Mary Poppins is a charming tale about a magical nanny, set in Victorian London. Jane and Michael Banks feel bored and neglected by their parents and various nannies before Mary Poppins, but she brings a colorful vision to their lives. The ensemble songs set in normal London are filled with period-appropriate, turn-of-century clothing. In contrast, the fantastical songs sung by Mary Poppins are showcased through colorful, fantasy-filled, characters, like Mrs. Corry, who sells letters.
Mary Poppins: Ideas
I wanted the contrast between the "fantasy" and the real scenes to be very stark. The leads (Mary, Bert, Jane, and Michael), are almost always in bright colors. However, during "real" scenes, the ensemble wore dark blues, black, white, and tan, and during the fantasy scenes; they were an array of colors.
Some of our work in progress costumes, some of them made it into the final show, while others didn't!
Slide one: Corset tops used for Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Slide 2: an ensemble costume that was used for a park scene.
Slide 3: a sailor girl costume used when the kids' toys come alive, "Playing the Game"
Slides 4 & 5: Chimney sweep costume
Slide 6: Corset top used for a period ensemble costume
...& more!
Mary Poppins; the Final look
The Play That Goes Wrong is the play about a play being put on by the Cornley Drama Society; "The Murder At Haversham Manor", that goes terribly wrong on its opening night. The stage manager misses his cues, the lead actress needs a replacement and the dead body isn't entirely dead.
"Sandra"
"Dennis"
"Max"
"The Murder At Haversham Manor" is set in the 1920s, however, the Cornley Drama Society is a modern-day theater company, with official uniforms for their stagehands.
Each of the stagehands individualized their costume! For example, the sound technician, Trevor, cuts the sleeves off of his Cornely Drama Society shirt.
The lead actress; Sandra, gets knocked out multiple times throughout the show and has to be replaced by Annie, the stage manager, so Sandra's dress is made adjustable with a clasp.
The dress fit both the actresses.
We designed the logos on the shirts.
Matilda (2022)
Matilda is about Matilda Wormwood, a precocious five-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis. With a love of reading, she overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school and helps her teacher reclaim her life from the abusive headmistress; Trunchbull.
Matilda's life is filled with many colorful characters, but not all of them are good people.
Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, who are audacious and disrespectful towards Matilda, are dressed in obnoxiously bright colors, mismatched prints, and loud patterns. While Ms. Honey, her sweet, timid, teacher, is dressed more softly, with lightly colored flower patterns.
There are also some fantasy characters; like the Escapologist, and the Acrobat, who are later revealed to be Ms. Honey's parents.
Matilda; the Final look
Little Women
The crinolines worn by Amy (far left), Meg (middle left), and Beth (middle right), represent the way Jo (far right) remembers her sisters. The idea is that Jo wouldn't remember the specific color they wore, or what style of dress, instead, the bare bones allow the audience to focus on their different personalities.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" centers on a boy with developmental problems learning to navigate the world. After he learns that his neighbor's dog; Wellington; has been murdered he sets out on a mission to discover who committed the crime. Throughout the play, he mentions things that he strongly likes and dislikes: for example, he likes the colors red and metal color, but he hates the colors brown and yellow.
Puffs or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, is a parody of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series centering on Wayne Hopkins, an ordinary (American) boy who is accepted to a Certain School of Magic and Magic and placed in the Puffs; a group of well-meaning, loyal rejects. The story follows him and his two best friends, Megan Jones and Oliver Rivers, as they navigate 7 increasingly difficult years in Hogwarts.
Character Analysis
Character Analysis: Megan Jones
Wayne Hopkins