A WOMAN ON STAGE Costume Designer Creates And Deconstructs Identity At B3

Sara Wheatcroft is costume designer for Ilana Lydia's A Woman on Stage, opening next Friday at B3.

"For A Woman on Stage," Wheatcroft said, "I was invited by Ilana to help present visually the journey and inner life of each of the characters, as well as the absurdity and theatricality of the 'costumes' and items that create - and deconstruct - identity."

"I'm easily distracted," Wheatcroft explained, "and it is a running joke in my household that, should the car pass by some cows, I will immediately announce to everyone that, yes, there are cows. And they should look at them," she laughed. "I often find myself spending more time during a performance looking at the costumes, hair, makeup, and set than the director probably intended. During a recent production of Tartuffe, I spent so much time trying to figure out exactly how the designers created the incredible wigs that I missed some fantastic acting, to say nothing of some great dialogue."

"For A Woman on Stage, I wanted the audience to not be distracted. The items used and held by the actors are distinctly 'pieces', accessories that are fictional and colorful and distracting, but they are kept to a minimum so that the audience can see them against the stark backdrop of the simply dressed women... and the formally dressed Man on TV. He is distinct from the women in that he is always in full regalia, always dressed up. There is no opportunity for 'stripping away' or honesty or vulnerability with the Man on TV."

Wheatcroft comes honestly by her love and curiosity of all things textile.

"My mom instilled in me my love of fabric and color," she said. "She was trained by her own mother, who from the sound of it was sewing in England all through WWII and after. My mom makes a quilt for every new baby born, and every year we made our pilgrimage to the fabric store to pour over the huge pattern books. Mom could make anything, and taught us to be thrifty and creative."

Wheatcroft enthusiastically described the experience working with creator/director Lydia on the design for A Woman on Stage.

"I had a great time working with Ilana to imagine costumes for her characters," she said. "I'm always interested in how colors and textures can inform an audience of the attitudes and nature of a person, and love how in-depth Ilana gets with her actors, working with them to dig out the motivations and personalities of their characters. She is open to ideas, as well as having a great understanding of how color and music and all the details work together to create a moment on stage."

A Woman on Stage finds Rachel, a grad student in an archaic field of study, feeling that her annoying roommates are making less and less sense, when a message comes to her through a Man on TV that she isn't real, but a fictional character. Rachel resists grasping the truth, relying on soliloquies and round-robin scene changing to explore her theatrical state.

Until March 9th, all seats are $10 plus service charge when purchased online. Patrons may use the promo code, WOSADVANCE to get the discount.

A Woman on Stage plays at the SIC Sense Theatre March 16-24, with shows Friday and Saturday nights at 8 and the special "pay what you can" student matinee at 2pm March 18th. All other seats are $15 at the door.

The SIC Sense Theatre is located at 1902-9 E. McDowell Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85006. For more information, visit their website.