Seminar Makes the Grade

The "brutally hilarious" Seminar has critics and audiences alike raving about this “bitingly funny” show.

Schuyler Scott Mastain as Douglas and Ray Dooley as Leonard

Indy Week: 4 1/2 Stars
"brilliant" “masterful”
“conveys razor-sharp lessons in a compelling master class”

The News & Observer:
“Ray Dooley in one of his most impressive roles … [shows] masterful artistry”
“highly satisfying”

The Five Points Star:
“lively entertainment”
“the ensemble sizzled”

Triangle Arts & Entertainment:
“an ideal show for a college campus”

Schuyler Scott Mastain as Douglas, Carey Cox as Kate, Ray Dooley as Leonard, Allison Altman as Izzy, and Myles Bullock as Martin

And audiences agree ...
"fun - lots of verbal fireworks"
"reminded me of my graduate school days"
“amazing actors …. such a talented company in our midst!”

Don't miss Seminar with a stellar cast led by Ray Dooley - onstage through November 1st.

Click here or call the Box Office at 919-962-7529 for tickets.

Jade Bettin Brings New York Style to Seminar

In our last post, PlayMakers resident costume designer Jade Bettin (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Metamorphoses, Clybourne Park, Mary’s Wedding) described the influences that inspired her in creating clothes for Leonard and the young writers-in-progress in Seminar.

Now take a look at some of Jade’s sketches for her New York-inspired designs paired with snapshots of how they “come to life” in the production onstage.

Jade's design for Douglas, as worn by
Schuyler Scott Mastain. Photo by Jon Gardiner

Jade's design for Izzy, as worn by Allison Altman.
Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Jade's design for Leonard, as worn by Ray Dooley.
Photo by Jon Gardiner

Jade's design for Kate, as worn by Carey Cox.
Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Jade's design for Martin, as worn by Myles Bullock.
Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Join us and see how clothing contributes to the characterizations in Seminar. Onstage now through November 1st.

For tickets, Click Here or call the Box Office at 919-962-7529.

Presenting Identity Through Clothing in Seminar

by Jade Bettin

Costume sketch by Jade Bettin

When approaching the costume design for a play set in modern day New York City, it might seem surprising that it was the words of an ancient Greek man that would catch my attention and so perfectly capture the sentiment I was aiming for: “Know first who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly” (Epicetus 44-135 AD). Of course this has resonance because it applies just as much to the way we approach dress today as it did then.

In Seminar, we have four young men and women, all of whom are very hopeful that their writing career is about to take off as a result of mentoring from the successful editor/writer they have hired to examine and critique their work. The students are all from different socioeconomic backgrounds, but they have in common the fact that they are all on the verge of something – they are in a state of transition and trying to find out who they are as writers and, most likely, also as individuals. My goal is to capture that state of flux in their clothes as they try to sort out who they are.

Kate's clothing

To go back to Epicetus’ quote, because these students are still figuring out who they are, what they present of themselves through their clothing are works in progress. So, what messages are their clothes sending and what does it reveal about them in that moment? Each of these students bravely presents their written work to Leonard and it is clear after his critique of Kate’s story in the second scene that they are going to get the brutal truth. And so they are arming themselves for these encounters; putting their best foot forward as we might do for an important interview or date. They are largely doing that with the clothes they wear. For Kate, it’s about putting on her best dress and curling her hair just so. For Douglas, it’s about the costume he imagines a successful writer would wear. This is not necessarily their true selves, but their best selves, or in some cases, the selves they hope they become as a result of these seminar sessions.


I am fortunate in that I get to tell this story of the characters’ identity over the course of the play as there are nine scenes and in nearly every scene the characters wear different clothes. For instance, I am able to explore the fallout of Leonard’s critique on Kate through her clothing. The clothes she wears in the middle section of the play are probably a closer reflection of who Kate actually is at that moment. Just as she needs Leonard to challenge her writing and jar her out of complacency, she needs those revelations about self so that she can discover who she is and dress accordingly.

Join us to see how these young writers evolve, as Seminar takes the stage tonight through November 1st.

Click here or call our Box Office at 919-962-7529 for tickets.

