Williams Lake Studio Theatre Society cast and crew are rehearsing for their upcoming production of The Great Gatsby, and they are looking great doing it.
The fine points are being put on the costume and makeup, as the cast and crew nail down the play's flow and finesse the set changes.
There is a lot to appreciate about the appearance of those on stage for this studio theatre production. From the sultry Myrtle Wilson with her red hair, played by Mimi Searles, to the handsome and sharply dressed Gatsby himself, played by RJ McCormack, the play already looks good, and it is only going to get better.
Much of the onstage appearance of the cast is thanks to the hard work and dedication of Christa Obergfell, costume supervisor, or superstar perhaps.
During a rehearsal on Feb. 2, she was finalizing a few details, helping an actor choose earrings, with many of the cast already giving earring envy with their outfits.
The seamstress got her first sewing instruction at her mother's knee. She then learned more in high school, and went on to learn the rest on her own.
She said she has always enjoyed the fibre arts and does embroidery, knitting and crocheting as well.
While she credits the overall costume design to director Stacey Poirier, it is Obergfell's skills which help bring Poirier's vision to life on stage.
"I always have ideas," explained Obergfell of the process. She said it starts with a director sharing his or her vision and she brings her suggestions, then the costume plan gets made. Then her work begins, long before the cast comes together.
Obergfell's work on the costuming for Gatsby began last summer. She calls this part her "hunting and gathering" phase, during which she looks for patterns and fabrics.
"By the time I have a cast I can jump right in and start sewing," she said of her preparation.
While she enjoys period plays, and working to bring the period to life on stage as accurately as possible, she said the biggest challenge to outfitting a cast is fitting the cast with period appropriate shoes.
Gatsby is not Obergfell's first stab at costumes, with her first play back in 2011. In 2014, Obergfell won a Theatre BC Mainstage Award for her work on Sense and Sensibility.
But her most challenging work was on A Few Good Men, a play requiring a lot of authentic uniforms.
She had thought they would be able to buy uniforms to outfit the cast, however she ended up having to sew a lot of them. It was "an incredible challenge" she said.
To see some of Obergfell's work on stage, plan to catch The Great Gatsby on the Michael Rawluk Stage of the Williams Lake Studio Theatre at 4100 Mackenzie Avenue between Feb. 26 and Mar. 15. Tickets are available online at: www.wlstudiotheatre.ca
