While it's been said that clothes don't make the man, when it comes to a theater production, they certainly help define him. At the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Costume Supervisor Michael Ciaramitaro is responsible for creating each character's unique style. We asked him to share a day in his life — behind the scenes at The Rep.
- 9 a.m. - The day begins! I turn on the iron and let it heat up while planning the day ahead. What problems have arisen overnight, and how do I creatively solve them?
- 10 a.m. - Staff arrive and notes begin. We dive right into repairing and alterations or continuing with constructing brand-new garments. Sometimes our stock of costumes does not always have the items we need, and so we resort to shopping around the city.
- 1 p.m. - Depending on the amount of work and what time costume pieces are needed that day, a full lunch may not always feel achievable. I do, however, make sure that everyone takes a break.
- 3 p.m. - The later it gets, the busier it becomes. This part of the day is when a lot of the focused work happens. I spend this time in the shop building the costumes, altering notes and helping with any of the more difficult fabric engineering projects. This is the all-hands-on-deck part of our schedule.
- 5 p.m. - By now, we have focused on all the construction and ‘fit’ elements of the costumes, and now we get to transition to working on visual elements (the fun stuff). This includes painting costumes, distressing them to make them look more lived-in, adding embroidery, changing buttons and going through the dye process. We prioritize function over the form (fit versus style). I have always thought of costumes as a 'second skin’ — another layer of collaboration between the costumes and the performer to allow them to explore the world we are creating as a group.
- 6:30 p.m. - For the staff of the shop, their day has come to an end. We finish up by discussing anything major that needs to be done the following day that didn’t get completed, and we oftentimes talk about schedule. Technical rehearsals usually lead to late nights.
- 8 p.m. - On an average tech day, this is when we finish with a production meeting. This is the opportunity to address as a group any problems that have come up. These tend to be ‘function' notes — like someone needing a belt, or a necklace being too long — and aesthetic notes — something might need a little bit more trim or be a completely different color. And immediately after this, I spend time making sure all the lights are off and the doors are locked. Most importantly, I make sure the iron gets turned off.
The Rep will present The Glass Menagerie Sept. 2-14. Performances will be Tuesdays-Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m. A free student matinee will take place on Thursday, Sept. 11. To purchase tickets, visit therep.org/glassmenagerie-tickets.
In order to offer reasonably priced tickets and community programming, The Rep relies on annual financial contributions received through individual gifts, corporate sponsorships and grants. To learn more or to donate, visit therep.org/support.