Tuesday, October 28, 2008
News
Laingsburg resident discovered her love for costume design in college
Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepa Karen Kangas-Preston grew up designing clothes for her Barbie dolls. Now she designs for MSU Theatre.
By CHERYLL WARREN, Argus-Press Staff Writer
Karen Kangas-Preston grew up loving fabrics and design. Today, the Laingsburg resident, docent and artist member of Shiawassee Arts Council is a costume shop supervisor for Michigan State University's Department of Theatre.
She is responsible for making certain the costumes necessary for MSU Theatre productions are prepared in time for each show. MSU's Department of Theatre produces half a dozen main stage productions each session, and half again as many second-stage productions.
“When I was growing up, I made clothes for my Barbie dolls by the millions,” she said. “I would wrap them in scrap fabric and sew or tie the fabric in place.”
She went to college planning for either an English or theater major but: “I went to work in the costume shop and I knew that was what I had to do,” she said.
Kangas-Preston works out of the costume shop in the basement of Fairchild Theatre, on campus at 149 Auditorium. She designs and constructs show costumes and instructs and supervises students in the theater department as they learn and perform the same tasks.
Among her students is Amber Cook, a graduate student who designed his fall's production of Cabaret. She said she enjoys designing costumes for theatre productions.
“I love designing and helping actors build their characters,” she said. She hopes to ultimately be a professor in a theater department in as university setting and teach her own students about costume design.
Sometimes costumes are inspired by the director's vision, and sometimes by a photograph or a specific artist's work. Costumes for some shows may be simpler, and may involve only pulling together outfits from clothing found in closets or from shopping trips to Goodwill.
When costumes are designed from scratch, research into the period or the character is followed by sketching the costumes. These sketches, called renderings, often include fabric swatches as part of the planning process which takes place before costume construction begins.
Kangas-Preston said costume design is only a small part of the learning that theater students pursue.
“Our students get involved in all areas of the theater,” said Kangas-Preston. “They make sets, costumes, props, hang lights, focus lights,” she said.
Andrea Flisinger, a senior in costume design, hopes to find work as a technician, building costumes for professional stage plays.
“I think it is an exciting thing to be part of an entire production,” said Flisinger. “I like to see what things start out to be and what they end up being. It's fun when I can say, ‘I remember when that was supposed to be pink, and now it is blue.”
Kangas-Preston said although the costume shop is a busy place, the work is interesting.
“There is always something hands on to do. It never gets boring,” Kangas-Preston said. “Today I am sewing a dress. Another day I will be building giant puppet heads.
“Stage shows don't just happen. People don't just show up on stage in costumes.”
Kangas-Preston received a bachelor of fine arts in costume design and technology from the University of Minnesota and a master of fine arts in costume design from Illinois State University.
Kangas-Preston said that she enjoys the pace of working in the costume shop.
“We're creating different things all the time,” she said.
And at one time, Kangas-Preston also did limited custom costuming work, but her schedule has not allowed her to do much of that kind of work in recent years.
She pointed out the process of designing costumes for various productions is extensive, and that researching the history of different periods is often a part of that process.
“We talk about what costuming is appropriate for the show,” she said. “We talk about colors the characters would wear and why they would wear those colors. There's a lot of psychology involved.
“Many of our theater students also take psychology classes,” Kangas-Preston added. “It helps them learn more about knowing who people are.”
Other students may pursue life drawing or fashion design classes to assist in the design work.
She is responsible for making certain the costumes necessary for MSU Theatre productions are prepared in time for each show. MSU's Department of Theatre produces half a dozen main stage productions each session, and half again as many second-stage productions.
“When I was growing up, I made clothes for my Barbie dolls by the millions,” she said. “I would wrap them in scrap fabric and sew or tie the fabric in place.”
She went to college planning for either an English or theater major but: “I went to work in the costume shop and I knew that was what I had to do,” she said.
Kangas-Preston works out of the costume shop in the basement of Fairchild Theatre, on campus at 149 Auditorium. She designs and constructs show costumes and instructs and supervises students in the theater department as they learn and perform the same tasks.
Among her students is Amber Cook, a graduate student who designed his fall's production of Cabaret. She said she enjoys designing costumes for theatre productions.
“I love designing and helping actors build their characters,” she said. She hopes to ultimately be a professor in a theater department in as university setting and teach her own students about costume design.
Sometimes costumes are inspired by the director's vision, and sometimes by a photograph or a specific artist's work. Costumes for some shows may be simpler, and may involve only pulling together outfits from clothing found in closets or from shopping trips to Goodwill.
When costumes are designed from scratch, research into the period or the character is followed by sketching the costumes. These sketches, called renderings, often include fabric swatches as part of the planning process which takes place before costume construction begins.
Kangas-Preston said costume design is only a small part of the learning that theater students pursue.
“Our students get involved in all areas of the theater,” said Kangas-Preston. “They make sets, costumes, props, hang lights, focus lights,” she said.
Andrea Flisinger, a senior in costume design, hopes to find work as a technician, building costumes for professional stage plays.
“I think it is an exciting thing to be part of an entire production,” said Flisinger. “I like to see what things start out to be and what they end up being. It's fun when I can say, ‘I remember when that was supposed to be pink, and now it is blue.”
Kangas-Preston said although the costume shop is a busy place, the work is interesting.
“There is always something hands on to do. It never gets boring,” Kangas-Preston said. “Today I am sewing a dress. Another day I will be building giant puppet heads.
“Stage shows don't just happen. People don't just show up on stage in costumes.”
Kangas-Preston received a bachelor of fine arts in costume design and technology from the University of Minnesota and a master of fine arts in costume design from Illinois State University.
Kangas-Preston said that she enjoys the pace of working in the costume shop.
“We're creating different things all the time,” she said.
And at one time, Kangas-Preston also did limited custom costuming work, but her schedule has not allowed her to do much of that kind of work in recent years.
She pointed out the process of designing costumes for various productions is extensive, and that researching the history of different periods is often a part of that process.
“We talk about what costuming is appropriate for the show,” she said. “We talk about colors the characters would wear and why they would wear those colors. There's a lot of psychology involved.
“Many of our theater students also take psychology classes,” Kangas-Preston added. “It helps them learn more about knowing who people are.”
Other students may pursue life drawing or fashion design classes to assist in the design work.