Month: December 2023

Delighted to reconnect with Aline Toloto, the creative genius behind the enchanting props in our production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Her exceptional skills shine once more at the Dock Street Theatre, offering you an exclusive peek into the artistry behind the props for this timeless Dickens’ classic.

1) What inspired you to work on the props design for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and how do you personally connect with the themes and atmosphere of this classic story?

The colorful and rich design of the set and costumes was a significant inspiration for the world of props. I love A CHRISTMAS CAROL! My first encounter with the story was through the movie when I was a kid. The reminder that life is too short, and, at the end of the day, what really matters is the people and the relationships you were able to cultivate through life is a message that will never get old.

2)  Props are essential in creating a believable world on stage. How did you approach research and gather inspiration to ensure the props in A CHRISTMAS CAROL were authentic to the time period and setting?

Fortunately, nowadays, research is much more accessible than before, which helps with the occasional time crunch we encounter while producing many productions simultaneously in the shop. My research process involves three steps. Initially, I delve into historical research, typically spanning not just the target year but also decades preceding it. My second step involves examining movie props and props from other productions. I find this valuable as it enables the audience to connect with the story on a different level, drawing on experiences they may have had before. The final step is to employ my design intuition to strike a balance between historical accuracy and what will aesthetically complement the overall production.

Watch A CHRISTMAS CAROL’s show trailer below!

3) Collaboration is key in the production process. Can you share insights into how you collaborated with the director and other members of the creative team to ensure that the props align with the overall vision for the production?

Absolutely, collaboration is the key to a successful theater production. I had a great collaboration with the set designer, for instance, to enhance the connection between Scrooge’s bedroom backdrop and the furniture that would occupy that space—the bed and the armchair. We discussed the color palette, selected fabric samples, and engaged in numerous back-and-forths, incorporating costumes and lighting into the discussion to ensure that every design element would be cohesive.

4) Given that A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a holiday classic, did you incorporate any holiday-themed props to enhance the festive atmosphere of the production? Can you provide examples?

In our approach to the production, we infused holiday magic into various furniture pieces and hand props. While not strictly historical, these details aimed to capture the essence of Christmas that resonates with audiences. We took every opportunity to adorn spaces with festive elements—whether it was adding a touch of red and gold bows or incorporating Christmas lights. Every available corner was utilized to infuse a holiday theme throughout the production.  

5) Attention to detail is crucial in prop design. Were there specific props in A CHRISTMAS CAROL that required extra attention to detail to ensure historical accuracy or thematic significance?

Absolutely! One notable example is the armchair used in Scrooge’s bedroom. The prop demanded extensive dedication from the team, requiring days of adjustments to ensure it functioned seamlessly. While I don’t want to give away too much to preserve the magic, I can assure you that once the audience sees it, they will understand the special significance of this prop. It underscores the belief that dedicating time and attention to even the briefest on-stage moments is always worthwhile.

6) Do you have any favorite prop creations in A CHRISTMAS CAROL that you are particularly proud of or that stand out as memorable?

My favorite prop has to be the dappled horse that accompanies the toy cart. The creation process was quite challenging, and I collaborated closely with the Prop Artisan, 
Hailee Selby. The end result was incredibly rewarding—having a beautiful and timeless dappled horse that truly stands out.

Get your tickets to see A CHRISTMAS CAROL, running December 14th – December 22nd, at CharlestonStage.com.

Originally from Brazil, Aline holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Technology with emphasis in Scenic Design from the University of Southern Mississippi. With extensive experience as a Prop Master, Scenic Designer, and Set Decorator, Aline’s career highlights include her role as Properties Supervisor for Charleston Stage’s 45th Season, overseeing eight captivating shows including The Addams Family, A Christmas Carol, and Once On This Island. She is thrilled to continue with the company for the next year.

In an exclusive interview, we caught up with Caleb S. Garner, the mastermind behind the captivating lighting design at Dock Street Theatre for our latest rendition of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Explore the intricacies of his artistic approach as he illuminates the magic of this timeless holiday classic!

1) What attracted you to work on the lighting design for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and how do you personally connect with the themes and atmosphere of this classic story?

A CHRISTMAS CAROL has been a part of my life for as long as I remember. It was a Christmas tradition for my family, like it is for so many others. My favorite movie adaptation is actually the 1984 version George C. Scott as Scrooge. I love how that adaptation uses light to swap from the natural and supernatural and past, present, and future. Christmas Past had a hazy, dreamlike quality. Christmas Present was at times bright and cheerful, and at times stark and serious. Christmas Future was dark and smoky.  I am still enthralled with the ability of that adaptation to tell a great story through light, and I’m very excited to put my own spin on that great storytelling. 

