Between the second and third floors of Building 2 is a small room with an assortment of props and costumes from stage productions gone by.
Sinclair’s costume shop creates unique items to match the needs of each show, and is now at work preparing props and costumes for the upcoming production of “Almost, Maine.”
“A designer goes into a production with a very focused or limited vision about what they want,” said Kathleen Hotmer, costume shop manager with the Theater Department. “Every show has its group of special needs.”
For this production, she is drawing inspiration for her vision from the characters, she said.
Hotmer said that her greatest task is to figure out what each character’s wardrobe should look like in combination with their personality.
“The biggest thing I have to do is analyze a character,” she said. “Each of these characters is going through an experience of their own.”
Patrick Hayes, a Theater Performance and Theater Technology major and an assistant in the costume shop, can attest to the impact of a costume on a character and performance. When he performed in “The Crucible,” Hayes wore a corset under his judge’s robes, adding to his character’s restricted and rigid behavior.
“[Clothing] reflects who we are in everyday life, helps you to communicate a message,” said Hayes. “Clothing is how you are perceived… you can lie about yourself, clothes can help mold you and costumes can manipulate an audience.”
Hotmer said she is also drawing inspiration from the location of the fictional town of Almost and the colors of Maine during winter to create a color scheme.
“It’s a very specific region of the country,” she said, referring to the setting in the northern part of Maine. “People in Maine do wear a lot of L.L. Bean.”
Hotmer said that when a production is contemporary she usually purchases clothing from Goodwill, Thrift Stores or uses clothing from previous shows.
Along with designing the costumes, the shop also provides the make-up and hair design for the characters.
“It is often the expectation of a theater company that the costume designer also designs the hair and make-up for the show because ultimately it is an element of the overall costume design,” she said.
The department stores all costumes when the production is over in a stock room in Building 13.
“It’s very crowded and we’ve been working on maintaining them [the costumes],” she said.
The costumes are made available for community theatres to rent for use in their productions, she said.
Hotmer said that even though she sits through the production three times during the dress rehearsals, it isn’t until opening night that she can truly enjoy it.
“It’s not until opening night that I really sit back and watch the show,” she said.