Unveiling Wonderland
/A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Ballet Fantastique's Alice in Wonderland: Remix
As Mother's Day approaches, Ballet Fantastique is gearing up to transport audiences into a realm of enchantment with our electrifying performance of Alice in Wonderland: Remix at the Hult Center for Performing Arts. This exciting performance offers a fresh take on Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale featuring Eugene-based band High Step Society’s exhilarating, daredevil hot jazz score bringing the fantastic Alice characters to life.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Chelsea Lovejoy, the talented costume designer behind the costume creation of this year's newest character, the White Queen. Chelsea shared insights into her creative process and what the collaboration process is like with Artistic Director, Donna Bontrager, to bring the White Queen's character to life.
Interview with Chelsea Lovejoy: Crafting the White Queen's Costume
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became involved with costume design at Ballet Fantastique!
Chelsea: I am an illustrator and artist that has been working in the arts locally for over a decade. I have also been an adult ballet student for the past 4 years at the Academy of Ballet Fantastique! During one of BFan’s Open Barre sessions, I spent a good deal of time with Hannah and Donna discussing all the amazing costumes I loved from past shows. When they learned that I’ve been a sewist for many years, they offered me an incredible opportunity to use my passion and creativity to design and sew some original costumes for BFan!
Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the design of the White Queen's costume for Ballet Fantastique’s performance of Alice in Wonderland: Remix?
Chelsea: I absolutely love that costumes bring depth and breadth to a character on the stage. Anytime I’m looking for inspiration, I want something that will add context, richness, and texture to the audience’s experience of the character. For the White Queen, I wanted my design to portray the gentleness, kindness, and compassion in stark contrast to the Red Queen!
Q: Creating a costume from scratch sounds like a daunting process! Could you walk us through what this is like? How long does a project like this typically take and where do you find the materials to create it?
Chelsea: It starts with a meeting of minds! Donna and I come together with design ideas and I translate them into sketches. BFan has an incredible stock of fabrics and trims from previous shows and I’m all about getting the most out of every inch! Donna has great taste in fabrics and once we’ve hand chosen each of them for every part of the costume, I can start sewing! This design has more than seven fabrics and five trims to give it a regal, luxe feel. From the design process all the way to the final sewn garment, it took just over two and a half weeks for me to make this costume!
Beginning construction
Details being added, requiring both machine and hand sewing
Q: How do you collaborate with Ballet Fantastique Artistic Director, Donna Bontrager, to ensure the costume aligns with her artistic vision for the performance?
Costume being fit to exact size of the dancer that will originate this role
Chelsea: Donna not only has great taste in fabrics, but also an immense wealth of experience to pull from. It’s been so helpful relying on her knowledge of which fabrics are good for partnering and which places on a bodice need more stretch. These garments don’t only need to look beautiful, they also have to function in a high intensity, athletic environment. Donna and I have worked seamlessly together to make sure that these costumes function well and meet her high artistic standards.
Q: Can you give us a sneak peek of the costume design?
Initial design phase, where Donna and I collaborate on ideas and fabrics
Costume almost completed and ready for fitting
Q: Thank you so much for giving us a glimpse into your creative process! We can't wait to see the White Queen's costume come to life on stage!
Chelsea: It’s been such a joy to use my creativity and skills to add a little extra sparkle and passion to this production. I hope the audience loves these costumes as much as I love making them!
Don't miss your chance to see the White Queen’s costume come to life in Ballet Fantastique’s original Alice in Wonderland: Remix, May 9-12 at the Hult Center for Performing Arts, featuring High Step Society’s exhilarating, daredevil hot jazz score.