SPECTRUM is Waterloo Region’s very first 2SLGBTQIA+/Rainbow community space that offers more than 30 different groups and activities each month, including: transgender peer support groups, games nights, SPECTRUM Prime for 2SLGBTQ+ adults 50+, and Rainbow Newcomers Connect. It serves, affirms, and supports the well-being of 2SLGBTQ+ people in Waterloo Region and welcomes all members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, their family, friends, and allies. Visit the SPECTRUM website.
The Prom at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse features the original Broadway costumes designed by Oscar and Tony winner Ann Roth
May 15, 2023
Multi-award-winning designer Ann Roth designed the costumes for The Prom, which opens on May 17. While she doesn’t appear on stage, Roth nevertheless plays a role in how the story is told.
Original Broadway costumes designed by multi-award-winning Ann Roth line the wardrobe department during rehearsals for The Prom at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
The hit, feel-good musical comedy The Prom arrives on stage at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse from May 17 to June 11, and, in a major coup, it will feature the costumes that were created by legendary designer Ann Roth for the Broadway production.
The show is about four down-on-their-luck Broadway stars who are in search of a way to revive their reputations. When a high school student being barred from bringing her girlfriend to the prom becomes national news, the narcissists from New York use the situation as an opportunity to highlight the issue and themselves.
Roth’s costume designs have appeared in about 130 movies and TV shows – including Midnight Cowboy, 9 to 5, Angels In America, Mamma Mia!, and The Post – and her work has been recognized with five Academy® Awards nominations for Best Costume Design. She won for World War II period drama The English Patient (1996) and her authentic 1920s creations for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), which, at the age of 89 years, 5 months and 27 days, made her the oldest woman to receive an Oscar.
She has also worked on dozens of stage productions, such as The Odd Couple, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Nance, for which she won a Tony® in 2013. Roth received a 2016 Drama Desk Award for New York musical Shuffle Along, and she was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2011.
The important thing for the actor to know is that you are there to help them find a character.
Costume designer Ann Roth in an interview with Anna Wyckoff for Costume Designers Guild
While she doesn’t appear before the cameras or on stage, Roth nevertheless plays a prominent role in the art of storytelling. Her costume designs help to express character and mood, and that requires a thorough understanding of the relationships between the characters, as well as in-depth knowledge of the period when the story is set. Roth needs to be as familiar with the script as any of the actors.
In a 2021 interview with the Costume Designers Guild ("Ann Roth: The Person In The Mirror" by Anna Wyckoff, June 21, 2021), she acknowledged, “The important thing for the actor to know is that you are there to help them find a character. You’re there for them. You’re not there for yourself. They’re not walking around with a board that says this dress came from Ann Roth. You help the actor find the character. That’s all.”
Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
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Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
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Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
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Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
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Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
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Ann Roth's costume designs for The Prom were built by Eric Winterling's studio in New York, with an incredible attention to detail.
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The Prom’s costumes were built at Eric Winterling’s studio in New York, which also realized Roth’s creations for Ma Rainey, Stepford Wives and The Post.
For three decades, Winterling has brought many top designers’ sketches to life, including for the Broadway productions of Frozen, The Wiz, and Wicked.
He told Broadway Direct ("5 Questions with Eric Winterling", Sept 23, 2021), "I am inspired daily by the designers who show me new and different ways to tell stories."
Echoing Roth, he added, "Costumes have to contribute to the story being told. They have to reveal the character."
Every costume that Winterling builds is bespoke, right down to the beading, embroidery, fabric dyeing, costume aging, and tailoring. "I don’t think people realize that so many things are made — that there’s no 'costume store'," he said.
The story of The Prom champions concepts of identity, empathy, inclusivity, communication, support, and hope. As is the case with most meaningful theatre, the road to this better understanding of others’ perspectives is paved with conflict. In this show, those themes include homophobia, mature language, micro-aggressions, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ religious implications, parental rejection, and verbal bullying. Our hope is that these themes lead to worthwhile discussions focused on the musical’s inspirational themes and encourage us to apply the idea we all are worthy of belonging, unique and valuable.
Drayton Entertainment is committed to creating safe spaces for our audience members and suggests the following local 2SLGBTQIA+ resources should you require support.
OK2BME is a set of supportive services for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) and questioning kids, teens, adults, and their families in Waterloo Region. Run by Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health, they offer confidential counseling (in person and online), OK2BME Youth Groups for individuals 12-18, as well as public education, consulting and training around 2SLGBTQIA+ issues. Visit the OK2BME website.
Pflag Canada is a national charitable organization with a local chapter, founded by parents who wished to help themselves and their family members understand and accept their LGBTQ2S children. The “coming-out” process can be a critical time for families. This support group for 2SLGBTQIA+ parents and parents with 2SLGBTQIA+ children can help. Visit pflagcanada.ca or reach out to the Waterloo Wellington Perth chapter through their Facebook page.
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