As a church musician, I have spent a lot of time with texts about the Advent and Christmas season. A lesson that always stood out to me is that this season is not only about birth, but also redemption. It’s easy to forget that A CHRISTMAS CAROL isn’t just “cranky old man is frightened by ghosts and now loves Christmas.” Scrooge is a complex character. I think our production does a great job showing how he adapted through the course of his life, and how reconnecting with his past allows him to reclaim his future. The story reminds me of a poem by American theologian and civil rights leader, Howard Thurman, called “The Work of Christmas.” His idea of the “work” of Christmas are the lessons that Scrooge re-learns in order to open his heart and love again.

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

      To find the lost,

      To heal the broken,

      To feed the hungry,

      To release the prisoner,

      To rebuild the nations,

      To bring peace among the people,

      To make music in the heart.

That’s this production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL: making music in the heart. I am very excited to share this Christmas gift with you all. 

2)  Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood for a production. How did you approach creating a lighting design that complements the narrative and enhances the emotional impact of a CHRISTMAS CAROL?

When we first met in 2022 to discuss this major reimagining of the production, playwright Julian Wiles talked about the need for vibrancy, color, and fun. We didn’t want to have a production that said, “this is Scrooge’s world, and everything is sad, dark, and empty.” We wanted a production that showed the audience all of the joy, compassion, and love that Scrooge was missing. 

It’s very easy to focus on Scrooge and the Ghosts and make a production that is dark and scary.  And I do use dark lighting with heavy blues and deep shadows to make the ghosts intense and impactful, but I also try to keep the colorful spirit of the production by using turquoises, deep magentas, and lavenders to give the ghosts a sense of mystery without it being bleak and depressing. I really loved this painting called “Purple Energies” by Swiss painter Fabien Bruttin as an inspiration for the ghosts – particularly Marley and Christmas Future.

It was also important to keep the feeling of celebration throughout the play. I didn’t want every scene to feel like “London at night.” I wanted some variety and some more vibrant colors, so I chose pink-lavenders, light blues, oranges, and greens to make the world feel festive and new. It was important to Julian, Sam, and I that we avoided making the production look like a Victorian Christmas card. While they do have lots of colors, they were often faded, red-heavy, and a little too old-fashioned. We wanted whimsy and a wide array of color. I took inspiration from this picture of Covent Garden. See if you can spot some of these colors coming from the lights while watching! 

3) Collaboration is key in the production process. Can you share insights into how you collaborated with the director and other members of the creative team to ensure that the lighting design aligns with the overall vision for the production?

The entire design team meets months in advance to establish and refine our world of the play so the audience gets a unified final product. We spend lots of time talking, researching, drawing, and sharing so we’re all on the same page about the vision for the production. We did do A Christmas Carol last season, but it was not as simple as unpacking it out of a box and putting it back onstage. Season 45’s production was fantastic, but each design area had several things we could improve. This included things like the placement of the backdrops, new furniture and props, new costume elements, and new magic tricks.

A new season also gives Charleston Stage new actors, which means that people with different body types, builds, and skin tones needed alterations for the existing costumes and new lighting colors that best enhanced their skin. While many things are similar this year, many things are also quite different. My lighting mentor, Craig Dettman, would say “same song, different verse.”

This production has lots of “tricks” that are associated with the Ghosts and their magic, and they all require careful coordination with the other design elements and direction to be done correctly. Scrooge’s tombstone in the graveyard sequence is one of my favorite examples. When scrooge first arrives in the graveyard, he does not realize that he is standing on his own grave; the tombstone before him is blank. Careful coordination between direction, scenery, and lights was able for us to magically reveal the word “SCROOGE” on the stone. Added sounds, fog, and gorgeous costume color-coordination help to create the incredibly powerful image of Scrooge realizing his fate. 

Now that I’ve been at Charleston Stage for several years, I’ve developed a great rapport and a kind of shorthand language with the the other staff. We’re regularly on the same page, and I really enjoy our discussions and collaborations. 

4) A CHRISTMAS CAROL has moments of both darkness and light. How did you balance the use of light and shadow to convey the various moods and themes throughout the production?

I always make sure that the lighting is fulfilling several different factors in each scene: Visibility, Mood, Revelation of Form, Punctuation, and Storytelling. 

