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From the pages of Threads magazine

Backstage at the Opera

Learn how costumes are created for the stage

by Suzanne M. Hanna

Luminous silks lend Roxane a silvery glow in the famous nighttime balcony scene from Cyrano.

Costuming operas for Michigan Opera Theatre requires organization, resourcefulness, and most of all—creativity. From doing historical research to tweaking hem lengths, it allows me to exercise my ingenuity as a sewer in countless ways. So when I was given the position of assistant designer for the 2007 world premiere of Cyrano, it was a dream come true. With 168 seventeenth-century-style costumes to build in about eight months, this project was always exciting, sometimes overwhelming, and ultimately, the most fun I’ve had as a costumer. Here’s how you bring a masterpiece to life.

Inspiration, design, planning
Cyrano de Bergerac is a beloved seventeenth-century figure best known through fictional accounts of his exploits as a writer and duelist. A few years ago, Michigan Opera Theatre was given the opportunity to produce the world premiere of an operatic version of Cyrano that featured music by David DiChiera and set and costume designs by John Pascoe. Because the opera company had just opened a brand-new costume studio, it was the perfect time to embark on a production overflowing with sumptuous, highly detailed period costumes.

The process of designing period costumes begins with research. Almost two years before the show’s opening date, Pascoe started to examine mid-seventeenth-century artwork to establish a general silhouette. For the women’s clothing, he opted for a high-waisted silhouette with sloping shoulders and a flat-front, gathered skirt supported by a bum roll and petticoats.

Character breakdowns that list the scenes each performer is in and what he or she is doing in them are essential for the next step: making rough sketches of costume ideas followed by finished renderings drawn by Pascoe. From these inspirational design drawings, we discuss details of fabric, construction techniques, and any special requirements (such as hidden pockets or the need to change into or out of it quickly). These discussions result in a set of working drawings that specify the finished look of each piece and explain how the seamstress should build it.


Designed by John Pascoe, the rendering of Roxane's costume(above left) reflects the influence of period pieces such as the 1636 Van Dyck portrait of Anne, Countess of Clanbrassil, part of The Frick Collection, New York. As he developed a pear-shaped silhouette for Cyrano's costume, Pascoe studied actual garments as well as artists’ depictions from the seventeenth century (above right).

Fabric, patterns, mock-ups
With all of the planning in place, we can finally dive into one of my favorite parts of the process: fabric shopping. In this case, Michigan Opera Theatre was the beneficiary of an extremely generous gift: To celebrate its own fiftieth anniversary, Haberman Fabrics in Royal Oak, Michigan, donated all of the fabrics for Cyrano. With its help, we were able to find the exact fabric we needed for each costume.

Needless to say, choosing fabric involves lots of swatching, comparing, and note-taking. At this point, I also meet with our pattern drafter to finalize the designs. We then make mock-ups of a man’s costume and a woman’s costume to double-check that the silhouette is working—and to determine the yardage needed per costume. Meanwhile, in the costume studio, they’re busy taking measurements of the more than seventy performers involved in the production.

Tips from the workroom

Costume shops have to turn out many garments and often do so very quickly. The costumes have to be sturdy, easy to alter and clean, and comfortable for the performer to wear. Costume Director Suzanne Hanna shares tips she has gleaned from working with Michigan Opera Theatre.
Use the right techniques for the job • To keep seams flat, stop stitching, and backstitch where stitching lines intersect. • For tailoring, use a blind hemmer for pad-stitching coat fronts and collars. To create a smooth collar fold, roll the fabric as you stitch at the collar line. • When working with steel boning, wear safety goggles and gloves, and use a strong pair of cutters. • To temporarily distress or resurface fabrics, use colored or glitter hairspray or pancake makeup. (Always test on a scrap first.) • When sewing full skirts and cloaks, look for extra-wide fabrics (up to 120 inches wide).		Build costumes for looks, comfort, and longevity • When you build a boned bodice, use a layer of baby flannel between the woven twill and the fashion fabric to create a smooth outer layer. • For quick costume changes, replace functional buttons and buttonholes with snaps. Sew buttonholes, and stitch buttons on top. Use large snaps to close the garment. • Apply alternating hook-and-eye tape for really secure closures. • Whenever possible, install snap-in dress shields to protect garments and lower dry-cleaning costs.
Plan ahead for future alterations • When sewing seams, use a stitch length no shorter than 3.5 millimeters. • Always add a center-back seam. • Increase the width of the seam allowances to 2 inches at alterable seams. • Leave all alterable seams exposed whenever possible.

Cutting, building, fine-tuning
Even before the sewing has begun, there’s a lot of work to be done on each costume. For drape and durability, nearly every garment section is underlined with broadcloth. All stitching lines must be marked because we use different seam-allowance widths throughout the garment. Once cut out, each garment is placed in a bag with its pattern, working drawing, construction notes, and trims.

Building the costumes is the work of our team of talented stitchers. They expertly handle many layers of fabric and ensure that the performers not only look great on stage but are also comfortable. In addition to lots of long seams and very wide hems, these seventeenth-century outfits call for miles of trim and piping. After they’ve been built, many of these costumes are sent to the painter/dyer, where they’re distressed as needed.

Because we plan alterability into each costume (see “Tips from the Workroom” for details), the construction process isn’t the same as that of a dress you would sew at home for yourself. Our methods prove useful during the dress-rehearsal period in which we finally see the costumes on the performers and in use. I take notes of fit and design problems as I watch the rehearsals. Over the following few days, we buckle down in the studio and make corrections. By the time the curtain rises on opening night, everything is perfect.

Developing Roxane's look

As the lead female character in the opera, Roxane needs to stand out from the crowd. Designer John Pascoe chose fabric and a silhouette that not only gives her a look that distinguishes her from the rest of the female cast but also matures with the character over the 14 years—and five costume changes—covered by the narrative. As the story progresses from youthful romance to maturity and tragedy, luminous, iridescent taffetas and organza capes shift to weightier fabrics and more somber colors.

But the key design feature that gives Roxane her own style is in the bodice of her dress. Pascoe deliberately lengthened the waist of her gowns, to create an elongated silhouette in the torso. This subtle change doesn’t read as an anachronism; it just makes the leading lady look a little more elegant and trim than the courtiers around her.

Color, fabric, and details change as Roxane’s sad love story unfolds. From glowing pastels to deep, rich blacks and golds, the gowns reflect the character’s development from ingénue to mature woman in mourning.

Suzanne Hanna is Costume Director of Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit.

Photos: John Grigaitis, courtesy of Michigan Opera Theatre

From Threads #136, pp. 34-37
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