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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
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February 8 - March 13, 2016
London, or other companies in New York City. We cut a piece of
a sample fabric from a costume we’re trying to recreate and send
it off to find a close copy.”
In collaborating with the wardrobe staff, each costume
designer heavily influences fabric selection. “Working with
different designers is another really fun part of our jobs because
they’re visual artists,” Reilly says. For example, for this season’s
new production of
The Marriage of Figaro
, Susan Mickey created
designs from fabrics that featured exhilaratingly bold and vibrant
colors.
The costume designer for this season’s
Cinderella,
a
production seen in many different companies internationally, was
Joan Guillén, “who used fabric to create 3D designs, so that was
interesting,” says Reilly. “He was great to work with. He said this
was the best that the production has ever looked.”
Once the right fabric is chosen and the designs are either
revived or recreated, the next step is fitting each cast member.
Lyric’s wardrobe department differs from many other renowned
opera houses in not having a costume shop equipped to construct
complete shows on its own. An in-house team of 14 specialists,
however, can execute all aspects of sewing, alterations, and
multiple rounds of fittings. “I didn’t realize how differently we
do things at Lyric until recently when designers told us they
liked the way we work,” notes Reilly. “We usually have two
people at a time go in during a fitting, one taking notes, and
one doing all the pinning.” The same two-person team that does
the fittings also sews the alterations. According to Reilly, “The
designers really like that because whoever is working on the
alterations was actually in the room and saw how the costume
In
Bel Canto
(2015-16, world premiere), Danielle de Niese, portraying
opera diva Roxane Coss, is pictured in her concert gown and then
in the clothes she wears after being taken hostage.
ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE BY TODD ROSENBERG
Portraying
Valencienne
in this season’s
production of
The Merry Widow
,
Heidi Stober had
a quick change
in Act Three from
her grisette outfit
to her formal gown.