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Dressing the part

Costume designer helps bring Fredonia production to life

Submitted Photos Pictured is Cassie Williams’ finished costume for Mabel in Fredonia’s “Pirates of Penzance.”

Being a costume designer means many things, but first and foremost it means dedicating yourself to the ever-changing process of learning. As is the nature of theatre, unexpected obstacles will always be around the corner, so a costume designer must be ready to jump at any moment.

Cassie Williams, a senior in theatrical production and design, majoring in costume design at the State University of New York at Fredonia, cites many other skills that are necessary in order to be a successful costume designer.

Williams is the head costume designer the upcoming Department of Theatre and Dance production “The Pirates of Penzance.” As the next installment in the 2016-17 Walter Gloor Mainstage Series, it will run for six performances from March 31 to April 8 in Marvel Theatre on the Fredonia campus.

“Pirates” is the second Mainstage production Williams has designed. She served as costume designer for “Six Characters in Search of an Author” in 2015.

Before setting pencil to paper to sketch her ideas for “The Pirates of Penzance,” Williams did a great deal of research.

Submitted Photos Pictured is Cassie Williams’ design sketch for Mabel in Fredonia’s “Pirates of Penzance.”

“I read the script about five times during the production process,” she said. “I watch any clips or movies affiliated with the show and embrace what the director gives me in order to come up with my own concept.”

From there, she moves onto the specific research portion, which is a portion that never truly ends. Williams stated that one of the fundamental aspects of being a costume designer for a show is to continue researching throughout the show’s entire lifespan.

“You have to have a sense of style,” she said. “(You have to) know how to analyze characters, have the strength of will to find certain pieces of clothing that fit each character, and know how to work within a budget.”

Budgets are not the only parameters a costume designer has to consider; they also have to consider availability. A designer can create 50 different costumes for 50 different cast members on paper, but if they have no resources to make or obtain that style of clothing, they have to — quite literally — go back to the drawing board. He or she must exhaustively research what is within the realm of possibility to avoid dedicating the show’s creative timeline to something that may be impossible to put into action.

For Williams, one of the biggest challenges with this production has been creating an individual look for each member of the cast.

“The cast is huge. Trying to put 42 people in the same period costume on a budget has not been easy,” Williams said. “Tom Loughlin (the director of ‘Pirates’) has given me a lot of freedom.”

Written by the duo of Gilbert and Sullivan, “The Pirates of Penzance” is known for its farcical playfulness. The plot follows Frederic, an orphan who finds himself an apprentice to a disorganized band of pirates. He falls in love with a beautiful Mabel, who also happens to be the daughter of Major-General Stanley. The Mainstage production is based on the 1980 Joseph Papp adaption, which is almost identical in plot and score as the original.

Due to its notoriety as one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most well-known operettas, as well the multiple awards that the 1980 adaptation accumulated, there are specific images that people associate with “The Pirates of Penzance.” When asked if this was a hindrance or a help to the design process, Williams explained that it was a bit of both.

“It was a little bit of a challenge, but not as difficult as it could’ve been due to the modern-day twist we’ve added,” she answered. “The preconceived image of what a pirate looks like actually helps, because we’re taking a ‘pirates-who-are-trying-too-hard-to-look-like-pirates’ type of approach. We’re taking images from the movie, which is what created the image of what people think a pirate looks like today, and applying those concepts to the cast.”

For Williams, a challenge this big is simply that: just a challenge.

“I came to Fredonia with no experience in costuming,” Williams said. “I showed the faculty some of my artwork, and that led to me to costume design. I began stitching freshman year at Fredonia.

“The costume storage space that’s filled with endless possibilities of clothing has been an incredible help,” she added, “and Dixon (Reynolds), the costume professor, really helps me with the artistic aspects of my rendering.”

Using the four years of education she has received at Fredonia, as well as the resources the Department of Theatre and Dance provides for her to complete her tasks as designer, Williams is confident that the show will be a hit.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. on March 31 and April 1, 6, 7, and 8. There will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 2. This Mainstage Series event is sponsored by Midtown Realty Company as part of the Lake Shore Savings Season.

Tickets are available through the Fredonia Campus Ticket Office in the Williams Center, online at www.fredonia.edu/tickets and by phone at 673-3501.

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