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Show The theatre is one of the most cooperative ventures of all of the arts. As creative artists, the responsibility is to bring all aspects of a production together in a meaningful form of communication. One musical production this year, "The Apple Tree," directed by Dr. Ralph Margetts, is a successful example of just how this phenomena gets off the boards. Since Dr. Margetts is not an authoritarian, he allowed the creativity of many different people to help mold the play. It was not just an Adam and Eve story, but had universal appeal. "It's everybody. There wasn't one person in the audience who couldn't relate." Originally, "The Apple Tree" was to include only the first and last scenes-"Adam and Eve," by Mark Twain and "Passionella" by Jules Feiffer. However, the star who was first to play the leading role was unable to come, so Sue Ann Langdon who had been playing this very role on Broadway was asked to do it. She wanted to add a middle scene "The Lady and the Tiger" by Frank R. Stockton. Because of the time element, Amanda Brown, who designed the costumes, realized that for this scene the costumes had to be easy to construct with the use of little material. She began by reading the script. Then she met with the director and they discussed their concepts of the costuming in relationship to the whole. This included formulating line, color, and textures. For example, "The Lady and the Tiger," used rounded collars and full skirts to suggest voluptuousness. Metallic material and chiffons were used to suggest richness. The designed costumes were then rendered in color, patterns drafted on paper and yardage estimated. The white sequined dress in "Passionella" was a most challenging and interesting project. The dress was so form-fitting and busty that it took a great deal of imagination and work. First an armature of clay was formed the size of the busts. Heated polisar was molded onto the clay and after it hardened a wood-burning tool joined the seams Top: Dr. Ralph Margetts, Director of "The Apple Tree". Above: While not as delicate, a scenery painter's tools can be every bit as expressive as a canvass painter's. 81 |