For the first time in UW-Whitewater’s history, Hicklin Studio Theatre in Greenhill Center of the Arts hosts Oscar Wilde’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan.” This UWW production is directed by Bruce Cohen, a professor in UWW’s Department of Theatre/Dance.
“With laughter, I hope people see the parallels between ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ and what we have going on in our current society. This play occurred during a social transition point. This cult of domesticity was challenged by the new women’s movement which became first-wave feminism,” Cohen stated regarding what he hopes comes from this play.
Starring Emma Cordray playing Lady Windermere, the production runs from Oct. 4 to Oct. 12, times may vary.
As exhilarating as the stage performance is, there’s an overlooked aspect that many audience members don’t tune into. Also located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts down a windy staircase in room 40 is a well-oiled machine of students hard at work to not only create but design the costumes you see on UWW stages. This machine is run by Lauran Stoner, the UWW costume shop supervisor and instructor.
“This is my first year at UWW, and having a place to inspire and teach is really wonderful. We get to make art, utilize it, and see it in action more than just visual art, it is a physical art,” Stoner said.
The costume shop is not only a classroom but also serves as a workshop for theater students and other students alike. The behind-the-scenes production of “Lady Windermere’s Fan” started at the beginning of the semester. Stoner and others began by taking inventory and purging what they didn’t need anymore. This purge resulted in big donations of fabric to the Department of Art and Design for their sculptures. From there, Stoner rented costumes from UW-Parkside costume stock, Skylight Music Theatre and Milwaukee Chamber Music Theatre. Continuing, the costume shop began fittings with actors to try to begin design options so alterations to adjust size and fit could be made. Lastly, a final fitting is done and then they go to dress rehearsals, which is the first time all performances are dressed at the same time.
“Think of a design, draw it, and then execute it,” said Avi Stone, the co-designer and costume shop teaching assistant, who explained the process in shorter terms.
Lady Windermere’s Fan’s process specifically was more of a challenge compared to other productions.
“A lot more work goes on behind the scenes than a lot of people think, ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ was more intense than normal because it takes place in a different period so we can’t just shop for things, there was a very different silhouette,” Stone said.
Beyond the academic usefulness of the costume shop for those who spend their days in it, it offers so much more.
“Overall it brings roundedness to our students, it is a chance to learn a skill that is kind of a dying art, people don’t do a lot of sewing anymore and I appreciate sharing that art with other people,” Stone said.
For students like Avi Stone, opportunities the costume shop and other artistic atmospheres on campus bring are not just for enjoyment but are also essential.
“Art is necessary to society and a lot of people don’t realize that or don’t care,” Stone said. “They don’t realize how much art we consume every day, our work is not just put on stage but on TV, it’s on the news or in podcasts. Our work as artists goes into every piece of entertainment and media that we see every day and all of it is artwork and all of it is useful.”
Additionally, the costume shop welcomes more than just theater majors or minors through extracurricular class options and their sewing club; their Instagram is uww.sewwhatsociety.
Hundreds of students go into the costume shop every day and every academic year, and many of those students learn life-long skills from their time spent no matter how long or short.
“I would love for students around campus to know when they see shows or production photos that 95% of what students are wearing on stage is produced in the costume shop by students,” Stoner said. “The costume shop is a learning place not looking for perfection but for growth and improvement, there is always something to learn and improve upon.”