Ray Dooley: Finding and Becoming Leonard in Seminar

Ray Dooley as Leonard

In Seminar, Ray Dooley plays the ruthless and frank character of Leonard, a writer/editor who conducts private seminars with young writers looking for both expert criticism and connections to the field of publishing. "Leonard's brain moves so quickly that one sentence can last the better part of a minute. His mind is continually turning over new images and thoughts, and new thoughts are pushing the previous thought out of the way as he strives to make his point the most effective way he can," says Ray, describing how Leonard's grammar is connective and that learning it requires intuitive leaps, one of the largest challenges of playing the role.

With a cast of five, the play "adheres to the unities of time, space and action" more closely than some other productions. The scenes lead to a final showdown, which creates a tighter and smaller canvas. Leonard is moving on a straight line towards an climactic encounter, which is easier to get one's mind around, "but just as a sonata or a quartet, it's not necessarily easier to play." Ray says that although it's different, it's more focused, and in some ways more demanding.

Through a series of metaphorical exercises led by director Michael Dove, Ray was able to uncover the underpinnings of each scene and the skeleton beneath the surface which provided structure to the action.

"Near the end of the play, I have a long speech where I am including one of the young writers in a pointed and emphatic critique of his life, my life and the writing profession. Myles [Bullock], the actor playing the young writer, in order to 'protect' himself, started building a wall around me with chairs. It became that he was putting me in a prison so that I couldn’t get to him with my critique and attack. At the end of the speech, what happens in the play is that my character leaves his character in a very exposed and bleak position. As I got near the end of that speech, I walked around, took him by the hand, walked him into the prison he had created, and as I finished the speech, I close the door on him. We had a visual metaphor of what my character had, in essence, done to his character, leaving him locked in a prison of his own creation. It was a beautiful visualization of that moment."

The four actors playing the writing students in PlayMakers' production are actually Ray's students in UNC's Professional Actor Training Program. "There's always extra pressure when you are working without a net with your own students." He describes the pressure to practice what he preaches, as they can see whether or not he's applying the things taught in the studio. "It's also a great joy when I see these early career professionals doing so well," says Ray.

When creating the wardrobe for Leonard, Ray and Jade Bettin, costume designer for Seminar, drew closely from real life models. "There's an actor in New York I admire greatly, who has some similarities to Leonard." To some degree, they based the wardrobe on that real life person's clothing choices, found in professional and candid photos. "When an actor is building belief in a character, it's a great help to know that these are looks that actually work in real life." The duo also considered where Leonard had just come from and where he is going. In doing that, Ray is able to build a backstory for the earlier portion of the day, which may or may not have gone well.

In terms of set, scenic designer Robin Vest has built a sunken living room downstage, close to the audience, where the first two seminar sessions take place. This allows for a more personal, intimate setting, whereas if the play were upstage, "we would have to try to open it out to the audience, almost as if we were playing in a proscenium house, and probably not able to play quite so intimately." Ray says that playing downstage allows the cast to "paint with fine brushes" rather than having to be sure the audience can hear and see them, allowing the cast more flexibility.

Ray feels it has been a rare privilege to be a part of PlayMakers for so long. Being at PlayMakers is the job Ray says he trained for in the 1970s at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. "Among the greatest joys are my colleagues." Ray describes the role of Leonard as a parting gift from former Producing Artistic Director Joseph Haj and calls working with director Michael Dove "a joy." "It's an extraordinary company of people, and in many ways, a family. We have become the fabric of each other's lives and it shows in the work on stage."

"I certainly get inspiration from the audience here; the audience and I have a 26-year relationship now-and that’s a great privilege. I try to live up to that every time I step on stage and try to live up to the responsibility and the implicit promise every time." 

- Ray Dooley

Seminar takes the stage October 14th through November 1st.

Click here or call our Box Office at 919-962-7529 for tickets.

Dreaming in Vivid Detail: Jade Bettin's Design for Mary's Wedding

In Stephen Massicotte's Mary's Wedding we follow Mary and Charlie through a dream sequence the night before Mary is supposed to get married. Costume designer, Jade Bettin's, research coupled with her evident passion for the play have produced designs that are detailed and multifaceted. They create a canvas for actors Carey Cox and Myles Bullock to paint their poignant story.

Because the play takes place during a dream, Jade explains that the clothing must be bound in reality, but that there is some leniency. Mary is seen in a white lace nightgown, but Jade explained that the time period worked to her advantage. Many dresses in the 1910s worn during the day were similar to nightgowns. Women sported dresses that looked similar to modern lingerie with a great deal of lace detailing.

