By Carla Copley
The Style Counsel
My first intention was to create a soundtrack that projects an emotional landscape. One that is not aggressive, though chilling, feminine in voice and ambient in texture. All the sounds could conjure a sixteen year old's hopes and fears. Artists include Lady Sovereign, Hybrid, Departure Lounge, Morcheeba, Beck, Republica, and Moby to name but a few.
Our next adventure was the photo shoot for the publicity media. Always the most intensive styling day, we have to make do with what we have and blitz together a look that sells the quintessential elements of the show. We went for powdered hair and a shimmer gloss texture on the skin, giving maturity to youth and a mysterious energy to the "ghosts" of Romeo and Juliet on Colorado Bridge, Pasadena. Andy Marr's photography brilliantly captures the elegant vulnerability of the two leads.
The direction for our costumes was to create a romantic fusion of styles through the ages. Set in a timeless space, our goal was to intentionally bend the rules a bit. The net result is a shabby-chic neo-classical style, kinda like "Aardvarks Goes Opera", or "A Mozart Cincenera". Connie Hood suggested denim jeans as the baseline feel to the characters. This enhances the contemporary, streetwise edge of the teenage reality. We hired many pieces from Occidental College costume department including shirts, jackets and dresses with a distinctly 18th century look. Jairlyn Mason designed the elegant jerkins that all of the male, and some female characters wear over their shirts. Stage design costumers built the burgundy, blue and green jerkins after receiving the cuts from their adult mentors. This is a great achievement by these dedicated thespians. The apron skirts are a chic design by Hannah Kim, adding a high fashion twist to the female lower torso. The four Venetian mask designs are created by Ellen Wiant. You could say she created the "silver lining" to the teenage fantasy. These masks were built by the Stage Design make up crew. A talented group of artists who were trained to execute do all the "foo-foo" hair and make up designs on their own.
