Wardrobes that span decades in 4000 Miles

In Amy Herzog's play 4000 Miles, life unexpectedly throws Leo and Vera together. They are drastically different, with Leo in biking attire and casual jeans and Vera in the effortless wardrobe she's collected throughout her time living in the West Village of New York City. Costume designer Jan Chambers has crafted distinct ensembles that reflect the unique lives of the play's characters.

Vera's closet is full of items she's collected over the years. She's lived in the same apartment since the 1950s, so her wardrobe is as eclectic as the fashion trends of the decades Vera has experienced. Vera dresses comfortably, but Jan made sure she has some pizazz. Jan says, "Vera is not your Midwestern grandmother." Because she has a visitor, she is dressing up more than usual. Vera also attends two funerals during the play, but Jan said she wears a lot of black anyway. "She's a New Yorker," Jan explains. 

Costuming Leo proved to be a challenge, as he's been on a 4000 mile bicycling trip from Seattle to New York. When he arrives at Vera's door, the only clothes he has are the items he could carry in a bag. His wardrobe is that of an unrestricted nomad on a bicycle, including jeans, a rain jacket, a V-neck sweater, and other casual clothing he could bring from place to place.

Amanda, played by Sehee Lee, is an art student Leo brings home one night. Jan said she and director Desdemona Chiang really enjoyed putting her outfit together. Amanda wears platform shoes, fishnet tights, purple streaks in her hair, and a coral leather jacket. She's young, quirky, and has the edginess of a New York City art student.

See Jan's costume renderings come to life below! 

Jan's design for Leo, as worn by Schuyler Scott Mastain. Photo by Curtis Brown.

Jan's design for Vera, as worn by Dee Maaske. Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Jan's design for Bec, as worn by Arielle Yoder. Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Jan's design for Leo, as worn by Schuyler Scott Mastain. Photo by Curtis Brown.

Jan's design for Vera, as worn by Dee Maaske. Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Jan's design for Amanda, as worn by Sehee Lee. Photo by Jon Gardiner.

Jan's design for Vera, as worn by Dee Maaske. Photo by Curtis Brown.

Jan's design for Leo, as worn by Schuyler Scott Mastain. Photo by Jon Gardiner.

See Jan Chambers' designs onstage in 4000 Miles through April 19th!

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

Reflecting the Richness of Vera's Life: Jan Chamber's Scenic Design for 4000 Miles

Preliminary sketch by scenic designer Jan Chambers.

4000 Miles takes place in Vera Joseph's apartment in the West Village of New York City. Vera is 91 years old and has lived in the same apartment since the 1950s. Vera has lived a rich, vibrant life, so it only makes sense that her living space should reflect the adventures she's been on, relationships she's had, and experiences she's been through. This was the challenge of scenic and costume designer Jan Chambers.

Jan explains that over the years, Vera, played by Dee Maaske, has collected pieces that represent her fascinating life. Jan calls Vera's decorating style "intellectual bohemian," as there is no defining color scheme, however an abundance of photos, posters, furniture, and knickknacks give us a feel for Vera's passions and her extensive life experience.

"She's not a fancy person, but she's elegant in her own way."

Scenic model by Jan Chambers.

Jan says that in order to create a believable living space for Vera, she envisioned the spaces of some friends and relatives. "I am definitely channeling people I've known." The landlords of a friend in New York have lived there for decades. One is an artist and the other, a psychologist. Their apartment is filled with eclectic items representing their respective fields and passions, leaving no wall uncovered. It has a thrift shopper appeal that Jan was looking to create in Vera's apartment.

Vera's apartment may seem cluttered, but Jan explains that Vera knows exactly where everything is. She says Vera has fallen into a routine. "She probably eats the same thing for breakfast everyday." Vera's apartment has not changed much over the years, and Jan's design reflects the living space of an older character who has fallen into a pattern, but retains her vibrancy. 

Visual inspiration for Vera's apartment.

Stage left and upstage, you'll notice model cars and airplanes. These are placed intentionally as they remind us of Vera's late second husband, Joe. Although Joe died 10 years prior, he and Vera traveled together and shared the same political beliefs, thus the books about Marxism on the shelves and in baskets, and posters of Cuba and Mexico. Jan explains,"The more masculine sense given by the model cars and airplanes lets us remember that Joe is still with us in some way." 

Jan also loves that 4000 Miles is a story of a grandmother and grandson. "I'm making my son bring his grandmother as a date!"

We invite audience members, young and old, to enjoy 4000 Miles with us as this wonderful dramatic comedy opens Wednesday evening.

4000 Miles opens April 1st and runs until April 19th. 

Click here for more info or call our box office at 919-962-PLAY (7529)

Desdemona Chiang on bridging generational gaps in 4000 Miles

Director, Desdemona Chiang.

