The Rocky Horror Show
Assistant Costume Design
Oh, Rocky! When your university mounts a production of a beloved show, how do you design it? If you're UAB, you throw expectations out of the window and start from scratch. The director was heavily influenced by the look of Pat Benetar's "Love is a Battlefield" video, and that became our springboard.
I was given the characters of Columbia and the Usherette to design on my own. Now, I'm one of those who loves this show, and I have to say it was a fun exercise to imagine what else Columbia might have in her closet. I was also fortunate in that I was assigned her costume to build, so I got to make her double layered crinoline, necktie overskirt, and modify and embellish her denim vest. For the Usherette, we wanted to keep the outrageousness that was to come behind the curtian. For her, I thought a golden era movie usher would be fun.
I accidentally designed the Rocky costume when I showed a picture of Shaun Connery in "Zardoz" to the designer. A leopard print bondage diaper was born. I feel I sould apologize for this, but I'm not going to.
At the last minute, the director requested bunny slippers for Columbia. We couldn't find any, so I got creative. I think it fit the show.
This show literally changed my life, as it was when I realized that I wasn't just going to build my technical sewing skills. I was going to do theatre. I've never regretted it.
Theatre UAB
Director: Bill Castellino
Costume Design: Elizabeth Pollard
Scenic Design: Cliff Simon
Lighting Design: Kelly Allison
Props Design: Marc Quattlebaum
Audio Design: Sarah Jordan
