Behind the scenes with Kelly Marie Schaefer: Costume design for ‘Die Fledermaus’
When ISU Theatre and ISU Opera Studio present “Die Fledermaus” this fall, expect to be dazzled by both the performances and the technical design – including the sequin-festooned ballroom attire of the Gilded Age. Kelly Marie Schaefer, teaching professor in the Department of Music and Theatre, shares a behind the scenes peek at how the costumes come to life for a lavish operetta. “Die Fledermaus” opens Nov. 7 and runs through Nov. 10 in Fisher Theater.
As we anticipate a ballroom full of gorgeous gowns, how many new designs did you have to create for this show?
“Eight new gowns were designed for ‘Die Fledermaus.’ One of them was designed by my student costume design assistant, Stephanie Wessels. We are also reworking nine gowns that we already had in storage. Some will have minor changes, but about half of them will have major changes made. For example, one dress has a very high neckline with long sleeves and to make it fit into our show better, we are cutting open the neckline and shortening the sleeves. So, the dress is changing from something that an older, more conservative person would wear to an evening dress that a young woman would wear to celebrate on New Year’s Eve. I am collaborating closely with another student assistant designer, Kale Block, on that element of the costuming. The newly designed gowns are being patterned and cut out by Doris Nash, the costume shop supervisor. Patterning and cutting is an art of its own. Because of her careful placement of the pattern pieces, she is showcasing the fabric in the most elegant way possible.”
What inspired the color palette you’re working with?
“The inspiration for colors for ‘Die Fledermaus’ came from an early discussion that I had with Chad Sonka, the director. He said that he would love the stage to look like it had colorful gemstones scattered across it. So, I immediately thought of Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, Amethyst Purple, Emerald Green and so on. Inspirations for the style of the gowns come from fashion illustrations from the ‘Hourglass’ period in fashion history (1890s). The production takes place on New Year’s Eve 1899 into 1900, which is at the tail end of The Victorian Era. Some refer to it as the Gilded Age.”
Where do you find your fabrics?
“The costume design assistants and I drove up to Minneapolis to SR Harris fabric warehouse. There, we were able to choose from thousands of different styles and colors of fabric. We spent several hours matching different fabrics and putting one fabric on top of another to see how they work together. We had a wonderful time, but by the end of the day, our eyes were tired! But we came back to campus with some of the most amazing fabrics. Because we were able to find such exciting and unique fabrics, I was able to pull back on some of my design choices for the ballgowns. Sometimes the fabric is so beautiful it does the work for you, you don’t have to go overboard with other design elements.”
Designing a large ballroom scene sounds challenging! What things need to be considered?
“I like to make sure that there is a wide variety of colors represented on stage. Since the director is looking for gemstone colors, I want to make sure I have at least one of each of the colors I mentioned previously. You don’t want to choose too many of one color; then that might unintentionally set a mood that doesn’t fit with the production. Also, I have to keep in mind that all of the men will be wearing tuxedos, so I need to keep the use of black on the women to a minimum to keep a good balance between black and colors.”
How do you factor in dance choreography when designing gowns? 
“Whenever I am designing for a production that will have quite a bit of dancing, my personal rule is that all hems will be 2 inches off the ground. This leaves room for the feet to move without the danger of stepping on the dress. The shoes must also have a specific type of sole; it can’t be too soft and grippy, but it also can’t be too smooth and slippery either. We have methods of working with the shoes to make them work perfectly, but we really can’t anticipate that until the performer has worked in them at least once and can give us feedback on how the shoes are working for them in rehearsal.”
What excites you most about this production?
“I am most excited to see all the ballgowns on stage during the dance scene. I absolutely love to see the skirts swirl and twirl as the performers are moving. There will be so many sequins on stage that the audience may need sunglasses!”
“Die Fledermaus” runs Nov. 7 – 10 in Fisher Theater. Tickets are $25 general admission, and free for youth and Iowa State students. Read more about ISU's production of "Die Fledermaus".