I listen to the ring of the video chat as I wait for Kristin Beard to pick up. And then, as she answers, I see a smiling, calm and cheerful woman on the fifth day of my quarantine. These unique seasons call for unusual interview settings, and this was going to be one of the strangest, I thought. But as Kristin Beard, senior theatre major and film studies minor, began to introduce herself to me, I noticed her light and calming bedroom in the background. It was a refreshing conversation in the midst of a boring week trapped in my dorm.
Kristin’s passion for creativity, art and design is what drives her to continually innovate in whatever project she is working on.
“I’ve always loved arts and crafts and anything creative I could get my hands on,” Beard said with excitement in her eyes. “Because that’s where I found I could excel and enjoy what I was doing.”
Beard has lived in Jackson her entire life and decided to spend her first two college years at Jackson State. When she arrived at Union for her junior year, she only knew she wanted to do something with art. At the end of junior year, she found her niche: costume design. It combines every art form into one.
Because of her theatre major, she had some experience in costume design, but Union’s production of “Twelfth Night” was her first solo project. And it was no easy task coming into a semester with even more restrictions and new rules. Costume design for “Twelfth Night” required a new kind of innovation, a pressure that was all on Beard’s shoulders.
Beard explained to me the very lengthy process of clothing and costume design for a production. So, here is the short version: The first step is to read the play and know the characters deeply. You must know them well enough to decide what clothing they will wear. Next, is the research process, and since this was a historical play, this required extensive research about Shakespeare’s time, even down to the details of what fabrics they would use. She then made rough drafts for each character and presented those to the director. After she got approval, she then made a final color rendering for each costume. The final step is to measure each person and then begin shopping and making the costumes in time for dress rehearsal.
This process takes devotion and creativity and immense talent.
“I’ve always thought there was something so neat about costumes,” Beard said. “Because you watch a film and you see this really special costume on a character and think, ‘Wow this is so cool.’ And the fact that it is in motion and they are wearing it makes it even more magical: it is worn art. And I’ve always thought that was really special.”
Some of Beard’s favorite work in “Twelfth Night” was Olivia and Orsino’s wardrobe. Olivia’s dress was a vibrant red dress complete with lace and pearls. Orsino’s costume was also very intricate and detailed. Both were elegant with many pieces and details involved, which was a rewarding process in the end.
Designing costumes for this specific play was difficult because of the tight budget. As Beard began to speak about the innovation required to accomplish the final results, I thought she would take a negative perspective to the tight budget. But it was quite the opposite. She spoke positively because the small budget gave her parameters and forced her to be more creative.
For example, Olivia’s hair net and Malvolio’s cross-garters were both made from a purse Beard found while shopping for fabric. She was just thinking about the hair net when she bought the purse but then needed something for the cross-garters, so she took the straps of the purse and made the cross-garters.
“I’ve learned so much in the process of designing and having to problem solve and figure out what does and what doesn’t work and what fits the budget and what doesn’t,” Beard said as the reality of her final year is arriving. “I feel like that experience and knowing all the people I know in the theatre department has been really helpful now but will also benefit me later on in my jobs.”
After graduation, Beard dreams of designing costumes in Hollywood or at a theme park. All of her experience at Union has given her a wide variety of skills, as she has painted sets, acted and designed props, in addition to her focus on costume design.
“Kristin is such a blessing to have in the theatre department. I don’t think that any of us really realize how much this is true,” Sullivan Hogan, senior theatre and digital media major said. “She works tirelessly without a single complaint and dedicates herself to her craft and her projects and it shows in the final project. She is always so kind, sweet, calm and collected at all times despite her stresses. I wish that I could be like her under pressure. She really is the Wonder Woman of the theatre department. We’re blessed to have her.”
