AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OFJennifer N. Helms, for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater Design, presented on March 26, 2024, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: SEEING WITH NEW EYES: A COSTUME DESIGN THESIS ON WEDDING BAND: A LOVE/HATE STORY IN BLACK AND WHITEMAJOR PROFESSOR: Wendi R. Zea This thesis document is a presentation and exploration of the process involving the costume design for Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White by Alice Childress. The play was produced in the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theatre at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and ran from November 30 – December 10, 2023. This dramatic play explores the complexities of racism, prejudice, alienation, love in all forms, and the value of female kinship. It reminds us that fear brings out the very real ugliness of hate; while leading with love gives us strength to stand up with dignity, courage to face the ugly, and motivation to push through the bitterness of heartache to take care of the ones we love. Chapter 1 contains the research, background information, and script analysis that was conducted to prepare and inform the design of the costumes. This chapter also highlights the goals I wanted to achieve within my design and on a personal level. Chapter 2 focuses on the design process and how the costume design evolved through collaboration, continued research, and discussion. Chapter 3 documents the production process of the design and how it progressed to realization, including an examination of the dress rehearsals and the production’s performances. Chapter 4 records an analysis of the entire design and its evolution through outside critiques, commentary, and self-reflection.

The foundation of Tailoring for the Visual Learner is the exploration of new and creative approaches to preserve, promote, and pass on the art of individually handcrafted menswear for theatre and film. This project culminated in the creation of an instructional video guide unlike anything currently available on the market. Using high definition cameras and a team of highly skilled professionals, I produced, wrote, directed and hosted an instructional video that takes the viewer through every step of the creation of a hand tailored vest: from fabric preparation and drafting to the final fitting. Instruction utilizes a modern voice aimed at early career sewing professionals who wish to advance, and seek an alternative to confusing drafting books or incomplete online tutorials that avoid the features of a truly well constructed garment. By combining up close camera work with textual explanations, graphics, and verbal explanations, I have created a new approach to tailoring instruction aimed at visual learners, who make up a large majority of costuming professionals. By taking the viewer through the tailoring process up close and step-by-step, the time-honored tradition of tailoring is now available and affordable to countless artisans who seek to advance and/or teach their craft. / text

Collaboration between the playwright, director, designer and technicians is the backbone of theater. Costume designers, after discussion with the director and the other designers, rely on costume technicians to realize their ideas. The technician’s hands then realize the artistic vision. But what would the technicians try if there were no constraints? I am a technician, a craftsperson who is inspired not just by the play, but also by process, by methods. With every new technique I learn, I imagine the new ways it could be put to use, and the objects I would create if time and resources were not a factor. Imagined objects are seldom created. Once made, these objects exist without a performance, without a purpose. A costume not worn is an unfulfilled destiny. But maybe the pieces I want to make can be given a narrative after the act of construction, or during construction. I’m interested in exploring my ability to be a generative artist. How can my inspiration feed back into the theater community? Can a costume technician’s experimentation have a place in creating new theater? My thesis has two components, exploring my two interests. Those two interests are the creation of objects and the creation of a story. The first component, object creation, was an exploratory study of mask and headdress making techniques. I experimented with new techniques, such as 3-D printing, testing the limitations of new technology. The second component, story creation, was a collaborative process. My collaborator, Brian Oglesby, and I worked concurrently. Brian is a playwright, and as he wrote the play, I made the objects. Our processes mirrored each other. The narrative of the play incorporated the masks and headpieces I made. This project created a theater piece based on the experimentation of a costume technician, and presents a new way for future technicians to think about their work and to have their stories told. / text