At first, Leo and Vera seem to be an unlikely pair. Leo is 21-years-old, while Vera stands at 91 years young. Leo enjoys riding his bike cross-country, while Vera calls her neighbor daily to assure her she's still alive. Vera, played by Dee Maaske, is Leo's grandmother, but much time has passed since they last saw one another. After a heart-shattering loss, Leo, played by Schuyler Scott Mastain, shows up at Vera's door. His original plan to stay for one night turns into three weeks and a once improbable duo end up finding solace in one another.

Director, Desdemona Chiang, said she wanted to direct 4000 Miles because she loves plays that "explore family dynamics and human relationships." She definitely got what she bargained for with Leo and Vera. With two distinct characters lacking similarity at first, Desdemona wants the emphasis of the play to be placed on the fully developed relationship between Vera and Leo. She says it is the intricate moments between them that make 4000 Miles "both ordinary and utterly exceptional."

"It is a sweet, funny, and poignant story of two people who, as a result of an unexpected tragedy, find themselves connected and changed forever. "

Desdemona wants to ensure that the audience doesn't see Vera for her age, but for her vigor. She appreciates 4000 Miles for placing a character of Vera's age in a prominent role. Desdemona explains, "Americans are notoriously ageist—we usually regard the elderly as a social inconvenience and the discussion of death and dying to be uncomfortable, so oftentimes this particular demographic of people goes socially unacknowledged and ignored. It’s so satisfying to be working on a play that puts a 91 year-old woman at the center of the story." She said Vera reminds her of her own feisty, sharp, unapologetic grandmother.

Costume designs, by Jan Chambers, will be contemporary and will provide further insight into the

contrasts between Leo and Vera. As a twenty-something "neo-hippie," Leo will be dressed in either casual jeans and sweatshirts, or bicyclist attire. Vera will be dressed in flowing, comfortable pieces to reflect the routine she has fallen into.

Commerce Street in the West Village.

The play is set in Vera's apartment in Manhattan's West Village. Desdemona explains that she and scenic designer, Jan Chambers, sought to create an environment that told the story of Vera's everyday life before Leo showed up on her doorstep. She explains, "The placement of furniture, books, dishes,and other household items are very deliberate, and speak volumes about the kinds of life patterns she has developed over the years, and how that pattern gets disrupted (in both good and bad ways) when Leo arrives."

The mood onstage will be set by lighting designer, Xavier Pierce. Desdemona said they will utilize the lighting to "establish rhythms and the storytelling inside transitions in between scenes." Desk and floor lamps will contribute to the sense of intimacy between the characters.

4000 Miles has been challenging at times for Desdemona because she wants to maintain the beautiful simplicity of the relationship between Leo and Vera . She explained that in our current theatrical world, it can be tempting to create the "the bright flashy thing, the big social statement, or the jazz hands dance number," but that in 4000 Miles, the nuanced, fully-developed relationship matters most.

"This is play that doesn’t set out to change the world, yet the worlds of these two individuals are irrevocably changed."

What's Desdemona's goal? She said, "My hope is that by the end of the show, audience members will be gathered in the lobby calling their grandmothers or their grandchildren."

We invite you to experience the refreshingly honest, 4000 Miles, onstage April 1-19!

Click here for more info or call our box office at 919.962.PLAY (7529).

Costume sketches from Jan Chambers

No, you have not stumbled onto a Disney fan-site, these are sketches from costume designer Jan Chambers for PlayMakers’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. We won't give away why this production has a few Snow White-inspired costumes. Come to the play to find out!

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be performed at PlayMakers through October 5, 2014. For tickets, call 919.962.PLAY (7529) or visit our website. 

Meet the Creatives: "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"

PlayMakers kicks off the 2014/15 Mainstage Season with Christopher Durang’s hysterical farce Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, that riffs on the tradition of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Not only did it win the Tony for Best New Play, it was honored with tons of awards and nominations from the New York theatre scene.

Libby Appel

We’re so excited about the team we’ve assembled for our production of Vanya, which includes both new and familiar faces. 

Libby Appel returns to PlayMakers to direct this production. She was last here during the 2008/09 Season directing The Glass Menagerie. Libby spent 21 seasons as artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In 2010, she became only the sixth person to receive the Kennedy Center’s Stephen and Christine Schwarzman Legacy Award for Excellence in Theatre, which recognizes “lifetime achievement in theatre and unparalleled commitment to the future of the art form through teaching.” Not only does she have an incredible career as a director and leader, she has a rich history adapting the works of Anton Chekhov. She seemed like the perfect director to tackle Durang’s love letter/send up of Russia’s greatest playwright.

