Designing THE WANDERERS
Go behind the scenes with this peek into the scenic and costume design process for our production of Anna Ziegler’s play
Alongside sharp writing and careful direction, a successful play needs a thoughtful design team. For Anna Ziegler’s The Wanderers, onstage at Lantern Theater Company September 5 through October 6, 2024, the designers had to build three separate worlds across two time periods — the secular, modern world of Abe and Sophie; the Hollywood glamour of Julia; and the insular, religious community of Esther and Schmuli. This creative team was more than up to the task. Costume designer Kelly Myers focused on what the characters would wear, while scenic designer Will Lowry built the world around them. Both Myers and Lowry offered us a look into their design process with words, images, and video.
Kelly Myers, Costume Designer
In addition to serving as the Lantern’s costume supervisor throughout the season, Kelly Myers has designed costumes for Lantern productions of The Comedy of Errors, Tartuffe, The Lifespan of a Fact, A Man for All Seasons, and The Last Match (also by Anna Ziegler). Her other costume design credits include productions with Quintessence Theatre Group, Uptown! Knauer PAC, Pittsburgh Opera Theatre, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Resident dramaturg Meghan Winch caught up with Myers to talk about the research and design process for The Wanderers.
MEGHAN WINCH: Where does your design process start, in general, and was there anything different about your process for The Wanderers?
KELLY MYERS: I will usually read the script straight through with no notes and then have a one-on-one meeting with the director to get their take and hear any specific ideas or concepts that they are thinking about for our production. I then re-read the script with all that in mind and start taking my own notes on both design ideas and anything that’s specifically called for in the script. In this case, I was taking a lot of notes in the Esther/Schmuli scenes, as they are part of a specific community that follows a strict dressing code.
WINCH: How does the design process change when you have a specific time or culture (or in this case, both), and how is it the same? What kind of research did you do for this project in particular?
MYERS: In some ways it can be easier when there is a specific time/culture versus a show where the concept is a made-up universe or aesthetic, like with a lot of Shakespeare productions. I actually feel more creative when I have parameters to stay within. I enjoy working within restrictions. This one was particularly difficult at first because the Hasidic Jewish community is so private. Most of my research/inspiration is from a photo series in the August 1975 issue of National Geographic by photographer Nathan Benn. He was allowed into the Satmar community in 1972 and 1973 and took photos at weddings, in schools, and in everyday life. That was perfect, because in the play we first meet our Satmar couple at their wedding in 1972. There’s a real difference from reading about the traditions and rules within a community and then seeing images of that community. It seems so restrictive on paper, but you can really see their personality, particularly with the women, come out through their clothing.
WINCH: How does color and pattern come into play in this piece, particularly with characters that come from three very distinct worlds?
MYERS: For me, color has the most significance for Esther. Satmar women have more freedom in what they wear than the men, who have a more specific code, almost a uniform, that they wear for different occasions. Women have a strict modesty code to follow, but their personality comes out in the colors and patterns that they choose to wear. There’s a photo in the National Geographic article of a group of women on a sidewalk chatting around their strollers and they all have such different looks. For Esther, I chose to put her in coral for her at-home look. Red is considered an immodest color, but I found several photos of women wearing coral and I liked the idea of Esther wearing a warm, bright color when we first see her after her wedding. Later in the play as her story unfolds, her color arc shifts. There is another moment within the modern sections of the play where color and pattern play an important role in conveying information to the audience, if you notice it, but I can’t explain without giving away too much.
WINCH: How many iterations did your design go through? What were the biggest challenges and their solutions?
MYERS: Julia’s design was ever changing throughout the rehearsal process and right up until preview performances. Her story is so interesting, and the director and actress were discovering things in rehearsal that we didn’t see months before in our design discussions. I really love where we landed with her and it’s a great example of how collaborative theater is and how things can shift once you get it on its feet.
WINCH: How does costume design function alongside the set and lighting design? Do you coordinate, or work around each other?
MYERS: I think it’s a little bit of both, depending on what the specific needs of the play are. With a great deign team, like this one, you listen to each other’s needs. Typically, the set and costumes are the first aspects to be designed. We have several group meetings with the director where we share our research and design ideas and any concerns we may have. Sets and lighting collaborate a little more directly than with costumes, but it’s all very important to stay connected. Lighting can have a major effect on the color of fabric, for good or bad, and hats can be an issue for lighting and cast too much of a shadow on the performer’s face. We all want the show to look great and I really love working with a team to tell a great story, which is what theater is all about.
Will Lowry, Scenic Designer
As Myers states, it is crucial for a design team to be both experts in their own field and open collaborators in building a coherent and mutually supportive theatrical environment. In the case of The Wanderers, Myers’ costumes are seen on Will Lowry’s set. Lowry is a multidisciplinary designer and a creative partner with Flux Theatre Ensemble in New York City. His designs span scenic, lighting, media, and costumes, and his work has been seen regionally, off-off-Broadway, and as far as Sydney, Australia. He has also contributed to several Broadway and off-Broadway designs. Lowry returns to the Lantern after designing the set for our Barrymore Award-winning production of The Royale in 2022.
For our first rehearsal of The Wanderers, Lowry created a beautiful video walking the team through his design process, starting with the artistic and map-based inspiration to the process of designing and rendering a set that serves the play’s fluid time, location, and thematic needs. Here we share that video to give you a glimpse into the process of bringing The Wanderers’ world to life.
Together, Myers and Lowry have created a world for The Wanderers that reflects the characters’ searching journeys and allows Anna Ziegler’s incisive and lyrical text to shine. You can see their work onstage at the Lantern now through October 6, 2024.
More great reading: See other recent articles and interviews on the Lantern Searchlight blog
Lantern Theater Company’s production of Anna Ziegler’s The Wanderers is onstage September 5 through October 6, 2024, at St. Stephen’s Theater. Visit our website for tickets and information.
