UO Theater Arts is putting on Sophocles’ tragedy “Antigone” in March with a modern twist. Opening night is coming up fast, and the costume department is getting ready to get the show on the road.
“These days, what we’re focusing mainly on is making sure that everything gets shipped in and then also making sure in fittings that everything fits right,” costume designer Annika McNair said. “It’s been a several month long process full of research, talking with the other designers and technical teams just to get the show up and running.”
McNair, a junior at UO, is usually a stitcher in the department. “Antigone” will be the first show McNair has designed.
“If you’re somebody who can’t meet a deadline, this is not the job for you,” Associate Theater Arts Professor Jeanette deJong said.
deJong is working on “Antigone” as the design advisor. deJong has only positive things to say about her student McNair.
“She’s doing the main part, she’s doing the designing,” deJong said. “I help ease some of the logistics for her so she has enough energy to focus on what she needs to do as a designer.”
Another important member of the department, Costume Shop Manager Heather Bair, organizes the workflow of the costume shop and trains the students on how to do their jobs effectively.
McNair uses a phrase she learned from Bair to describe her process. “A garment can fit right in several different ways. You just have to pick the right way for it to fit,” she said.
Most of the design work has wrapped up by this stage of production. Even if the designs are all done, there is still a constant need for tweaks.
“You check for design, details, proportions and fit on the person,” Bair said. “If they raise their arms, is the whole thing going to get stuck? Do they have to sit? Is the skirt too tight for them to sit in? If their pants are too short, are their socks going to show?”
McNair said one of her more challenging tasks was designing the modernized oracle character as a recognizable and respected figure in today’s society.
“I took that character and made it the king’s old professor. Somebody that the king would look up to a lot, and somebody that has a lot of influence over people in the state,” she said.
McNair also takes a lot of her inspiration from fashion history, particularly the fashion of powerful figures. She said she uses historical examples of fashion to convey a story with her design. In “Antigone,” McNair designed a wedding dress based on the one Princess Kelly wore in 1956. Another costume is inspired by Melania Trump’s 2017 inauguration outfit.
“It points you in the direction of how to look at a character,” she said. “The way that an audience would look at Melania Trump is kind of the way that I would want the audience to look at Eurydice.”
There are four builds in the show — a build is a garment made from the ground up. Basic garments like pants are usually brought out from storage, bought or tailored. More important and complex pieces are built.
Details on the other two builds used in “Antigone” were kept minimal for a showtime reveal. McNair kept details on the costumes minimal, but revealed that her use of army green is supposed to symbolize power.
With “Antigone” coming soon, McNair is starting to see all of her designs come to fruition. Sketches that became concepts are now being put on and tailored to actors, evoking strong emotions for McNair.
“It means a lot. It’s the first, first one that I’m designing, and I hope to design so many more,” she said. “It’s my dream job and seeing everything come together and work on stuff that I created. You know, it’s so amazing. It’s so beautiful. I’ve cried a couple times during the fitting processes.”
“Antigone” opens Friday, March 1, and will run through Sunday, March 17. Tickets can be found online or in person at the Miller Theater Complex. Free tickets are given to UO students with a valid UO ID at the door one hour before showtime.
