Working on “Stumped”
I was introduced to Stumped in 2019 when I participated in a workshop of songs as “Young Tiger Lily,” the soon-to-be leader of an indigenous Neverland “tribe.”
Three years, and many revisions later, the work was selected for a staged production, and I was asked to join the team as a paid costume designer—my first professional gig.
With no previous staging of the musical to reference, the design work for “Stumped” needed to be developed from scratch.
Design Mission
Stray boldly from the Disney version of Barrie characters.
Avoid stereotypical “native” references. READ MORE
Recycle and reuse whenever possible.
Key Challenges
Challenges I faced included a large cast with actors playing multiple roles and needing multiple costume changes, a small budget, a short timeframe, and a costume crew of one.
Cast of 23 actors playing 31 roles
Diverse ethnicity, age, size cast playing related and aging roles
Minimalistic Set (Pipe and Drape/Black Box Furnishings)
Quick changes with multiple costume tracks
Unexpected/last minute actor turnovers due to illness
1-week production hold for COVID protocols
Working solo (Design, Pull, Restyle & Construct)
New songs and costume-impacting blocking added 1-week prior to showtime
Skillsets Utilized
Together, these factors made it clear that I would need more than creativity to get the job done.
Organization
Communication
Delegation
Complex Actor/Character Tracks
Organization
Before I could even begin designing or constructing anything, I knew I had to get organized. One way that I decided to do this was to create a spreadsheet to keep track of measurements, scene-by-scene costume needs, as well as the status of all wardrobe pieces.
By having a way to visualize many different tasks in a single document, I was less stressed about getting the job done. The spreadsheet gave me a clear picture of my own progress and helped me figure out where I needed to spend my time.
Communication
During the production, I also found that I relied heavily on my communication skills. Even though I was working alone, I looked for ways to communicate effectively with the writer, the director, and the actors. I attended rehearsals in the beginning to listen and observe how the text would be blocked so that my designs would support any movement needed and help with unspoken character development.
Once I started the process of pulling stock and getting into the construction phase, I stayed in contact with actors through a cast Facebook page in order to make was extremely important when we had a number of actors drop out of the production unexpectedly and we needed to regroup quickly on who would be filling in the gaps.
Delegation
Perhaps the most important skill I learned while working on Stumped was that sometimes you have to ask for help. As opening night approached, I realized there were some tasks that I just could not get to. While I wanted to do it all, I knew I had to reach out and ask for volunteers to help cut patterns, pin pieces for sewing, and shop for base pieces.
Lessons Learned
You can “kill” sewing machine during tech week.
It’s what I want to do for a career.
Costuming the very first production of Stumped was such a rewarding project for me on the creative side. My designs helped the theater company put on a successful production, made the actors feel confident, and even got positive reviews from local theater critics. While I am extremely proud of my artistic skills, I learned that I also have other strengths.
