What does it take to put on a musical? Although this might seem like a simple question, the amount of effort that goes into producing an hour-long show is immense with several different groups of people working together for months to make the entire show as incredible as possible. Even though it seems that actors and a dream are all you need, you also have to create set designs, make a list of costumes and scene changes for the entire cast, prepare lighting cues that correlate with each scene, choreograph each song and, on top of that, teach blocking, quick changes, lines, songs, and all the harmonies that go with them. As if this isn’t hard enough, this time our musical is all being put together by a brand new drama teacher, Ms. Lewis, who is putting on “Legally Blonde The Musical JR,” which debuts in January. I spoke to Ms. Lewis and Claire Chormanski ’29, one of the students on the costume design team, to find out more about the magic that happens behind the scenes.
The following interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Ms. Lewis:
What has been the hardest part of putting together the show so far?
The hardest part of putting the show together has already happened: casting. Carrollton is full of talent!
How do you prepare for the show outside of rehearsals?
I make copies of the script for the cast and scenes I will be working on that day, upload film from prior rehearsals on Google Classroom so the cast can re-watch and learn their blocking, meet with the costume and set designers, budget the show, and collaborate with faculty and parents on how they can help make the show spectacular for the cast and our audience.
Do you think that being new to Carrollton makes this job harder than it already is? How?
It makes my job easier because everyone has been so kind in offering to help me.
What message do you want [protagonist] Elle’s journey to send to both members of the audience and of the cast?
The importance of never underestimating yourself and the knowledge that you can truly change the world and minds if you believe in yourself.
Chormanski:
What’s the most difficult part of being a costume designer?
Trying to stay within the budget. There are so many cute clothes out there and so many characters that they would be perfect for, but finding a way to get clothes that fit within the set budget is truly a challenge. What’s really helped the process is being able to reuse clothing from previous shows–it definitely makes it much easier!
How much time does it take to prepare a full list of costumes for a character?
It depends on how many outfit changes the character has, but it can take several months. Elle definitely needs the most outfits out of anyone in the cast, so when I was still working on her costumes, I would spend about an hour or two a day, or almost all of my free periods trying to find outfits that would work for the scenes she needed them for. Easier characters like [Harvard law student and Elle’s love interest] Warner take me much less time since they are in fewer scenes, and I can reuse certain pieces of clothing, so I don’t need to find as many clothes as I did for Elle.
What is your favorite part about being involved in costume design?
My favorite part of costume design is the feeling I get when I see all the clothes I picked come together as outfits. Brainstorming how the characters will look on stage with the outfits I chose is so fun to think about! Even though people don’t really understand how much time and effort it takes to put an outfit together, it’s incredible to look at what I’ve created and realize that I made that. Even if it’s taken me months, it’s such a fun experience, especially when I’m able to do it with my friends.
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A musical isn’t only what happens on stage, it’s also the incredible people that utilize their talents to come together and create community. Whether they are seen or behind the scenes, every contribution is valuable to make a show people will remember for years to come. So, the next time you watch a show or musical, look for the little details, and think of the people that worked hard to make something that brought you happiness.
