It may sound like a broken record, but last weekend the Theater at Roanoke College performed “A Monster Calls” adapted by Sally Cookson and Adam Peck (from the novel by Patrick Ness). Many people might have heard of this title before since it is a classic taught in schools across America. To summarize the show, 13-year-old Conor O’Malley is woken by an ancient monster at his window which tells Conor stories from when he walked before. After three tales, Conor must learn to accept his fate and tell his own story while facing his deepest fears. This moving story of grappling with the five stages of grief had 4 performances which left the theater sobbing each time (us backstage included).
While last publication we got the cast side of things regarding this production, I was able to work on the Costume side of things! While I was just a dresser, I was able to witness the creative side of makeup for the show and see what Kennedy Swineford, our Head of Wardrobe and Student Costume Designer, was able to create. Most of the cast had to have basic and easy clothing since they play a myriad of roles (part of monster when an ensemble, a student, etc.).
Our most unique character to create was the Monster. We needed to make the costume resemble something almost unreal and add a sense of whimsy to it. So, Swineford had painted with acrylic paint the corduroy pants and other garments like the vest and capes to bring a texture as well as color blocking to really capture what a walking ancient tree would look like to a 13-year-old boy. Makeup was another challenge. With hair gelled into a slick-back ponytail, Swineford applied a makeup-dirt product to contour and give definition to Maggie Raker, who played the Monster, a more intimidating persona for this role
Adding the finishing touches to the walking tree has been a fun experience to creatively figure out and watch come together during this process!
Sabrina Rogers
Section Editor
