Rebecca Wiegers walks us through her process designing the costumes for this year’s Brad in the Barracks productions.

By Matt Carter  

This year’s Bard in the Barracks productions feature some outstanding costumes created by Prince Edward Island-born designer Rebecca Wiegers. A 2022 graduate from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design’s Fashion Design program, Wiegers’ eye for detail and her flare for colour help bring both of this year’s shows to life in effective (and sometimes stunning) ways. When placed within the many distinct settings these plays are performed – both in the park and throughout downtown – Wieger’s ability to blend compliment and contrast play a definitive role in our summer season productions. The choices she made for each character will no-doubt be as memorable to our audience as the actors and the stories they share. 

While it’s common knowledge a magician never shares their secrets, costume designers are thankfully more forthcoming. 

One of the first things audiences will notice in this summer’s production of Much Ado About Nothing is sure to be the pastel dresses that almost glow in the evening sun when surrounded by Odell Park’s lush green spaces.

“I began work on Much Ado About Nothing first,” said Wiegers. “Since our version is set in the 1920’s there was a lot of research into styles and pattern drafting of the time and how to make them flattering on modern bodies. I break down the things we most associate with the time period – the knee length skirts, the low waists, and the loose boxy shapes. In doing this it is easy for a viewer to determine what time period the characters exist within.”

Exemplifying the contrasting nature of our two productions, Wiegers designs for The Tragedy of Coriolanus feature darker colours, military uniforms, and business attire to create a modern environment for this year’s downtown production.  

“Coriolanus largely began with sourcing uniforms as there are many in the play and it is very important that it is clear who is on the same side,” she said. “From there I began to break down all the different groups of characters and how to make them visually distinct from each other.”

By embracing the contrast of these two stories – a comedy and a tragedy – Wiegers was able to further define the finer details of each play beyond the style and fashion of each era. To achieve this, she examined the unique traits of each character and made choices based on how they contribute to the overall storyline.

“Much of these designs are based on the characters themselves and the mood of the play,” she said. “Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy so it is inherently more lighthearted and fun than The Tragedy of Coriolanus. In Much Ado, characters like Hero and her two friends Ursula and Margaret are portrayed as quite young, so I dressed them in pastel versions of the primary colours with bows and ribbons. The less naive Beatrice and Antonia are in secondary colours that while still pastels, have less of the traditionally girlish details in their dresses and appear inherently more mature.”

The Tragedy of Coriolanus, set in modern times, is dominated by blacks and greens with a multitude of uniforms each reinforcing the various authorities that dominate the storyline.

“Coriolanus involves several different factions that all needed to be uniform within themselves but distinct from each other,” said Wiegers. “The Roman Army dons the traditional green garbs we most associated with military personal, while their aggressors, the Volscians, are dressed in dark uniforms for example. 

“This play is really about several divides between people, whether it be personal or political, so I really wanted to drive home the contrast between these characters,” she said. 

After months of planning and preparation, our productions of Much Ado About Nothing and The Tragedy of Coriolanus are now in full swing which begs the question: what does a costume designer have left to do once a show opens? 

“Now that the shows are running, the majority of my work is repairing any damaged garments or replacing ones that cannot be repaired,” said Wiegers. “After every night, an email is sent out with notes about the night which include any changes or repairs that need to be made to costumes. In the morning, I collect said garments and repair them for the next show. The time I have to complete the repairs can range from a full day to 10 or 12 hours. It all depends on the schedule.”

Much Ado About Nothing and Coriolanus will run in repertory from June 23-July 9.

Love Rebecca’s Style? Find her here: Candlelit Costumer