A Look at UAO "Un ballo in Maschera" Costumes

Teresa Doggett

Costume Designer Teresa Doggett marks her seventh season working with Union Avenue Opera. Her design debut with the company was a production of Bellini's Norma during the 2006 season. Since then, she has costumed several productions at UAO including Die Zauberflöte, Carmen, Die lustige Witwe and Turandot to name just a few. Doggett, also a working actress in the St. Louis community, brings keen character insights into the creative process of building and collecting a suitable wardrobe for any given production.

Operatic Saint Louis' Phil Touchette recently visited Union Avenue Opera's costume shop on the third floor of Union Avenue Christian Church to discuss her costume designs for the upcoming Un ballo in Maschera.

When approached by stage director Mark James Meier about a design concept for Ballo (traditionally set in 1790s colonial Boston), Doggett says that Mark didn't have a particular concept other than declaring "I don't want to do it 'Baroque.'" The task, then, was to find a "look" which could place the characters into a time and space where this dark opera could make sense. During pre-production meetings, Set Designer Patrick Huber suggested blending elements of graphic novels and steam punk (a Victorian-era aesthetic concerning the influence of new industrial machinery on everyday life) into the overall concept. The costumes provide a dark edge that puts the characters in different worlds: the past, the present and the sci-fi future. Below are a few samples of designs for the five principal characters of the opera: Amelia, Riccardo, Renato, Oscar and Ulrica.

Amelia's Act I & Act II Costume

Amelia's costume for Acts I & II consists of an overcoat/bodice piece comprised of faux leather and a dark maribou collar. "It's dark and meant to be very dramatic," says Doggett. "This is not the sort of thing you would typically see in an Amelia costume. Again, we want to go for the drama, the intensity. The collar, actually, is wonderful for framing a singer's face. Courtney Mills, our Amelia, is the only true blonde in the show, so it really sets off her face wonderfully from the first time we see her onstage."

Riccardo's Act I Costumes

Riccardo's Act I costume is a black leather coat, followed by a fisherman's coat later in the act. "The coat's vest underneath is very baroque in style and has a certain cut, so we are making a reference to the original setting of the opera," says Doggett.

His end of Act I coat, when in disguise at a fishing village, has a non-specific time reference. "It's got quite a Victorian look but it still says that it's somewhere, yet not the baroque period."

Doggett notes the great amount of faux leather in her costume plot, and expresses sympathy for the tenor, Emanuel-Cristian Camaran: "Poor Emanuel is going to be wearing this coat, which is almost 25 pounds! Yet, this will create a very tailored look for him."

Renato's Act I & Act II Costumes

Renato, sung by Baritone Andrew Cummings, will also be clad in leather for the production, specifically a jacket in Act I, then wool for Act II.

"There is another leather coat here, but I've given a slightly different cut on him. The coat is rather closed up, especially from the first time we see him onstage." says Doggett.

In her process, Doggett saw Renato wearing dark red colors. "There was just something about his character that said to me 'red.' I don't know quite what it is, but I think it works really well for him. He's the only character in Act I, Scene I who is in a warm color. Everybody else is in grays and blues--darker colors that are much more cool than his coloring."

Doggett was definitely pleased with what she found for his Act II ensemble. "I found a fantastic wool coat for him with all of these studs on it which makes a strong statement about his character. He's very strong, determined and jealous." She remarks that this coat, combined with the baritone's height (over 6'5") will make for a very dramatic image onstage.

Oscar's Act I & Act II Costumes

For the "pants role" of the page boy Oscar, Doggett found two distinct looks for Soprano Rachael Holzhausen.

"For most of the show, I wanted Oscar in black and white, mainly because he is probably the most charming and sincere character--he only wants to do good...I thought that Oscar would see everything in black and white. There is either 'Yes' or 'No' and 'Good' or 'Bad.'"

It is only in the Act II fishing village scene that Oscar is wearing something other than black and white: a brown travel coat. Doggett also mentions a reference in the Antonio Somma libretto in which Oscar is called 'the domino' which will come into prominence for the Act III costume.

Ulrica's Costume

The sorceress Ulrica, sung by Mezzo-soprano Denise Knowlton, will have the most earthen, yet futuristic look of the production. Doggett sees the Ulrica of this production as more of a shaman and linked to the earth than everyone else in the piece, connecting the old with the present.

Some elements of science fiction pervade Ulrica's look. "She's going to have some mini-discs woven into her wig and fastened onto some of the jewelry to reference a futuristic world."

Doggett adds, with a chuckle, "There's also going to be some chicken bones. There's going to be a mixed reference which brings her into the old and modern worlds."

Ulrica's costume embodies the most color as well as texture. Doggett incorporates lots of faux leather, nubby velvet fabrics, tye-dye and distressed fabric. "There's a sense of tactile-ness about her, where everyone else has a tailored look."

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Designs ©Teresa Doggett. Design photos ©Phil Touchette.

Un ballo in Maschera opens this Friday, June 29 and will continue June 30, July 6 & 7. All performances start at 8pm. Production sung in Italian with Projected English Supertitles. Tickets start at $32 and are available online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling the box office Monday through Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at 314-361-2881. Student Rush tickets are available for $15 at the door with a valid student ID (cash only).