An Interview with Wardrobe Lead Caitie Matheny

We sat down with Wardrobe Lead Caitie Matheny to learn more about all the quick changes in a two-man show, where our actors play all the roles.

Orlando Shakes: How is working on The Mystery of Irma Vep – A Penny Dreadful different from other projects?

Caitie Matheny: A show like Irma Vep requires a lot more forethought than most shows; since the quick changes are so integral to the show, the costumes have to be designed from the very start to be quick change costumes. The wardrobe department as a whole was a lot more hands-on through the build and tech process; normally, dress rehearsals don’t happen until a few days into tech. With this show, however, wardrobe and costumes were in on the first day of tech, and we worked through the changes as they came along. It was amazingly helpful, and the final result is better for it!

Orlando Shakes: How many different looks are there for each actor?

Caitie: Let’s see. Brad [DePlanche] has 7 different looks, and Chris [Crawford] has 5 different looks. There’s a couple bonus looks in there, but you’ll have to see the show to spot those…

Orlando Shakes: How many costume changes? How many quick changes?

Caitie: There are (at last count) 42 costume changes in the show- all but 3 of them are quick changes. It’s non-stop action!

Orlando Shakes: What’s the quickest costume change in the show?

Caitie: There’s a Lord Edgar → Jane change that’s about 6 seconds! Most of the changes run 7-15 seconds. It’s very, very fast.

Orlando Shakes: What challenges do you face with a quick change?

There are three main challenges with quick changes- timing, the actual choreography of the change, and the costumes themselves. Timing is probably the easiest to plan out, because you have to work within the constraints of the script, so that structure is already there. As far as choreography goes, efficiency is key! For example: Brad changing into Lady Enid means we dress him from the floor up; the dress starts puddled on the floor, we pull it up, and the wig goes on last. Getting out of it is the opposite, and so on. We get really specific with it, going as far as who stands where, which way the costumes face, and where and when the closures get done. Finally, the costumes; these costumes are built for quick changes, but in other shows we have to work with clothes that may not have been quick-rigged.

Orlando Shakes: What modifications are made to costumes for a quick change?

Caitie: The first step to modifying costumes is thinking about the closures. We make use of zippers, velcro and magnets in this show. Probably the biggest modification with this show has been the layering ‘tricks’ we use- everything, including the boobs in the ladies’ dresses, is sewn together as one complete piece.

Orlando Shakes: What is the experience like backstage?

Caitie: Backstage is a great time! There’s six of us total back there- 4 dressers, and 2 ASMs. We have a good rhythm going on, which is vital because space is super limited back there. It gets really hectic, but in a fun way! There are parts in the show where it’s 6 people including the actors in one tiny pass-through area stage left, and we all work together to make things as smooth as possible and not get in each others way.

Orlando Shakes: What are your responsibilities on an average show day?

Caitie: The routine begins and ends with laundry. I get to the costume shop at show call, and take the previous night’s laundry out of the dryer and bring it down to the green room, where it’s distributed and hung up. The next step is putting the pit pads/dress shields into the costumes, and then pre-setting them backstage. There’s not time to run back to the green room for things, so we pre-set for the entire show at the top of the show. There’s a bit of time after pre-sets are done until the start of the show- we do ‘zip o’clock’ when Chris gets into Jane, check that actors have everything they need, and then start the show! Post-show, I unzip Chris and Brad and we take out pitpads and hang the costumes up in front of fans so they can dry out for the next show. The laundry gets gathered up, everything that can’t be washed gets sprayed with vodka, and we put the laundry in… and then it all starts again the next day!

Orlando Shakes: What is your favorite costume in the show? (and why?)

Caitie: That’s a tough question! I’d have to say Lady Enid’s day dress costume. It’s just the classic Gothic horror/romance look, and I love it.

Orlando Shakes: What’s your favorite Halloween costume?

Caitie: It’s not so much mine as a group costume: I went as Dorothy at the tender age of 9 months old, with the rest of my family as the other characters from The Wizard of Oz. My Mom made all the costumes, including a teeny tiny pair of ruby slippers for me. There’s a great picture of it somewhere and it always makes me smile.