MOLLY BLAZE
COSTUME DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
"What are you doing in my swamp?"
Character Body Modification
Once upon a time...
Fairy Tale Characters of Detailed proportions
What I am primarily known for in my costume design and technical creations, apart from remarkable fit, is my ability to layer and add strikingly detailed elements to bring each unique character to life. So much attention to detail is given about the palette for each character, how the layers define who they are and tell the audience about their role without them ever uttering a single word.
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For Shrek, the Musical, in particular, elements were curated down to the "toe" as custom shoes were made for the Three Bears and the White Rabbit; surface design was key to elevate certain characters into their proper iconic story settings. Wigs and headpieces were incorporated and styled to further enhance the costume. Belts, gloves, mismatched socks, fake fingernails - no detail was too small to overlook embodying the plethora of varied fairy tale characters on stage.
Mascots & puppets,
oh my!
Engineering the giant Greeter head was such a brilliantly fun task. Channeling my inner engineering brain from my father and my mad seamstress skills from my mother, Farquaad the great was created.
Additionally, I created the Gingy puppet complete with mouth plate for use by the Sugar Plum Fairy and detachable lower legs for the torture scene.
budget-saving
PERFECTION
I am largely known for my ability to make budgets stretch far beyond their normal capacity with resource-saving tricks and ideas. For the Duloc Dancers, in particular, as there was such a large quantity of ensemble members in this scene, I was able to replicate the "rigid" doll-like look normally created through much more expensive fabrics like vinyl and instead opted for a low-cost scuba material backed with blackout curtain liner to similarly achieve the structure, color, and sheen characteristic for the costume.
Costume Designer/Technician/Supervisor/Craftsperson: Molly Blaze (as Molly McKinley)
Director/Lighting Designer: Tyler Hutchinson
Photographer: Ronnie Sunker
Set Designer: Jared Thornton