(**Note from Jessi: Sara Wilbourne worked for SSC for many years in the staff position that I now hold.  This summer, she’s come out of retirement to work in several different areas of the Festival. . . we are thrilled to have her calm demeanor, years of expertise, and lively spirit around again!)

After being an arts administrator or the past 15 years, I really wanted to have an integral role (no matter how small) in the productions and as well as a backstage theatrical experience.

Welcome to: The World of Minutiae
Part I: Prop Shop

Sara working on those ubiquitous candles for "The Lion In Winter."

This summer I have had the opportunity to work under the tutelage of Props Master Lydia Bushfield. Daily I am astounded by the depth and breadth of her knowledge and creativity, as well as that of set designers John Iacovelli and Michael Ganio. I’ ve worked on 1) multiple hand-written letters, which have important supporting roles in Love’s Labor’s Lost; 2) candles candles candles for The Lion in Winter (one task: giving our 21st century dripless candles that medieval look by hand-dripping wax down the candle surface); 3) “frosting” the glass in lanterns, with several layers of specific spray paint and then using the ubiquitous gaff tape to hold the lantern handles upright; 4) generally: taping, sewing, hot-glueing, sand-papering, painting…. the list goes on…

One Saturday Lydia and I spent some quality time at the SC flea market where we scored medieval-looking bottles, a hairbrush and mirror set for a queen, and a HUGE old trunk perfect for King Philip of France. These examples are a mere drop in the proverbial bucket of what the prop shop finds and creates.

When watching the plays, keep your eye out for anything an actor handles or sits on as well as all the set enhancements. That is the prop shop at work.

Part II: Wardrobe

My second job this summer is running wardrobe. Once the costumes are all made, they are handed off to the wardrobe department, which is the on-the-scene group at every show making sure everything is clean, mended, and in the right place at the right time. This is my first experience with this particular part of a theater production. What’s not to love? Rubbing elbows with the actors, getting up close and personal with all (and I mean all) of their costume garments, on show days being the first to arrive and the last to leave. What makes all of this possible is ORGANIZATION. We’ve got: costume piece lists (for checking both before and after each show), weapons lists, scene breakdown by character lists, mending lists, laundry and dry cleaning lists, (quick) change lists….. thank goodness.

In a week I’ll know in my bones everything about what is happening when and where, but tonight is our first dress rehearsal with Love’s Labor’s Lost, and there is still much to be known. For now – I am loving those lists!

Sara and costume shop manager Noah Marin.

Tonight, specific wardrobe jobs will assigned, and we will begin to morph into a well-oiled team, helping our respective shows to run smoothly.

The Lion in Winter is reasonable, from a wardrobe point of view (7 characters, one quick change). Love’s Labor’s Lost, of course, has many more characters, and it is out in the Glen rather than on the indoor stage. Almost everyone in LLL changes his/her clothes at some point, but not all in a 2 minute quick change. Whew! We actually have three locations to monitor: the main dressing room, the interns’ dressing room, and the Glen backstage. Good thing there are three on the wardrobe crew for this show. There will be just enough going on to keep us alert and interested; I don’t foresee resorting to knitting during long wardrobe lulls…….

Take a breath. Use the lists. Break a leg!

–Sara Wilbourne, Jill-of-all-Trades