Aside from her duties as a performing cast member (which she does a stellar job at, I might add), Rockbox’s Wendy Hearn also serves as the one and only costume lady. Week in and week out, she keeps the cast lookin’ good. And your bloggin’ dee-jay, Johnny Hits, caught up with Wendy to ask her what it’s like to keep a bunch of rockers in sharp threads. . .
JH: I’ve done my homework, Wendy. So let me get this straight -- you guys change out your shows every week, and that calls for coordinating a new look for the cast every single weekend? That sounds crazy -- do you have any hair left?
Wendy: Some weeks it makes me a little nuts---especially when I haven’t gotten around to it and it’s Thursday afternoon. But luckily, we have some basic looks that we rotate to keep it interesting for us and for the returning audiences.
JH: Where do you get most of your “normal” costumes from?
Wendy: It’s a little scary to think that some of our costumes are designed to be worn in public, by regular folks, but it’s true. Most of what we wear is “off the rack”---we have our sources:-) All I can say is thank goodness for internet shopping! Also, thank goodness for Marta Adair---she often takes an off-the-rack piece and customizes it by adding sequins, or changing the style. She’s amazing. One of our more unusual costumes started out as her daughter’s senior prom dress, and now it’s been recycled and I have the honor of wearing it. No one would ever imagine that that dress was someone else’s prom dress!
JH: Now I’m sure our Rockbox fans have noticed that some of the costumes are, umm. . . unconventional. Where do you come up with theses specialty pieces?
Wendy: Well, Russ (RB musical director) is the visionary, and then Marta pulls out her magic wand. Whether it’s a stunning gold and green cape, ala “Celtic Women”, or a toy soldier outfit, or just the right look for a disco diva –- so far, Marta has hit a home run every time. We’ve definitely tested her ingenuity and creativity! The latest challenge was a hat that sports a rack of antlers that any buck would be proud to have. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to come to a show!
JH: Sounds fun. Okay, three words: Sergeant Pepper’s outfits! Talk to me.
Wendy: These outfits are as amazing on close inspection as they look from the audience---her attention to detail is astounding. Russ’ inspiration was the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album, which displays an amazing collage of photographs of famous people, and the Beatles in the middle wearing these vibrant, neon military outfits. Well, as you can imagine, there isn’t a pattern for these kinds of things; so with a little help from a civil war reenactment uniform pattern, Marta constructed these outfits and custom fit them to the players. And they not only look good, but have survived the rigors of close to 100 performances. Even after that many shows, they still look wonderful.
JH: Thanks so much for taking time out to chat and keep our bloggin’ fans in the know. Now if my watch is correct, you better get to work on next week’s costume list!
Wendy: Nah, I’ve got at least until Thursday evening:-) Thanks for having me -- see ya!