Visibility is simply putting light where you want it, and removing light where you don’t need it. Mood is how light uses colors, angle, and textures to display emotions or atmosphere. There is always a fine balancing act of Mood and visibility, because often too much of one can harm the other. If the light is too dark, the audience struggles to understand the action onstage, but if the audience can see every single thing onstage, the atmosphere of the scene is compromised.

Revelation of form is how we light figures and objects onstage, giving us dimensionality. The way we reveal figures onstage also helps us to establish visibility and mood. For example, I light the ensemble singing “Joy To The World” in a totally different way than I light the Ghost of Christmas Future. 

Every sentence has some form of punctuation. The way that we light the end of a phrase onstage is just as important as the way the sentence ends on paper. When Marley is leaving Scrooge, the last line of the scene ends with an exclamation point – the lighting should absolutely do the same thing.  We don’t want a slow fade to black here; we want a zero-count blackout to end the scene with a bang!  

Storytelling is advancing the narrative, through use of the properties of light that we can control. These properties are intensity, distribution, angle, color, change, and movement. 

Careful consideration and combinations of these elements help us to create individual “looks” to give distinction to the various moments in the show. A lot of the balancing comes from experience and intuition. And a great relationship with the production team!

5) Were there specific scenes or moments in A CHRISTMAS CAROL where you intentionally used lighting to highlight key elements or emotions? Can you share examples of how lighting enhances the storytelling?

One of my favorite moments in the show is when we visit the song “A New Day Dawns.” This happens twice within the show, and each one is a major point in Scrooge’s life. 

The first time we experience the song, a young Scrooge is seeing his future fiancée, Belle, for the first time. I wanted the rest of the world to melt away so we can see Scrooge instantly fall in love. The lights pull down to young Scrooge and Belle as she sings the song. The presence of the other party guests is still felt because they are in a darker colored light, with a strong highlight around their silhouettes. This shows the general figures, but limits visibility on faces so the audience can focus on the love at first sight moment happening downstage. Old Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past are still dimly lit, so the audience can also see Scrooge being re-acquainted with his humanity. 

This happens a second time in the last portion of the second act. Scrooge goes to his nephew Fred’s house to make amends, and meets Fred’s wife, Caroline. Caroline is singing “A New Day Dawns,” and is in the same position as Belle. Scrooge and Caroline recreate the moment when young Scrooge and Belle first meet. The lighting has a lovely pull-down in the same manner as before. It’s a really touching moment that shows Scrooge letting himself love again. 

I hope that the lighting shows the deeply personal moments with young Scrooge and Belle, and then Caroline and Scrooge with the tight pulldowns. The lights then open up to reveal the other characters, showing that they were there to see Scrooge’s character arc. 

6) The story of A CHRISTMAS CAROL spans different settings, from Scrooge’s office to the Cratchit household. How did you adapt the lighting design to create distinct atmospheres for each location?

Each set of characters have their own special color palettes. Scenic designer Susan Crabtree and I worked closely with costume designer Janine McCabe to make sure that each location had their own special color identity in the costumes, scenery, and lighting design. 

A great example can be seen in the Cratchit family and their home. We chose a purple/lavender color scheme to give the Cratchit’s their own identifiable traits as a family unit. The scenery has elements of the colors in the backdrop, and every character has their colors in the costumes. I light the scene with blues and lavenders so I can help to make the colors in the costumes and scenery really pop.

Be on the lookout for the different color schemes in the show! Each location and family has their own special collection of colors!

7) Do you have any favorite lighting effects or techniques used in A CHRISTMAS CAROL that you are particularly proud of or that stand out as memorable?

Each year I try and incorporate a few new elements into the production to make it even more interesting. This year makes the debut of two brand new fog machines. You will never see them, but you will absolutely see the fog! These are called Ultrasonic Mist foggers, and they get the same effect as dry ice fog without the need for dry ice and 350 pounds of water. These foggers use an ultrasonic membrane that vibrates rapidly at high speeds in a tank of water.  The water is agitated apart into individual droplets with the size of approximately 3 – 5 microns, vaporizing into the air to form a thick fog. It’s very scientific, and it’s very cool. Chances are you already have this technology in your house. If you have a “cool mist humidifier,” you have the same ultrasonic technology in a smaller scale!

Get your tickets to see A CHRISTMAS CAROL, running December 7th – December 22nd, at CharlestonStage.com.