The dress worn by Mary is quite personal to Jade. Her interest in costume design was sparked by her mother. Her mother was a seamstress and Jade said she received her first sewing machine when she was in 5th grade. She remembers spending hours sewing together. Since her mother's passing eight

Jade's final rendering.

years ago, Jade puts elements of her mother onstage in the clothes she designs. All of the fabrics, laces, and trims of Mary's dress belonged to Jade's mother, making this design a very special one.

Jade has a deep interest in the intersection between fashion and history. Her extensive research of images can be seen on her Pinterest board here. It's filled with landscapes of Canada and France, images of silky white lace dresses, and clothing worn by cavalry men.

Charlie's costume had to serve multiple functions. Charlie works on a farm and rides horses, so he is seen in a neutral button up shirt, riding pants, and lace-up boots. Jade ensured that elements of his costume would also fit in a battlefield setting with details like his stand collar. Small details such as this indicate a change in character onstage. 

See Jade's personal, adaptive designs for Mary's Wedding onstage April 29th to May 3rd!

Click here for more information or call our box office at 919.962.7529.

Director Cody Nickell on imagining his "dream play," Mary's Wedding

In Mary's Wedding by Stephen Massicotte, two actors come together to create a dream sequence taking us through horse rides, battle scenes and tea parties that ultimately lead to the blossoming of their love. The character Charlie first addresses the audience and makes it perfectly clear that the events to follow are part of a dream. "I ask you to remember that," he says. Director Cody Nickell says the dreamlike setting allows the production to break all rules of time, space, and at times, even character.

Cody had many difficult questions to answer at the start of the production process. The dream moves from place to place quickly, leaving complicated theatrical elements for Cody to consider. While some may see these questions as challenges, Cody chooses to see them as gifts.

"How do you bring to life a horse for a cavalry charge when there is no horse? How do you show a moonlit battle between trenches on the front lines of World War I with only two actors? And maybe most interesting, for all its theatricality, how do you show the simple story at the heart of this play about two young people falling in love?"

While the staging can be difficult, the underlying story of Mary's Wedding is much simpler. It follows the relationship of two young people in love and the Great War that comes between them. To escape a thunderstorm, Charlie, played by Myles Bullock, and Mary, played by Carey Cox, seek shelter in an old barn. In this setting, their vulnerabilities are exposed and we see sparks of love develop between them almost immediately. The audience follows their budding romance, and ultimately, their separation when Charlie is taken off to war.

"It begins at the end and ends at the beginning. There are sad parts. Don’t let that stop you from dreaming it too. " - Charlie, in his first monologue from Mary's Wedding.

The many imaginative gifts the production staff conjures will awaken the imaginations of audience members as well. "This engagement of audience imagination makes the experience active for them, not passive; they become witnesses, not just observers," says Cody. The actors are on a journey, but they invite the audience along to experience the terror and the hope that Charlie and Mary encounter.

Jeff Adelberg's mystic skyscapes and lighting will be a key factor in the quickly changing time, place and mood of the dream sequence. And Cody says costume designer Jade Bettin took initial costume ideas and ran with them, doing spectacular research and paying attention to details that further conceptualize the journey both the actors and audience traverse. Jeff's lighting paired with Jade's period costumes will pique imaginations and transform the stage from a physical space, to a fantastical world with no limits.

Cody says he's thrilled to collaborate with scenic designer Daniel Conway once again. Daniel's set has a circular frame creating a portal through which the audience views the story. This portal takes us from Canadian plains to European battlefields on a dynamic set that will evoke the many settings explored by the young lovers.

Experience the dream of Mary's Wedding with us April 29th to May 3rd!

Click here for more information or call our box office at 919.962.7529.

Costuming Urinetown: The Musical

By Jade Bettin, Costume Designer

This is my fourth time costuming for the Summer Youth Conservatory and while I am proud of each of the others, I find myself incredibly excited to see the costumes for Urinetown: The Musical onstage. Perhaps it's because I've been incredibly fortunate to have such a great team ‑ talented theatre tech students and amazingly generous volunteers ‑ working in the costume shop to realize my vision for the show.

That vision began with a collection of images presented to me by one of the directors, Jeff Stanley. The pictures ranged from Depression Era images of men and women standing in bread lines to President Skroob from the Mel Brooks movie, Spaceballs.

