Sometimes you just have to do it

My involvement in DollHouse began under rather understated circumstances. I was part of the run crew for the previous show (afterlife: a ghost story) and I happened to come to the theatre early one evening because of unpredictable traffic patterns. I ran into Joe O’Dea, the Production Manager, and started making small talk. I asked Joe questions related to the music that he listens to, his family, and the theatre. When I asked who was responsible for props for DollHouse, he replied by asking me if I was interested in the position. Despite the fact that I hadn’t previously considered doing props, I knew I just had to do it.


I have worked for New Rep more or less steadily for the past year and a half, in multiple capacities. During that time, I have been given the opportunity to know many people in the New Rep family and many fantastic actors and designers. I first worked with Bridget O’Leary (New Rep’s Artistic Assocaite and the director of DollHouse) and Chris Brusber (lighting designer) on boom last February. It was a great experience and one that I hoped I could repeat someday. Little did I know that the future was so quickly becoming the present. This past fall I worked on Boston Marriage with Rafael Jean (costume designer) and Jennie Israel (who played the role of Claire in Boston Marriage and will be playing the role of Christine in DollHouse). When I heard that I would have the opportunity to work with them again, I knew I just had to do it.

As I mentioned, I have worked for New Rep in multiple capacities. I have been a Production Assistant, Assistant Stage Manager, Scenic Carpenter, and over hire electrician, but never Props Supervisor. When I heard my new title, I was excited about being a Supervisor of something. I started thinking of this new challenge in the terms of an Indiana Jones adventure. Against the odds of budget restraints and conflicting opinions, I have been tasked with bringing the perfect piece of furniture to the theatre before the gigantic rolling stone of deadlines crushes me. Like Indiana Jones, I know that I will make mistakes and that in the end I will triumph. When faced with such an amazing challenge and bestowed with such an exciting title, I knew I just had to do it.

Sometimes you just have to do it.

DollHouse: Archetypes and Dress Codes

By Rafael Jaen

Theresa Rebeck’s  DollHouse revisits Ibsen’s original with a twist; she presents contemporary characters, preoccupied with survival during economically unstable times. These individuals are multilayered psychological studies rather than period specific social archetypes. Nora (the wife) is an affluent woman looking after her husband's welfare and preoccupied with past deeds. Evan (the husband) is looking at the future, focused on staying healthy after a heart attack and trying to gain back his financial status. Christine (Nora’s childhood friend) is all about the present; she needs a job to get back on her feet after her divorce.  There are other characters as well, each with specific agendas. We learn about their burdens and  secrets while we watch Nora’s character arch unfold. Her focus shifts from being the model housewife to being a courageous individual who steps out into self-discovery.  

Kathryn Kawecki's Wonderful Set Elevation

The situations, in this script are not uncommon to us today. We read about and watch high profile individuals who have survived heart disease; we learn about their psychological ups and downs (think Bill Clinton and Barbara Walters).  We learn via the media all about fraudulent schemes involving banks and high status personalities. We watch reality TV shows and read magazine rags filled with stories about messy divorces and situations.  But Rebeck’s Nora is not a pop star from a  Housewife of Connecticut reality TV show, this Nora is a different “Doll”.  Her house may be spectacular and her sense of style chic and expensive, yet there is a lot brewing under the façade.

Nora's Closet: Notice the Color Palette Progression;
from White (Ghost of Christmas Past)  to Black (Ghost of Christmas Future)

As a costume designer, dressing contemporary multilayered characters is the biggest challenge. When working in modern day shows I have learned that everybody is a designer… Just look at reality TV fashion shows or peruse fashion magazines; they are filled with “how to” tips regarding styling. So, how do I come up with character specific dress codes for a modern day production?  I look for anchors; I look for touchstones. Rebeck's script has plenty of expository material; we learn about Nora’s tastes right away, there is even mention of where she shops, etc. But for me what most grabbed my attention was a line in Act I, when Doctor Damian says to Nora that she “looks like the Ghost of Christmas Past”. This specific line has become the gestalt (touchtone) of my design metaphor.

Evan (The Husband's) Closet. He is Sharp and Icy

My design approach is equal parts Dwell magazine (palette), European silhouettes (style); Barneys NY-meets-Nordstrom-meets-Good Will (we have a shoestring budget!) and Dickens… Yes, that’s right, Dickens! My metaphor includes Nora as the Ghost of Christmas Past in off-whites, moving into the Ghost of Christmas Future in blacks, with grays & browns in the middle foreshadowing what's to come. Christine being the Ghost of Christmas Present in festive greens. No Scrooge in the mix though, Evan (the Husband) is not the miserly curmudgeon in Charles Dickens’s novel.  He is a complex man; who has survived financial disgrace and a heart attack, who is doing what he things is right or expected of him. So are the rest of these contemporary characters; regardless of the empathy or disgust that we may feel for them, one point will remain true to Ibsen: we are all human first.  

Posted by Rafael Jaen