Caleb S. Garner is a lighting and sound designer based in Charleston, SC. A North Carolina native, Caleb received his B.A. and B.F.A. from Catawba College in Salisbury NC, and his M.F.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi. Garner’s designs, ranging from concerts to ballets to musicals to plays have earned him eight regional and national design awards. Caleb has been a featured designer from New York to Mississippi, designing in the Northeast, Midwest, East Coast and Deep South. Caleb enjoys turning large pieces of wood into smaller pieces of wood (sometimes mistakenly called furniture), screaming with students (often recognized as teaching), and playing with things that spark and smoke. Caleb currently serves as the Resident Lighting Designer at the Charleston Stage Company and serves as an adjunct lecturer at the College of Charleston.

Explore the intricate details of K’nique Eichelberger’s artistic approach as the Choreographer for A CHRISTMAS CAROL in this special interview. Get ready for another season of excitement as K’nique’s exceptional work takes center stage, becoming a major highlight once again in this year’s adaptation of the timeless classic!

1) A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a holiday classic. How did you approach infusing choreography with the festive spirit of the season while still conveying the deeper themes of the story?

Christmas is a holiday where families come together to express love, kindness, and joy. In my choreography you will see the joy or excitement in every move. This is not your traditional A CHRISTMAS CAROL choreography, however. While we do honor the time period with the way we talk and walk there is a contemporary element in the dances that younger and older audiences can relate to. Dance for me has always been a way to communicate things that I couldn’t verbalize, and it helped me to express myself in a creative and personal way. I wanted the movements to speak for themselves without words or singing. There are some slow movements that can convey feelings of sadness or melancholy, whereas sharp, explosive movements can express strength and joy. Throughout all of the dance numbers you can see that being demonstrated. One of the central themes of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is personal transformation and redemption. You will see that there are a lot of formation changes in the first number to convey the many changes Scrooge will go through during the show. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a profound change from a miserly, cold-hearted, and selfish man to a generous, warm-hearted, and compassionate person. These are some dancing themes you will see at the beginning of the show that will resurface with the new and improved Scrooge.

2)  Is there a particular aspect of A CHRISTMAS CAROL that resonates with you on a personal level? How does this connection influence your creative process?

People can change but you can’t change people. You have to allow people to grow and see things for themselves. Change comes when the person understands how their attitude is formed and how it impacts their life. It’s often a lot of reflecting and healing from the past. People can change if a few requirements are met, including self-awareness and willpower. Throughout the story Scrooge gets a chance to see when his life has changed and explores why he is so angry at the thought of Christmas. This influenced my creative process by giving myself grace in others. In rehearsal I was always there to help and make it easy for the actors because you just never know what people are going through. So showing up with energy and a smile will create a safe space that we all love to work in.

3) Take us through your creative process when choreographing for a production. How did you transform the narrative into movement and dance, especially for a story as iconic as Dickens’?

First I connect with the director to understand the vision they want for this show. A CHRISTMAS CAROL is an old story but our production brings this older story to new life with a hip hop contemporary feel, while still paying respect to the time period. When choreographing I like to sit and listen to the music to give it an emotion. How did this make me feel? After I have set on what emotion I want coming out of the dance, it begins to create itself. 

4) In the choreography for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, do you have any favorite dance numbers or sequences? What makes them special to you, either in terms of artistic expression or thematic resonance?

This is a hard question because I love all of the dances. I would have to say the opening number “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” would be one of my favorites. The energy this song possesses is unmatched. I call it the stampede of joy when the cast comes rushing down at the top of the number. It sets up the story well with full energy where the audience will be immediately engaged. Sometimes you have to sit back and give yourself a pat on the back. Seeing this number come to life was a pat on the back moment for me. To see everyone enjoying the dance and vision I’ve created makes my heart warm.

5) Collaborating with the director and other members of the production team is crucial. Can you share a memorable collaboration experience and how it enhanced the overall production?

When choreographing you have to collaborate with everyone, not just the director. Sam the director and I work very well together with expressing what we want in a number. The finale is a big number that we both helped each other with to create the magical feeling we both wanted. The whole cast is on the stage for the first time and now we have to create this toy shop world which wasn’t easy to do. There is a lot that happens and without collaborating with the whole production team, the finale would not be as beautiful as it is.

6) Are there specific dance styles or holiday traditions that you find particularly inspiring or that you incorporated into the choreography to capture the holiday atmosphere?

I’ve grown up doing hip hop, modern, contemporary and musical theatre dance. I believe I incorporated all four dance styles to give you something new each time a dance number happens. A lot of it is high energy to match the Christmas spirit. You also get those moments of love and laughter.

