CAM: What is your favorite part about designing costumes for SHSU? BD: The Dance Spectrum Concert that features faculty choreographic work each semester, along with the fact that SHSU has its own Dance Theatre and Dance Costume Shop sets the bar very high in terms of production value for dance. I like the fact that we have high expectations for professional quality work within the Department of Dance at Sam Houston State. Having come from a professional background spanning more than 25 years working in the industries of costume and wardrobe with some 15 years in NYC on Broadway, I’m not interested in “watering down” the work or the process for the students. I’m proud of the fact that we do professional quality work in the university setting, and with the support of CAM, I have been able to set up the DCS with industry standard machinery, equipment and supplies to create dance costumes that meet the same standards. CAM: Where did you draw your inspiration from when designing for “A Wynne Home Alice”? BD: Primarily I went to the original source – Lewis Carroll’s first publication which features the illustrations of Sir John Tenniel (prior to the famous release, Carroll himself did an original set of drawings for the first manuscript, but when it went to print he knew illustration was not his great talent, so Tenniel was employed). Beyond that, I researched additional illustrations from the many publications that have been released in the 150 plus years since the first iconic London publication in 1865, by Macmillan. Since that time, at least 19 other artist illustrators have created fully published versions of Alice’s dreamlike journey “down the rabbit-hole.” Using the illustrations from the original as a through-line, and many others from different sources, I created a collage from which to pull a variety of images, silhouettes and “fashion details” - for example, the “grow-tuck” pleats at the hem of Alice’s blue dress.
It takes three performers inside to create the effect of the costume when Alice encounters the Caterpillar smoking its hookah on the psychedelic mushroom.
As I began to explore the more fantastical characters, I brought in theatrical elements of design, particularly focusing on dance-ability, such as the famous unitards in the musical CATS for the Cheshire Cat, and the bodysuits of Cirque De Soleil for the Caterpillar, as well as some traditional Japanese puppetry techniques to create fantastical effects – like the Cheshire Cat’s enormous head appearing in the sky. This is done with a puzzle like series of pieces that emerge on long extension staffs carried by dancers that eventually fit together to form an enormous mask floating above the playing space. I tried to avoid recreating anything specifically “like” the Disney animated classic or Tim Burton’s recent hit film. For my Queen of Hearts, I turned to historic references of Queen Elizabeth for a more authentic silhouette, and featuring a heart-shaped coiffure for the wig design which my mother, a hair stylist for over 30 years now, has created. My goal was to capture the iconic imagery of each character but with a sense of authenticity. The result is very Barry Doss Design. This production is intended to be an annual spring event at the Wynne Home, so I’ve taken into account longevity and alterability with this set of costumes. And because Dana Nicolay’s production is immersive, and will happen outdoors in the gardens, I took my fabrics a step further and decided to use more theatrical textiles such as lurex crushed panne velvet. I also used sequined and metallic goods so the sunlight will bring a dream-like, sparkling effect to
26 Dance Department Costume Designer Barry Doss