From Box Office to Backstage – Cygnet’s Newest Costume Designer Talks Shop
On stage…and off…Cygnet knows talent when we see it. Jacinda Johnston-Fischer started with Cygnet Theatre in the box office, but knew early on that costume design was her passion. She helps Cygnet kick off Season 13 with the hit musical Dogfight.
How does it feel to make the transition from box office to the creative team? It’s exciting to get to explore a new facet of the company. I started working with Cygnet because I am inspired by the work that they do and the stories they tell. So, I can’t help but be thrilled to finally be a part of the process.
What resources/research did you use to develop the look of the costumes? Books, magazine, Dogfight movie, other films? I’ve studied fashion history in depth, which gives me a great foundation to start the process. I build on that foundation with books, and any other resources I may find helpful. It also helps having discussions with the creative team and director, which may help focus me on a certain color pallet or silhouette.
With Dogfight, how would you describe the “look” you are going for? This show comes with a lot of predetermined necessities. For example, our Marines’ uniforms are very specific and need to be as accurate as possible, seeing as our audience will know what to look for. It’s also a large plot point in the story that the women these men meet are eccentric and uncoordinated, which informs the decisions I make in costumes. So, I would say the “look” I am going for is “informed” and “real” but with moments of musical theatre glamour.
What are some signature design and wardrobe elements of the era? The bulk of this show takes place in the early nineteen sixties which is an interesting transition period. During this time we see a mixture of silhouettes, which is great for designing purposes. Also, we see a shift in color and patterns that give defining characteristics between the nineteen fifties and the nineteen sixties. The shift in men’s wear is more subtle but the use of more synthetic fibers during this time opens up a lot more color options and styles.
Where do you shop/gather the costumes, or do you make them? It depends on the show. For this show we rented our uniforms, because they needed to be accurate. The rest of the costumes were either bought, pulled from our own stock, or built. The costumes for our guys were mostly purchased because the style has changed so little that I was able to find pieces that were similar to the time. The women, on the other hand, were a bit more challenging. We ended up building a few of the dresses for multiple reasons: 1) they are a very specific style which isn’t easily available or affordable, 2) we didn’t want vintage pieces because they would not be able to withstand the rigorous nature of the show, and 3) they needed to be tailored to each girl to bring out certain qualities. So it’s been a balance of shop/gather/build.
What excites you about this production? It’s a beautiful story with some unique problems and solutions. I relish that it challenges me to redefine the way I design to suit the needs of the production. I find delight in being able to tell a very specific story through the characters’ visual appearance. This show in particular needs the costumes to say a lot about these characters before they ever get the chance to speak, and I love that. I really enjoy getting to create alongside the performers as we develop the characters together.
What are some unique challenges, if any? Normally, when designing costumes for a show you want to represent the character in the best way possible by dressing them to reflect their virtues. Dogfight, however, is a different kind of beast. Instead of flattering the characters, we’re doing the opposite, particularly for the women. These women are awkward and eccentric and in order to communicate that through the things they wear, I have to break out of my comfort zone of wanting everything to be pretty. I have definitely struggled to push past my perfectionist nature to present something true to the story. Some of my fabric choices were actually painful to make because they are just so uncomfortable, but it suits the character and thus the show. It’s even more challenging when all of your actresses are actually beautiful, so it’s my job to downplay that beauty to help communicate the story. The ladies have been such good sports about it and have used their costumes to help inform their character.
What is your background in costume design? I started sewing and making costumes for myself back in high school, but I never really considered making a career out of it until I went to college. My introduction to costume design in particular happened while I was attending the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts. It was a part of my general education but within two months I knew it was for me. After completing the conservatory program, I transferred to the University of Arizona where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design. During my five years of schooling, I focused on my craft and pursued experiences outside of academia to further my ability as a designer. Since graduating I’ve been fortunate to be able to design at wonderful theatres all around San Diego.
Who are your influences? I would say my influence comes from two exceptional women: my lovely Grandmother, and Edith Head. My grandmother was a seamstress during World War II and continued to sew on and off throughout the rest of her life. Like me, she was very artistically minded and I love having that connection with her. And, well Edith Head. One of the best, if not the greatest costume designers of all time. Her work, values, and creativity inspire me. I respect and cherish the influence these women have on me.
Catch Jacinda’s work in Dogfight, which closes August 23rd.
Next up she’ll be designing for both shows in Cygnet’s Noël Coward Rep – Hay Fever set in 1920’s English Countryside & The Vortex set in 1960’s London.
Announcing Season Thirteen
From a fish falling out of the sky in the year 2039, to a “sweet transvestite”, to one stupid established men review : a terrible fake sugar daddy site. And we’re excited to share it with you now. Without further antici…pation, here’s our 2015-2016 season!
