Following the resounding success of Cabaret in 2022, The Atlanta Opera is once again pushing artistic boundaries and bringing two productions to Pullman Yards as edgy, immersive audience experiences. The groundbreaking rock musical Rent, which transformed Broadway and continues to inspire audiences worldwide, pairs with a modern take on Puccini's timeless classic La Bohème to create vivid, thrilling, and memorable experiences for fans and newcomers alike.
We caught up with the talented Amy Sutton to talk about costume design for the two shows. Since Rent is based on La Boheme, it's been rewarding for Amy and her team to dive into the scripts and find both the similarities and differences between the stories. Amy explains, “I did want to subtly connect the two shows visually, so there are costume design choices that I made to resonate between the two shows, especially with this version of La Boheme taking place in New York City, like Rent."
Sue G. Collins: When designing costumes, how much do you consider past performances of the piece and how do you make them unique to the production?
Amy Sutton: It's great to know about a piece's history, however, I generally use the director's vision of a show as a jumping-off point for creating a unique production. For operas and musicals, past productions allow us to have access to the music during the design process, which is integral to the creative process. I love listening to a show's music while I'm doing research and renderings.
Every director approaches a show with a different vision, and every actor will bring something different to a character and production, which helps to create a unique production each time. I like to make sure I'm choosing styles and colors that work for both the actor and the character, because bringing both together helps to make a strong visual statement.
Another thing I do to help create a unique design for each show is to consider the audience and what they might see when looking at these characters. How can I help that particular audience enter into the world of the show? I learned from a great designer I've assisted, that while we start with period-specific research, at some point, we have to let some of those details go in order to find a balance that will resonate with today's audience.
What is unique about our La Boheme is that we bring it into the 21st-century world of New York City, and aim to strike a balance between creating a realistic group of people, while also allowing the theatricality of the piece to heighten certain aspects of the design in terms of colors and textures within the characters' silhouette choices.
Similarly with Rent, the story itself is so moving and the characters are so great, that we really wanted to make sure the characters felt vividly colorful inside their world. I think we have come up with some great ideas for Maureen's performance and Mimi's solo number that will really highlight our team's unique approach to Rent.
SGC: Tell us about your journey to designing for the Atlanta Opera.
AS: I went to undergrad at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a BFA in drama having focused in costume design, and with a minor in art history.
I received my Master of Fine Arts in costume design from the University of California, San Diego.
I have worked as a costume designer and assistant costume designer for companies all over the U.S.
I also work as an assistant costume designer for Broadway shows in New York City. Recent shows I've assisted on include the Tony Award-winning shows Some Like It Hot (costume design by Gregg Barnes) and Parade (costume design by Susan Hilferty).
I look at every show as a learning experience, because almost no two productions are the same for a costume designer. There are always new challenges, new topics to learn about, and new groups of people to work with.
Rent
September 19, 21, 22, 26, 29, Oct 2, 4, 6
La Bohème
September 18, 20, 22, 25, 29, Oct 1, 3, 5