Assembling The Ensemble

Library research,
then the drawing
board, precede
Edith Bookstein's
costumes for JET.
She has a modem
into the library and
r master's in
costume design.

C '?ANNE CHESSLER

,Special to The Jewish News

As Edith Bookstein works
with the Jewish Ensemble
Theatre (JET), she brings an
expanded meaning to the
word "ensemble." Ms. Books-
tein designs the costumes
for the professional Jewish
stage company.
At her Ann Arbor home,
she keys into a computer,
sketches at a drawing board
and sews at a machine to
prepare for the 1992-93
season. Her final ensembles
encompass what she resear-
ches about the times in
which the productions take
place and what she learns
during meetings with direc-

tors, set designers and
performers.
"This season I've been
very lucky and have read all
of the scripts," said Ms.
Bookstein, who has dressed
JET casts appearing in 11 of
its 12 productions staged at
the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield.
"In my mind is per-
colating how we can have a
visual continuity which will
be subliminal to the au-
dience but give the whole
season a cohesion. I think
we'll probably try to do that
with color because there is
such a wide time span."
The October/November
play, Today I Am a Fountain
Pen, is set in the 1940s. The
December production, The
Queen's Physician, dates
back 500 years to the expul-
sion of the Jews from Spain.
The April/May and June
comedies, Grown-ups and
The Square Root of Three,
are contemporary.
"Each costume is a
challenge," said Ms. Books-
tein, who received a
master's degree in costume
design from the University
of Michigan, where she also
has lectured. "I don't want
it up there to be a costume;
I want it to be the
character's clothes."
Each play requires four to
six weeks of outfit prepa-
ration.

"I try to do really
thorough, in-depth research
into who the characters are
from the information the
playwright gives and from
their milieu by looking into
the history," she explained.
"I try to make informed
choices by knowing a lot
about who the characters
are and what their
background is."
With a modem that con-
nects her to the University
of Michigan library, she
compiles list of books and
periodicals that provide
clothing references for each
project, using them as basic
resources for the sketches
she will show to the direc-
tors, who have final say.
For Today I Am a Foun-
tain Pen, she also is relying
on Sears catalogues from
the '40s to get a sense of
fashion at the time. In addi-
tion, she is contacting
Ukrainian cultural groups
to find ethnic wedding ap-
parel called for in the
drama.
Royal costume books and
museum contacts will be im-
portant sources for The
Queen's Physician.
Since the contemporary
comedies do not require
historical research, she can
focus on the emotional im-
pact. Because Grown-ups
presents cartoon-like cha-
racters, style will be exag-

gerated. Prints will be used
for The Square Root of Three
to bring out a merry look.
Ms. Bookstein visits fabric
stores both in the area and
in other states. To make
these trips cost-effective, she
tries to plan for as many pro-
ductions as possible in-
cluding the ones she is doing
for the Opera Company of
Mid-Michigan and the
Sheridan Opera House in
Colorado.
Afte taking cast measure-
ments, she drafts patterns,

Special objects in
the pockets help
actors further
capture the
character.

cuts the material and sews,
sometimes with the help of
professional stitchers.
"I'm in love with detail,"
said Ms. Bookstein, who de-
signs underwear to go with
the outerwear. She believes
that providing complete en-
sembles helps actors make
the transition into the cha-
racters they are portraying.
Even when she rents
costumes, she does research
to make sure what she has
rented includes all the
details needed to make the
garments look authentic.
"I have redesigned gar-
ments after seeing bodies
because I have to make the

actor look as the character
would look," explained Ms.
Bookstein, who won the
1991 Detroit Free Press
Design Award. "If the
character is somebody who
would present a different
image because of the per-
former's silhouette, then I
obviously have to make
those changes."
Sometimes she puts
special objects in the pockets
to help actors further cap-
ture the sense of the
character. For example,
when designing for
children, she will put small
toys in the pockets.
"Accessories can make the
difference in the costume,"
Ms. Bookstein said.
Ms: Bookstein, who also
designs for Detroit's Attic
Theatre and the Hope Col-
lege Theatre in Holland,
Mich., feels comfortable
about adapting to cast
requests.
"I try to be flexible in
making some modifications
to what the exact historical
or stylistic demands might
be in order to work for the
particular performer," she
said. "The bottom line is
they're out there, and they
have a job to do.

"My job is to make that
easier for them while help-
ing to strengthen the play
and the characterization."