Costume research materials

Mel Brooks as President Skroob in Spaceballs

Jeff, Adam Dill (assistant costume designer and costume shop manager extraordinaire), and I really focused in on the juxtaposition that exists in the play between the haves and have nots ‑ groups the directors had dubbed the "Cladwellians" and the "townies". It's a contrast that existed quite starkly in the 1930s and a reality that resonates today in the chants of "we are the 99%". So as a designer I was drawn to the silhouettes of the 1930s, but didn't want to make the look so foreign as to suggest that this was only an issue way back when.

Of course with the Summer Youth Conservatory, we're outfitting a cast of about 30 (if you include the costumed musicians). Consider that some of the actors play both townies and Cladwellians and you have a lot of pairs of shoes. (Or two miss-matched shoes in the case of Little Becky Two Shoes.) With the exception of a handful of pieces, most of what will be seen onstage is pulled from our own costume storage, altered to fit the actor, and then in the case of the townies, made to look as if they haven't washed their clothes in twenty years. All this definitely makes for a flurry of activity in the costume shop.

Costume fitting for SYC actor Bryce Bowden

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Urinetown: The Musical will be showing July 19 - 22, 2012

Click Here for more information.

SYC's Urinetown: The Musical is an NBC 17 "Hot Pick"

Our 2012 Summer Youth Conservatory's production of Urinetown: The Musical has been chosen as a "Hot Pick" for July. Fun for the whole family! Stay tuned to the blog for upcoming posts from PlayMakers Producing Artistic Director Joseph Haj, Costume Designers Jade Bettin and Adam Dill,  and Urinetown surprise guest bloggers!

Tickets for Urinetown: The Musical are on sale now. CLICK HERE to purchase online or call our Box Office (M-F 10-4) to purchase by phone. Adults $15; Children $10; PlayMakers Season Ticket Holders $13

Urinetown: The Musical runs from July 19-22. Thurs-Sat @ 7:30pm; Sun @ 2:00pm http://www.playmakersrep.org/urinetown

The Costumes of "Virginia Woolf"

When working on a period show, the costume shop often has to rely on finding vintage pieces or making similar garments themselves. But luckily for this production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the styles of the 1960s are making a comeback (probably due to the popularity of AMC's Mad Men).

"The fashions on the television screen have trickled into the mass market and it's now possible to go to the mall and buy slim tailored suits, skinny ties, and even hats and not have to rely completely on vintage pieces to obtain an authentic look," says costume designer Jade Bettin. "This is a very fortunate coincidence when one is trying to create costumes for a show like Virginia Woolf that is set in 1962."

But the design process still took some research. "Of course my immersion in the silhouette of the late 1950s and early 1960s went beyond Mad Men," Bettin says. "After my initial design meeting with [director] Wendy Goldberg and the other members of the design team, I collected a large amount of images that solidified my understanding of the details of the period."

1962 Brooks Brothers fashion illustration from Bettin's research

Bettin also had to work with - and at times against - the vibrant set design, which she previewed not long after that first design meeting. "I opened the email and saw - was that a bright patent red floor and ceiling?" she said, adding, "I think my initial thought was, well, I guess I'm not using green."

Though the set offered certain restrictions, it  also provided inspiration. "My journey to find the colors that work for each character and with this set has been a very interesting one," says Bettin, who chose saturated colors for the character Martha.

"In reading the play and focusing in on the character of Martha, I always got the sense that she didn't quite fit - that she was not content playing the role of 1950s housewife," she said. "So that saturation hints at her discontent and also ties her to the color of the floor and ceiling and one of the other most interesting pieces of the set for me - the abstract painting that is commented on in the dialogue."

Untitled 15-P by Edward Dugmore, a 1959 abstract painting that
inspired Bettin's design (source: www.abstract-art.com)

"The abstract paintings of this period are canvases filled with bold splashes of color that speak to raw emotion," Bettin says. "Sounds like Martha to me."

Another Day... Another Fitting

As promised, I made it to another costume fitting. This one was just as much fun as Jeff Meanza's. This time up - company member Jimmy Kieffer. 

Jimmy is a second-year MFA candidate in the Professional Actor Training Program here at UNC. During his time at PlayMakers, Jimmy has been seen as the lead fisherman and a bawd in Pericles; the dubious Wickham in Pride and Prejudice and most recently, as the affable Karl in Opus. In Nicholas Nickleby, Jimmy will be taking on a whole host of characters. Below you'll get to see several different looks for them. 