7) Reflecting on your career, are there any performances or productions that hold a special place in your heart? What made them stand out among the rest?

I have two! My first year as an Resident Actor I played Lola in Kinky Boots and it was magical to play that dream role. That was a role I worked harder than ever on. As a person who is a dreamer, that was one of the moments where I could say my dream came true. I’m living the dream I set for myself years ago. I was lucky enough to later on perform this role again with Main Street Theatre in Pennsylvania. It was just as magical. That role will forever mean a lot to me. My second would be The Play That Goes Wrong. That was the most fun show I have ever been in. I played the butler Perkins who had no idea what he was doing in the show. It allowed me to be free and really express what type of actor I am. It was fast paced and always kept me on my toes. The love Perkins got from the audience meant so much to me. All I ever want to do on stage is impact the audience in some way, shape, or form. With a lot of stretching I could do that show for a long time. 

Get your tickets to see A CHRISTMAS CAROL, running December 6th – December 22nd, at CharlestonStage.com.

K’nique Eichelberger is originally from Columbia, South Carolina but moved to Brevard, North Carolina where he earned a B.A. in Music and Theatre. He is so excited to be performing with Charleston Stage again. He choreographed A Christmas Carol while he was an Resident Actor and is so happy to be choreographing once again. His recent credits include: Once On This Island (Daniel), The Play That Goes Wrong (Perkins), Kinky Boots (Lola), The Last Five Years (Jamie), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II), Into The Woods (Jack), A Streetcar Named Desire (Stanley) and more. He is very thankful for his friends and family who have supported him throughout the years. K’nique is so excited to change lives through creating art at Charleston Stage! Stay tuned on Instagram @nique_tg3

In our exclusive interview, Janine McCabe, our Original Costume Designer for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, delves into the fascinating details of her artistic approach last season to crafting the costumes for this timeless classic. We’re very excited that Janine’s work will once again be a major highlight on stage in this season’s adaptation!

1) To start, could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your background as a costume designer, especially in the context of theatrical productions?

Hi. My name is Janine McCabe and I have worked as a costume designer for over 25 years. After considering engineering and math careers, I eventually found my way into theatre through a work study job sewing in the costumes shop at the College of Charleston. After completing my BA in Theatre with a concentration in Costume Design, I went on to the University of Virginia for an MFA in Costume Design and then moved to NYC where I worked for designers including Martin Pakledinaz, who was an incredible designer and mentor. In NYC I was able to work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Opera, Dance and travel around the country to help check costumes when putting new actors into roles on National Tours like Thoroughly Modern Millie. NYC was an incredible working and learning experience and has definitely informed every aspect of my career as a designer and as a professor of costume design.

2)  What attracted you to work on the costumes for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and how do you personally connect with the themes and characters of this classic story?

The first thing that attracted me to the work for A CHRISTMAS CAROL was the excitement that Julian Wiles presented when he asked me to work on it with him and the team. His idea to bring color and energy and present the story in a way people hadn’t seen before was attractive to me. Julian and I had worked together before and he knew that I love to work with bold colors and to vear outside the lines of what is expected. Having a young son and other family getting older, I find myself drawn into the themes of generosity, compassion and time with family and friends over work and money more than ever. The struggles the characters face in this classic story exist today so there is much to learn and be reminded of at any age from this story.

3) Each character in A CHRISTMAS CAROL has a distinct personality. How did you go about visualizing and creating costumes that not only capture the essence of the characters but also contribute to the overall visual storytelling?

My assistants, Molly Belle and Brandon Alston, and I spent a lot of time looking into the story and representations of the characters over time. We looked into different interpretations and presentations of the story and talked about the character’s individual wants, needs, beliefs and views of the world they were in. We gathered images to reflect those ideas and their individual personalities first which were primarily abstract in nature and then moved toward research for the actual clothing. Knowing that conceptually we wanted a show full of color, we took great inspiration from children’s books and illustrations for the bold lines and colors we ultimately landed on. Throughout the design process we continually checked in with the development of the scenery, lighting and sound ideas to make sure that we were all headed in a unified direction to create the visuals that supported the directorial concept to bring that to life in the best way possible while supporting the story and characters.

4) Given the period setting of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, how did you balance historical accuracy with creative interpretation in designing the costumes? Were there any contemporary influences that inspired your designs?

