. My oldest started performing with CMT when he was 10. As you can imagine, raising a large family is not cheap and the beauty of CMT is that they let me sew costumes in order to pay for some of my son’s tuition. We took a break from the theater scene for a few years and started back up two years ago with two of my other children. I was able to help with some costuming “emergencies” over the last few years and was asked by CMT before last summer’s season began to manage their costume department. Over the last summer, the buzz for “Yo, Vikings” began to circulate at the theater. Skyler Gray passed on the music and script to me and I could not help but want to be involved. I contacted Skyler and asked if he would be willing to take a risk on a “first-time” costumer like me (up until this point, I had been managing the costume department, but had never actually costumed an entire show). He said “yes” and here we are.