Up first though is long-time company favorite, Jeffrey Blair Cornell. I arrived at Jimmy's fitting a little early and got these shots of Jeff's last costume in his fitting. Sometimes early is a really good thing because this costume is fantastic!

Costume grad, Amy A. Page, Designer Jan Chambers and Crafts artisan Rachel Pollock attend to some final details. 

And now onto Jimmy's fitting...

Jimmy shows off his dance moves happy to be reunited with these pants from Pride and Prejudice. Well maybe happy isn't the word, but he made the best of it.

Associate costume designer Jade Bettin checks this vest for alterations.

Maybe it was a little tight. Pretty sure she did not stick him with a pin. 

These brand new boots were special-ordered for Jimmy. You'll notice hooks in each of his hands. They hook into the loops at the top of the boots to help pull them on. To get them off, a boot jack is typically employed, but it couldn't be found on this day. I hope they find it soon...

because I'm not sure this method is going to allow for quick changes. It made for a light moment or ten in the fitting room though.

This hat was special-ordered for Jimmy too.

Too bad it doesn't quite fit...

Crafts artisan Rachel Pollock is brought in to make some necessary alterations to the wildly oversized hat. 

Different character... different hat

Wait - it goes on like this

Watchman at your service...

Of course, a velvet robe is more like it...

But it will need some TLC before it's ready to go on stage. Costume grad Samantha Coles takes a look. 

This costume fitting journey has been a lot of fun. Check back soon for images from tech weekend Part I. It starts today! The entire company moves out of the rehearsal hall and onto the stage! 

And the Costumes Just Keep Coming

Nevermind that I've worked in this building for nearly a decade. I'm not sure that I've ever gone to a costume fitting here. I have definitely been missing out! Today I went to a couple, and they were a ton of fun. Of course all I had to do was take pictures. Because this show is so enormous, costume fittings have become their own show. Lots and lots of people involved, and a lot of hard work for our amazing costume shop. I can't wait to go back!

Below are some of the photos from cast member Jeff Meanza's fitting - one of MANY he will have. Jeff is not only a member of the Nickleby cast, he is also PlayMakers' Director of Education and Outreach and a graduate of the Professional Actor Training Program here at UNC. He was most recently seen in Amadeus and Well, and during his term as an MFA student here, he appeared in The Man Who Came to Dinner, A Prayer for Owen Meany, King Lear and Luminosity, just to name a few. In Nicholas Nickleby, Jeff is playing half a dozen characters and these photos only show fraction of those. 

Jeff's fitting has to begin with the putting on of the "fat suit" as most of his characters are much heavier than he is. Above we see him being assisted by Associate Costume Designer Jade Bettin and costume graduate student Kaitlin Fara.

It's important to find just the right combination of coat and vest for this character, so many options are tried out. Again we see Jade Bettin, Kaitlin Fara and Costume Designer Jan Chambers deciding this outer coat just isn't right. 

Jan ponders and then decides they've got something with this combo. 

Jade takes a last measurement to make sure the fit is perfect. 

Above we see Jan consulting the now-famous "chart" that indicates which actors have to become which characters, and at what point, to make sure Jeff can get in and out of costume in time to get back on stage fully transformed. 

Another combination of jacket and vest to get it just right for this next character. 

Hmm. This one doesn't quite work either. 

Another vest. Will this be the one? We'll worry about pants another time.

Aha - finally a combo that works!

 And now for young Wackford Squeers - the brat everyone loves to hate. Of course only blue velvet will do!

I think we've got it!

Not only does a fitting require the designers (Jan & Jade) and the costumer who makes all the adjustments (Kaitlin). Randy Handley, a third year costume graduate, who has served as assistant designer on numerous PRC shows, keeps track of important details in the Co-Star system about which pieces have been approved for which character, which alterations need to be made and which pieces are still needed. 

In upcoming posts, hear from Jeff Meanza about what goes on "in the room," more character analyses from dramaturg Anthony Fichera, and photos from a fitting with company member Jimmy Kieffer, recently seen as the dubious Wickham in Pride and Prejudice and the affable Karl in Opus. We'll also have another piece from blog favorite, Rachel Pollock, as she returns to bonnet making in part two of her fascinating series "Bespoke Millinery." Stay tuned!