Designing the Bucks County estate where all the action of the play takes place is scenic designer Michael Dempsey. Michael comes to PlayMakers from Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) in Santa Monica, California. This is his first time designing for PlayMakers. Michael is the conservatory director and director of technical training for PCPA and has also designed for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Sacramento Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Syracuse Stage Williamstown Theater Festival and Off-Broadway.

Jan Chambers

PlayMakers brilliant resident designer Jan Chambers is creating the costumes for the show which range from the pedestrian to something straight out of a fairytale. You’ll remember her work on the set and clothes for last year’s rep of The Tempest and Metamorphose. Jan is a faculty member of the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC Chapel Hill, where she teaches theatre, scenic and costume design.

Peter West. Photographer: Kate Dale

The lighting designer for Vanya will be Peter West. Peter has a long-standing relationship with PlayMakers and has done the lights for many shows here over the years including: Blue Door, The Bluest Eye, Yellowman, Luminosity, Hobson's Choice, Uncle Vanya, Proof and Playboy of the Western World. West is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will be performed at PlayMakers September 17 through October 5. Subscriptions for the 2014/2015 season are on sale now and single tickets will be available in July.

The Design of "A Number"

What was the inspiration for the haunting set design for A Number, the first PRC² production of the season? Costume and set designer Jan Chambers reveals that her design process began upon discovering the backstory actor Ray Dooley created for his character.

After learning that Dooley decided that his character's emotional problems arose from a traumatic experience in Vietnam, Chambers happened to encounter a painting that she said spoke to her of the character's "haunted stated of mind."

"The resemblance to Ray is uncanny, and the painting emotionally cemented his character for both of us," Chambers said. "The play, of course, takes place some 35-40 years after that moment, but his past and present state of mind definitely played a part in the design of the space - a small, confined, claustropobic world where something massive is slowly closing in."

Josh Barrett and Ray Dooley in A Number by Caryl Churchill.
(Photo by Andrea Akin.)

Chambers incorporated that tension into the space. She said of her design, "Skewing the angles of the room and pulling the space into the audience's lap further helped create a visceral environment that played as a counterpoint to the measured and suppressed dialogue of denial and avoidance."

A Number is now playing through Sunday, September 11. Click here for more details.

Sketching out a costume design

With Angels in America in previews this week, now's a great time to take a closer look at the extensive preparation put into this epic two-part production. Let's start with the costumes!

Check out these early research boards that Costume Designer Jan Chambers created for the character of Belize, played by actor Avery Glymph. Each frame includes a selection of images pulled to give an idea of style and color, plus a hand sketch that brings it all together.

You can explore all of Jan Chambers' research images and sketches for Angels in America on her Flickr page here. And, now that performances have started, you can see it all put together on stage!

Kimonos for Angels

by Rachel Pollock

In my previous post, i wrote about the ombre dye processes for the tunics and loose pants worn by the Angels of the Principalities in our forthcoming repertory of Angels in America: Parts 1 & 2 (the Principalities appear only in Part 2). And, ombre is nice and all, and a lovely effect, but not really anything super challenging when it comes to surface design on fabrics. Executing specific imagery is when things get really interesting, i find.

Now for the really cool part: their kimono over-robes!

If you had a chance to page through Costume Designer Jan Chambers' photoset for the Angel Robes, you saw a lot of cool influences, but the standout of which was likely the ornate "Symphony of Light" landscape kimonos of textile artist Itchiku Kubota. In our conferences with her, Jan was particularly interested in the idea of the robes of the angels evoking Kubota's work, but utilizing collaged imagery evocative of each Principality--Oceania, Africanii, Europa, Antarctica, Australia, America, and Asiatica.

Jan collected a folder of landscape images from which to create the artwork for the robes, then worked them into watercolorey collages using image editing software--Photoshop and Illustrator. She then made another set of images to discuss with Director Brendan Fox, to show what the finished kimono would look like: Angel Robe Tests.

But, how to get these images onto the fabric for the robes themselves?

Obviously in an ideal world, as the crafts artisan and dyer, I and a team of talented assistants would hand-paint the robes in the yuzen technique, creating masterful works of art. Of course, that would be extremely time-consuming and difficult; you can read about Kubota's process here--each kimono took him a year, and he was a master of the art! Obviously we needed another solution to realize Jan's inspiration, so we turned to the local textile technology and research organization [TC]2 (TC-squared) and their InkDrop printing department.

Technically, this took the project out of my realm entirely and it became a matter of coordination between design, research, development, and management, worked out collaboratively with Jan, Costume Director Judy Adamson, and Adam M. Dill, Judy's assistant and PRC's costume shop manager. It's been an amazing process so far, and fascinating to witness.

