Company Focus: Backstage in costume production at the Utah Opera, Salt Lake City, UT

[labricoleuse]

For my birthday (back in June), some of my coworkers and i drove up to Salt Lake City, where we were treated to a backstage tour of the Utah Opera Production Studios by their resident costume crafts artisan, Carmen Killam.

The Utah Opera, in addition to mounting a full season of opera and operettas each year, has one of the largest costume and set rental facilities in the country. Their costume division features rental options for 59 different productions. I took a lot of photos; enjoy the pictorial tour!




The Utah Opera has a separate production facility that houses their shops and storage/stock.


View of the main costume shop.


Another section of the shop.


Library ladder on their fabric remnant storage wall.


Inside the costume storage facility, one of several multiple-level rows.


These schematics are posted on the rows, listing what items are stored where.


Hat storage boxed by size.


Belts hung by size.


Jewelry storage.


Bagged and hanging armor.


I believe this bighead is from Hansel und Gretel.


Inside you can see the padded helmet upon which the bighead is mounted.


Note the label: "Faust - Satan's Wings"


USF Crafts Artisan McKinsey Bamber models a drawn bonnet with an unusual heart-shaped brim.


Back view of the same bonnet.


Shelves of bonnetry.


Road cases for opera.


Spray booth! Note the aging happening on this skirt.


Mockup for the Doctor's headdress in an upcoming new build of Der Rosenkavalier.


Carved foam head blocks for the Hansel und Gretel bigheads (see above).


Dye shop with element-heated dye vat.


Sculpture outside the facility.


My birthday cake!

Clearly this cake was decorated by a technical director; note how the action takes place within a craggy landscape of crushed peanut butter cups.

Comments

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

Jeebuz, that's a huge-ass costume facility! Cool cake too :-)

[lordofhaladin.livejournal.com]

ooh *day dreams*

cool cake!! and PB cups! yum...

[eggies-red-dres.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! What a fantastical place to spend it. /drools over remnants/

[mlle-rouge.livejournal.com]

Fabulous cake!
Also, I want to thank you for the "tour": you really make me discover places and things I never knew. I'm not a frequent commenter on your entries, but it doesn't mean I don't delight in them.

[naissa.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know which is cooler: The costume shop or your cake! I hope your birthday was bitchin.

[pandorasfox.livejournal.com]

lol i've worked in several shops that had really nice facilities, but OMG! their storage is the most amazingly organized and tidy i've ever seen. it makes my organizing ocd happy!

[unluckymonkey.livejournal.com]

awesome! and that cake's making me hungry for that chocolatey booty!! happy birthday! Looks like it was a goot one!

[mister-sable.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

I like how the washing machine almost looks scorched.