12/11/2016
NYC, DECEMBER 10, 2016
CONVERSATION WITH JON REILLY, 'DRESSER' FOR:
METROPOLITAN OPERA,
LINCOLN CENTER,
NYC
MW: Welcome to Thar Barr, Jon Reilly!
Before our Q&A, can you explain the role of a 'Dresser'?
JR: Well, a 'dresser' comes into a production-be it a theatrical show, opera, live event, or film-after costume design then they're 'built and fitted' by a costume shop. A dresser's job is to maintain the look envisioned by the costume designer for every live performance or film shoot. Dressers in live performance help the artists get into costume about 30 minutes prior to performance just as the house is opening and audience is heading to their seats. And it's usually during these intense 30 minutes that a costume rip, missing piece or lost button becomes evident.
Of course we're always 'on' to help with quick changes throughout the performance and do any last minute costume repair. As a dresser, maintaining the integrity of the costumes and the designer's vision is the priority.
The Met is unique in that there's a costume shop on site for repairs, adjustments and design issues.
MW: What is it about your job that would most surprise us?
JR: People are always surprised to learn there's a whole army of dressers at the Met. Dressers work with many different artists in any given opera: the principals, chorus, and supernumerary. Break that down again into men, women and there's also a children's department. Now that can add up to dozens of artists and performers to be dressed in a brief amount of time and must be done perfectly.
MW: Jon, you said as a dresser 'it can take an army'!
JR: Definitely! It's not just about 'size' of any particular opera, it's about the costume details. For example, 'Aida' has probably 30 dressers while 'Tristan and Isolde' required total of 5 male dressers. Without a doubt, 'Madame Butterfly' was the most complicated in terms of the numerous steps of layering the beautiful kimonos. These layers must be configured 'just right' to conform with designer's vision. The audience may not notice a small error....but we would.
MW: Hogwarts has nothing on the Met!
JR: Yes, seriously the building that houses the Metropolitan Opera is massive! It's a giant maze with a total of nine floors. I work there every day for years and still discovering the secrets in the building. There is just so much to see and experience. I recommend everyone take a tour of the Met and be amazed by the architecture, beauty and ever changing set designs.
http://www.metopera.org/visit/tours for additional information.
MW: Tell us about your '15 second and 15 minute' theater challenges?
JR: Because I have a theater background I enjoy and live for super fast quick costume changes. While in California I was both costume designer and dresser for a certain live production. That's when my record of '15 seconds' costume change was set. Just off curtain I had only 15 seconds to change the lead actress out of a high neck- long sleeved embellished gown and heels into a casual skirt, blouse, and sneakers. Lots of rehearsal, coordination and trust went into making that nightly quick change a true 15 second miracle.
The '15 minutes' was just the opposite experience. I do NOT want to ever repeat this one! Missed my Long Island Railroad train into Manhattan and ended up running from W.34 St to W.42 Street with all the costumes arriving only 15 minutes before curtain. Racing through NYC streets carrying a ton of wardrobe during the height of human and vehicle traffic! It was insane and memorable. I call it my panic attack worthy moment.
MW: "There will be blood"......this requires a story Jon!
JR: Oh yeah....that's a fun one....I was a 'stitcher' during my California theater days. In my defense, the points of all straight pins seem to find my fingers and... pierce! Well, not the best thing to happen when you're building a white gown for a performance that evening. There was blood everywhere! After hours of laundry treatments and tons of my own sweat and tears, the blood finally came out of the gown. But I believe there's a white gown somewhere in California with traces of my DNA still present.
MW: Moving from traces of blood to brush with greatness....any memorable meeting with someone of fame?
JR: This was totally unexpected. While I was setting up for a 'quick change' for the 'Merry Widow' at the Met I was doing some quick tap steps. Kelli O'Hara (the 2015 Tony award winning Best Actress for Broadway's 'The King and I'; singer, actress, songwriter..YES...that Kelli O'Hara!! )...caught my tapping and stopped to compliment my dance steps!
MW: My cousin Eddy is in Australia at the moment. What advice would you give her regarding Kangaroos?
JR: Of course...I love Australia and the Kangas! Definitely I'll share my kangaroo moment for the sake of art, public safety and lessons learned from automotive design.
It was while I was assistant designer on a production of Peter Pan I had my one and only Kangaroo moment. This was an on stage kanga-crisis! During the performance Kanga's pouch split open and needed immediate repair. It would have taken too long to have the actor remove the costume so I improvised and with ninja-like moves approached the problem like an auto repairman . I got on my back checked under the chassis and repaired that pouch.
That Kangaroo gratefully returned to the stage.
Can't guarantee the same response from a real live Kanga!
MW: Thank you Jon for your time, humor, knowledge and great stories about your varied career in the theater and currently as Dresser with the Metropolitan Opera in NYC.
