By Tiffany Allison
Alice Neff has been involved with theatre
for 22 years, with experience in every aspect of the art
from acting, makeup, lighting, sound, directing to costuming.
Costume designer Alice
Neff keeps busy between her work at Appalachian State
University and local production companies. Photo
by Mark Mitchell |
“I did everything in the theatre, but
I tried costumes and I loved it,” Neff said. “I
grew up with an interest in clothing, history and art. I
come from a creative family, my mom tried to teach me how
to sew.”
She is currently the costume designer for the Blowing Rock
Stage Company for the summer, an intern coordinator for
the stage company, as well as a teacher and the costume
manager of Appalachian State University’s costume shop.
Neff and her costume crew recently finished the costumes
for “Peter Pan,” which is now playing until Aug.
9 at the Blowing Rock Stage Company. Neff said the costumes
for the show allowed her and her crew to be a little more
creative.
“Peter Pan” has followed her through her life;
her first acting roll was as a “lost boy” for
her elementary school play.
“Usually in costume design you follow a certain time
period, but in this play you don’t have to be historically
accurate; you can use different time periods,” Neff
said. “I used elements from the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries, mixed them and made them look like pirates. The
play setting starts during the 1890s and suddenly turns
to a story book.”
The “lost boys” costumes come from the 19th century
with a mixture of green and brown fabric, Neff explained.
The “Indians” are mostly brown with highlights
of turquoise and coral. The pirates’ garb is mostly
black with jewel undertones and rich colors. The pirates
all have different hats, and their coats are covered in
coins and jewelry. Peter Pan’s costume is designed
to look tough and a little darker than usual.
“We did a lot of beading and fringing,” Neff said.
“We also did a lot of dying.”
Neff explained that there is an intense process in making
costumes. The designer has to make a model design through
a sketch, then a draper, which is a mock up of the costume
made with cheap fabric. Katie McGree and Melody Yates, interns
for the Blowing Rock Stage Company, were responsible for
the draping, pattern and construction of the costumes for
Peter Pan. The actors then have to be fitted with the mock
up to see what changes need to be made. Finally, after the
changes have been made, the costumes are created.
Catherine Ledford and Amanda McNeice, interns and students
of ASU, were responsible for the hair and make up design,
which Neff said coincided with the costume design.
One of Neff’s favorite parts of “Peter Pan”
is the fact that there are not a lot of costume changes.
She said this is the third consecutive show they have put
on and they only have three weeks to make the costumes.
To relieve the stress from work, Neff works in her yard
in her spare time.
“I try to eat really well to keep up my energy,”
she said.
Neff graduated from University of Texas with a costume construction
degree. She worked with the Austin Lyric Opera and other
small theatres she freelances for Ohio University Opera
department. She moved to Boone with fiancée Greg
Williams, who is also involved with theatre.
“It’s nice to have a spouse that is really understanding,”
Neff said. “He can sew and he jumps in when he stops
by. He has done ‘Peter Pan’ many times and he
was a huge help.”
Her favorite memory of being in theatre was last year during
the production “Moses Cone: The Denim King.” She
said her staff had an overwhelming task of making costumes
without enough fabric. In the end, they were making costumes
out of anything that was handy.
“We didn’t have any fabric to make a hat band
for a man and a belt for a woman, so we made them out of
neck ties. It was the perfect touch,” she said.
Neff loves her work. She said most people think you can’t
make money in technical theatre, however she has had more
work than she could do in her entire life.
“The work is a lot of fun and the work is its own reward,”
she said. “It’s just hard to get any vacation
time.”
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