DOGFIGHT
Music and Lyrics by BENJ PASEK & JUSTIN PAUL
Book by PETER DUCHAN
Based on the Warner Bros. Film and Screenplay by BOB COMFORT
Directed by SEAN MURRAY
July 16th – August 23rd, 2015. Opening July 25th, 2015.
It’s November 21, 1963. On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys’ night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of compassion. Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical and praised by countless critics, Dogfight takes audiences on a romantic and heartbreaking theatrical journey that stays with you long after the performance. Featuring Dave Thomas Brown (Shakespeare’s R&J, Spring Awakening) “Superbly crafted, gratifyingly intelligent, richly observant, and immensely enjoyable. This is musical theatre at its finest.” – Backstage
HAY FEVER (Performed in Rep with The Vortex)
By NOËL COWARD
Directed by ROB LUTFY
Semptember 23rd – November 8th, 2015. Opening October 3rd, 2015.
Retired stage star Judith Bliss, her novelist husband and their two bohemian adult children have each invited houseguests for the weekend. But as the Blisses indulge their artistic eccentricities in a hilarious whirlwind of flirtation and histrionics, the guests begin to wonder if they’ve landed in a madhouse – and if they can survive with their own wits intact. Set in an English country house in the 1920’s, Noël Coward’s hilarious comedy of bad manners has been a favorite amongst theatregoers ever since it first dazzled London’s West End in 1925. “An evening of intoxicating escape” – The New York Times
THE VORTEX (Performed in Rep with Hay Fever)
By NOËl COWARD
Directed by SEAN MURRAY
September 24th – November 8th, 2015. Opening October 3rd, 2015.
Nicky Lancaster brings his elegant fiancée, Bunty, home to introduce her to his famous mother, stage actress Florence Lancaster. Nicky is shocked to discover that Florence has taken a much younger lover, and when Bunty ditches Nicky to run off with his mother’s boy-toy, both are forced to confront the truth about themselves. Noël Coward’s first commercially successful hit, The Vortex premiered in 1924 in London, and its scandalous subject matter of drug abuse, repressed homosexuality, nymphomania and Oedipal jealousy made Coward an overnight sensation. Hay Fever and The Vortex will feature Rosina Reynolds (The Glass Menagerie, Noises Off) “The Vortex (1924) is the play that turned Noël Coward into a star….Almost nine decades later, it still packs a powerful punch.” -The Telegraph
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Adaptation and Lyrics by SEAN MURRAY
Score by BILLY THOMPSON
Directed by SEAN MURRAY
November 27th – December 27th, 2015. Opening December 5th, 2015.
Cygnet Theatre invites you to start your own family tradition with one of ours. This season welcomes the return of theholiday classic adapted from Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of hope and redemption. This re-imagined, fully staged production features original new music, creative stagecraft and puppetry, and live sound effects. Step into a Victorian Christmas card for a unique storytelling experience that is sure to delight the entire family! “Critics Choice” in 2014 – UT San Diego
WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING
By ANDREW BOVELL
Directed by ROB LUTFY
January 14th – February 14th, 2016. Opening January 23rd, 2016.
Alice Springs in the year 2039. A fish falls from the sky and lands at the feet of Gabriel York. And it still smells of the sea. It’s been raining for days, and Gabriel knows something is wrong. Fifty years earlier, his grandfather, Henry Law, predicts that fish will fall from the sky heralding a great flood which will end life on earth as we know it. In an intricate, multi-layered story that spans four generations and two continents, When the Rain Stops Falling explores patterns of betrayal, abandonment, destruction, forgiveness and love. This powerful drama unfolds with humanity, surprising humor and hope, as the past plays out into the future. “The Best New Play of Year” in 2010 – Time Magazine
RICHARD O’BRIAN’S THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Book, Music and Lyrics by RICHARD O’BRIEN
Directed by SEAN MURRAY
March 10th – May 1st, 2016. Opening March 19th, 2016.
A satirical tribute to the science fiction and B-list horror movies of the 20th century, the show centers around two naïve lovers, Brad and Janet. Seeking shelter from a thunderstorm in an old castle, they find themselves thrust into the laboratory of the cross-dressing mad scientist Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter and his motley crew. Stripped of inhibitions — and their clothes — Brad and Janet embark on a wild, unforgettable journey of pleasure and self-discovery. Reality, fiction, and camp collide in this mash-up of comics, rock and roll, and late-night horror flicks. “A musical that deals with mutating identity and time warps becomes one of the most mutated, time warped phenomena in show business.” – The New York Times
STUPID F**KING BIRD
By AARON POSNER
Directed by ROB LUTFY
May 19th – June 19th, 2016. Opening May 28th, 2016.
In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, award-winning playwright Aaron Posner wages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art, and growing up can be. With music, meta-theatricality, and mad humor, playwright Aaron Posner beats The Seagull to a bloody pulp. “Bitterly sardonic…Ferociously funny” – Stage and Cinema
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