William Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT
ATC Literary Manager Jenny Bazzell recently sat down with costume designer David Mickelsen to discuss his designs for TWELFTH NIGHT.
Q: What are the location and the period for the designs of ATC’s production of TWELFTH NIGHT? What are the advantages to this time period visually for you as a designer?
We’re somewhere in the Mediterranean and we’ve said early 1950s. I’ve been working from 1952 as my jumping-off spot. Jon knew that he wanted to incorporate resort-wear, beach-wear, swim-wear, that kind of thing since it takes place on an island. With Shakespeare you usually only have a couple of women, but nine times out of ten you determine what period you’re going to be in by what the women look like and not the men. We were looking for a time period and a place that Olivia, the Countess, could be a devastating woman and have that kind of allure and class of the dark-haired, dark-eyed beauties like Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren - that sort of just stop-traffic-gorgeous look. It’s also the birth of the pin-up style and the real bombshell style of beach-wear and resort-wear, so we were looking for something to work for visually in that world.
Q: What are the most challenging aspects of designing costumes for a classic play like TWELFTH NIGHT?
A: There are a couple of things, especially when you are putting a Shakespeare play into a period other than Elizabethan, in that you’re dealing with people’s expectations of classic images of the play. Take Malvolio’s cross-gartering: in this production instead of Elizabethan yellow cross-garters, he’s in a yellow sea-suit. So for some people who are used to the big yellow garters and black costume and all that sort of thing, they might think “Why did they do that?” You are dealing with classic expectations of people who see many Shakespeare plays. There are other things with this play, especially again with updating the design, you’re dealing with how you maneuver around the issue of swords and the sword fight and the language that refers to period weaponry. That’s one of those things that influences what you do clothing-wise. That’s how we ended up with the fencing costume on Andrew when he’s doing the challenge – he’s in a full fencing ensemble. So expectations, sword play, and fidelity to the language are the big ones.
Q: In TWELTH NIGHT, Viola is a woman who disguises herself as a man and who also has a twin brother. Are there special considerations you keep in mind as you approach the costumes for these characters?
There’s a big chunk of it that’s casting because, of course, you want the best possible actor for the role, but the fact of the matter is when they’re standing together and all the other players in the show are amazed that it’s two identical people - same clothes, same hair, same countenance – that you actually believe it and don’t believe these people aren’t just stupid to not see the difference in those two people. Of course, we will be dealing with hairstyle by trying to get that to be as identical for the two of them and that sort of thing, so you just hope there are enough physical similarities that some of your work is done for you.
Q: This play has a lot of larger than life and very famous characters who are well known to audiences. Do you find an audience’s expectations of what a character should look like to be daunting?
No, I don’t. I think that our audiences now are used to enough change in period settings on classics and especially the comedies, that it really isn’t a huge issue for me. I think the people who are such purists can only ever see one production of the play that fits their conception and they don’t allow themselves to view it in any new light. So I don’t find it daunting. Finding interesting ways to bring new audiences into Shakespeare as an enjoyable time in the theatre is more intriguing to me than causing myself fear that some classically minded person is going to think that what I’ve done is wrong.
Q: You have designed for ATC nearly fifty times over the span of twenty-five years. Do you have any favorite memory of your time with us?
There are so many. Benjamin Stuart getting dressed as Lady Bracknell for the first time in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST was a great joy. I guess it’s the great times that we have laughing that I remember more than anything. Suzanne Bouchard in Dracula putting her stuff on. Final fabric fittings when you see what it really is – those are the times I remember the most. There are also times when in my mind everything was just beautiful and I was so proud of it – I’m thinking of H.M.S. Pinafore– when I sat in the house with Barb Tanzillo (ATC Costume Shop Manager) and said, you know, my mom would be so proud. Those moments of working at a theatre company for most of your adult life time – this is my twenty-fifth year and my first job with ATC was when I was still in school. I’ve worked at ATC for my entire professional lifetime so far, and there are probably a dozen people there at ATC who have been there for all of those years also who have shared bringing up their kids and now their kids’ kids. That ends up being my favorite memory - the work and the family.
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