InkDrop custom-prints small batches of fabrics with digital image files, much like the services of a company like Spoonflower. Adam explained the project to InkDrop consultant Lujuanna Pagan and hashed out a projected calendar and budget--when the art needed to be finished in order for the silk to be printed and delivered in time for Judy's team to cut and stitch it together in time to have the garments ready for tech of that scene. Judy worked out the size of the pattern pieces needed for each kimono and gave the dimensions to Jan, who split up her artwork into sections of the proper size.






Judy and Adam and I printed the artwork onto paper at half-scale using PRC's plotter, in order to lay out a test-version of the kimono before InkDrop printed the fabrics.   In this way, we could double-check that the art would match up across seams.


Lujuanna sent us this test-run of swatches of each of Jan's digital paintings, so she could approve the colors on the fabric before printing the multiple yards' worth.

Detail view of Africanii, showing some of the art and the color tests along the edge.   This is the section i used as a match-swatch when ombre-dyeing the accompanying garment blanks.

Two of the kimono lengths laid out on the tables in the costume shop for Jan and Brendon to survey before cutting and stitching commenced...  

So, that's where things stand right now with those pieces. Fascinating! Now Judy and her first hand Claire Fleming will assemble them, and we'll check them out onstage once we get into tech. I promise to share photos of the finished garments after photo call. For now though, i really want to find a copy of Dale Carolyn Gluckman's The Kimono as Art, which depicts many of Kubota's original works in detail.

What do Angels wear?

by Rachel Pollock

At PlayMakers, we're well into production on Tony Kushner's epic two-part Angels in America, which we're running in repertory soon. I've got a ton of cool projects to share, the first of which being the costumes we're creating for the Angels of the Principalities, which appear in a convocation scene in Perestroika, Part 2.

Costume Designer Jan Chambers and Director Brendan Fox have a photoset of inspiration images that you can page through on flickr, to see some of the artwork that has informed the Angels' attire. Angel Robes photoset - This includes haute couture runway images and photoshoots, garment research, and textile art including the landscape kimonos of Itchiku Kubota.




This is the design by Jan Chambers of how the Angels will be dressed.   You can see from the design collage that they will each be clad in a base costume of a loose tunic and pants, with an ornate kimono robe worn over top. We are making the kimonos (which will be the topic of a second post to come), but we decided to purchase dyeable pre-made garments for the tunics and pants. We bought seven of these rayon poncho-tunics and these loose pants from Dharma Trading Company, a vendor that creates a huge line of garments from dyeable fiber-content fabrics.

Though not an ideal dye, i wound up using RIT for the ombre effects because it's fast, familiar, and we had the color range in stock. In an ideal world where i had the time for the testing and processing, and the budget for the dyestock, i'd love to have done these in fiber reactives. But, I have to go with what will achieve the effect desired in the time required with the budget available, so RIT it was! C'est la theatre!

The robes will be quite colorful, and every Principality has a different robe. The tunics match them in a watercolor-esque wash of dyes. Jan picked out a range of Pantone colors that should be incorporated into each effect, pulled from the palette from each Angel's robe art. The ombre (which means the gradation from one color to another, or from one lighter value to a darker one, down the length of a garment) will go from top to bottom on each garment, so the progression from color to color that happens to a tunic must happen the same way to the pants.

Because there were so many colors and i needed to process these as quickly as possible, i did them in batches. I often had up to eight pots of dyestuff going at once!



Our two dye vats plus some pots on the dyeroom range...


...plus some more colors cooking on portable eyes set up around the facility!   To achieve an ombre, you selectively dye the garment(s) in dipped washes, layering colors over one another like this:



Left: floral pastel washes for the Principality of Europa's garments.
Right: desert sunset colors for the Principality of America.

Those are hanging to dry after a rinse cycle, on our yardage hoist over the triple-sink. This is one of three batches of them that i did, all similar but in different color-combinations. The Europa garments are a three-color ombre--pink to peach to violet--and the America ones are grey to blue to brown.

Coincidentally, i'm teaching dye class this spring, so i've just overhauled my dye shop in preparation for sharing it with six students, all of whom will be novice dyers unfamiliar at first with the space. (That would be why i needed to push these dyed garments through the shop quickly over the university's winter break, before the course begins!)

This is the most exciting part:



Reorganized dyestuff shelving!
(Note spraybox and dedicated dye microwave, not for heating up lunches!)   This is one of two shelving units i have for supplies and equipment, and with the aid of volunteer crafts assistant Rae Cauthen, we completely overhauled its organization to be much more intuitive and space-efficient. Because RIT dyes are the simplest to work with and the most common dyestuff stocked in on-site theatrical dyeshops, the students do their first project with them, so RIT accessibility and organization was our first priority. This also helped me out in efficiently processing these Principality garment ombres.


Check out our chromatically-arranged shelves:



RIT dye organization!

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!