As a designer, one of the things I find challenging but extremely fun conceptually is looking at historical research and infusing it with contemporary influences to present something that feels period but is seen in a new way. There were a lot of contemporary influences in color and pattern and the way people combine things in fashion today that you might not think should go together…even my 8 year old was an influence in the way he puts colors together and mixes and matches sets of clothing to express himself. Through the historical research though we actually found many examples of bright clothing, bold patterns and details we were not expecting. We gathered and collaged image boards with all these influences that we then posted around us so as we drew out the individual character designs they continued to inspire ideas.

5) Collaboration is key in the production process. Can you share insights into how you collaborated with the director and other members of the creative team to ensure that the costumes align with the overall vision for the production?

Collaboration is one of the main reasons I love designing. I was lucky to have Molly and Brandon working in the design studio with me preparing for this design for several months last summer prior to the work in the shops being started. During that time the director and creative team would meet through zoom and sometimes in person to share and present new ideas and these meetings were so important to the process. Hearing someone else talk about the concept or a lighting idea that then inspires something else in the costumes or set is what it is all about. It is the fun part! Julian worked very closely with us to understand each actor’s track and exactly what was needed moment to moment to achieve the overall vision. We all kept each other updated through online folders as well so that in the times between meetings we could still collaborate and stay on top of new developments. I really value the meeting times and sharing ideas…that is how we manage to make everything come together when we get to the technical rehearsals where everything is finally in the same place on stage together, months and months of work in different areas and then it comes together…it is a lot of hard work but it is also magical.

6) Do you have any favorite costumes or specific design elements in A CHRISTMAS CAROL that you are particularly proud of or that hold a special significance? What makes them stand out?

Oh that is tough…it is hard to pick a favorite. I had a lot of fun with the ghosts! I think the Ghost of Future stands out since it is not the more typical black figure but instead is layers and layers of white, grey, silver and icey blue tattered fabrics reflecting the cold and sadness of Scrooge’s potential future. I also especially love the homeless…I guess that might seem funny as you don’t see much of their costumes but if you did you would find that they are made from piles of reused and thrifted colorful sweaters cut up, distressed and layered in various ways creating a lot of texture and interest. Molly and I had a great time creating those. The stripes on Scrooge’s servants too…oh and the whole Cratchit family….they were so unique and exciting to create with their layers and patterns and colors. Hmmm….I don’t know, it was a rewarding and immensely creative process having the opportunity to work closely with my assistants and create such a colorful, newly imagined version of this story with Julian and the creative team!

7) Looking ahead, are there any upcoming projects or styles of costume design you are excited to explore in your future work?

Well, I am currently in the process of designing Die Fledermaus as part of the CofC Stages season in collaboration with the Opera Program at the College of Charleston and I think the concept for that production is allowing the team to play a lot with style and color especially for the Act II party, so I am looking forward to where that leads. A great thing about designing costumes is that every production offers a new challenge in storytelling, distinct research, different collaborators and lots to explore, so the excitement keeps going.

Get your tickets to see A CHRISTMAS CAROL, running December 1st – December 22nd, at CharlestonStage.com.

Janine McCabe is the Chair and Costume Design Professor for the Department of Theatre & Dance at the College of Charleston where she regularly designs and mentors student costume designers for the department’s CofC Stages season, for which she also serves as Artistic Director. Recent designs for CofC Stages include VIOLET and THE MAGIC FLUTE. Janine’s work at Charleston Stage includes designs for CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, WHITE CHRISTMAS, THE UNDERPANTS and SHERLOCK HOLMES-THE FINAL ADVENTURE. She also serves as resident designer for PURE Theatre where designs include MLIMA’S TALE, HONORIA QUIETLY DRAWING STRENGTH FROM HER TRUTH, BEN BUTLER, THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY, THE CHILDREN, THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT, LAST RITES, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, THIS RANDOM WORLD, FUN HOME, THE ROYALE, THE (CURIOUS CASE OF THE) WATSON INTELLIGENCE, A SUDDEN SPONTANEOUS EVENT, MARIE ANTOINETTE, and more. Regional Costume Design credits include productions at Flat Rock Playhouse NC, Fringe NYC, Barrow Group NYC, and Trustus Theatre SC. Broadway Assistant Costume Design credits include: THE WEDDING SINGER, WONDERFUL TOWN, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, THE LOOK OF LOVE, A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, KISS ME KATE. Other local designs include SALT IN THE SOIL and HOVER (Annex Dance Company), THE TRAGEDY OF CARMEN and DON GIOVANNI (Charleston Opera Theatre), the world premiere of LOVE AND SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT at the Charleston Music Hall, and most recently, the world premiere of DANIEL AND THE KINGS at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.