Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
When the curtain rises this January on Utah Opera's new production of Beethoven's "Fidelio," the costumes will be unlike anything the audience has seen before. Newly designed by Fan Zhang, an assistant professor of theatre at Weber State University, they reflect the dystopian society where this reimagined "Fidelio" takes place.
"It's a world that's corrupted," Zhang said. "There's injustice. There are limited resources and people are struggling."
Can costumes really say all that? Yes, Zhang says, they can.
A make-do society
For this production, Zhang created designs with shapes and fabrics that send a signal: upcycling is the norm. The audience may not know the exact time or place, but the costumes communicate how hard life is. Fabrics and colors rarely match. Clothes look aged and worn.
How many costumes? There are 81 different looks totaling more than 600 pieces — from jackets to shoes. The Utah Opera Costume Studio created them all in seven months.
"That's lightning speed for this size of show," said Carol Wood, costume director.
Using Zhang's designs, Wood's team measured singers, sourced fabrics, created patterns, cut, stitched and fit the costumes—while consulting with the designer throughout.
"We refine clear up to opening night," Wood said.
From student to teacher
Growing up in China, Zhang was always fascinated by creating characters through fashion and imagining the universe around them. Now, as she works with students and professionals on theater and opera productions, she still gets to imagine new worlds.
"Each project is really different and needs lots of research," she said. "It keeps things interesting each time."
Beethoven's only opera, "Fidelio," is often set in World War II, but was originally set in late 18th Century Seville, during the period of political unrest following the French Revolution. Zhang welcomed director Tara Faircloth's vision of a futuristic time and place.
"I want the audience who have seen "Fidelio" before to feel like this is new and exciting," Zhang said.
Watch for the shapes of her designs. The asymmetry in many of the silhouettes is a clue something is different. Look for the distinct classes on stage — from authority figures to peasants and prison workers. The movie "Dune" inspired the military uniforms, Zhang said.
Costume Studio creations
After Zhang drafted her designs, the Costume Studio went to work.
"When we have access to the designer, that's gold," Wood said. The team knew they could always reach out to Zhang with questions about colors, fabric, or how the costume should hang on the body.
"Our responsibility is to create the designer's vision," Wood said.
Zhang chose most of the fabrics, but the team sourced some items at thrift stores. They cut up old shirts, sweaters, and skirts then incorporated them into many characters' looks, Wood explained.
"The design concept is future dystopian when people must make do with what's left from a time when people could go shopping for new clothes," she said.
Each costume almost acts like a language, speaking for the character before the artist ever sings a note.
Construction of beauty
On an early September morning, more than four months before opening night, Marcos Ambriz, the cutter/draper & costume manager, drafted a sleeve for a blouse.
"We start with this beautiful artistic color drawing of her interpretation of the character," he said of Zhang's designs. "It's up to us to take our knowledge and translate her rendering into something real."
Abby Gehring, the first hand, explained how she asked Zhang questions as the costumes evolved from design to reality.
"She's very passionate, even about the small elements," Gehring said.
Nearby, the industrial sewing machine hummed while Kelsey Nichols, a stitcher, carefully flat lined, adding a layer of fabric to make the costume more durable.
"It's so interesting to see something come to life that's thoroughly unique," she said.
Over the next few weeks, the costumes would continue to take shape.
"I love seeing something go from flat to a full look especially when the designer's sketches are really artistic," said Kathryn Wieland, the assistant tailor. "I love to see the details interpreted."
From new to old
After the cutting and stitching was done, costumes for "Fidelio" were aged, giving them a lived-in look. Julie Porter, the crafts artisan, distressed prison garb with paint brushes and spray paint. She dipped two-thirds of the costume pieces in dye to make them look old, battered and used.
Porter had shown some examples to the designer, so Zhang could choose how old and beat up she wanted each costume to look.
"Colors behave so differently when they're under stage lights," Porter explained.
She'd experimented with different colors to make them look sweaty and old.
"I enjoy using paint to enhance the story," she said.
Eighty-one costume-looks later, that's exactly what the Costume Studio had done: enhanced the story with their creations The best news? Their work will live on once Utah Opera's run of "Fidelio" ends in January. The costumes will be available to rent, bringing "Fidelio" to life on a new stage, hopefully sometime soon.
Utah Opera presents Fidelio JAN 17-25 at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre.
