By Micah Stipech
Jill Hackbarth, in charge of makeup; and Jolene Ringhofer, in charge of costuming, hold other duties (as is natural in a lower-budget theatre production,) these two work together to practically decide the ‘look of the musical.’
“I am present at the very beginning, meeting with our team and assisting in the audition process,” says Jill Hackbarth, the makeup artist for this process.
Ringhofer backs this up, saying, “Stacy [Galvan] usually has a summer production meeting, and that’s when I got brought on board.”
Hackbarth originally got involved as the makeup artist in 2018, when Redwood’s drama teacher Galvan brought her on- filling that roll- for “Suessical the Musical.”
Ringhofer, on the other hand, had been involved since the turn of the century, when her eldest attended Redwood. Now, they’re a regular part of the process.
With such a daunting task of cultivating a look for so many students performing an entire musical, how do these decisions get made?
Ringhofer speaks on the importance of costuming saying that a costume is a part of the character. Talking about this process, she says, “I start studying time periods, and then how do I make a student look like that?”
Photo by Gigantea staff Aidan Hatch, ’22
Hackbarth also spends much of her free time researching. She says, “There is usually an extensive amount of time and research that goes into each character’s look.”
Hackbarth then meets with Ringhofer, “To view costume ideas to determine the styles or colors I will incorporate. I design each look on myself and alter it based on the actor’s face.”
The work doesn’t stop there; they double up helping the choreographer with the dance numbers and help lead students. “Adrienne and I get together frequently to work on choreography and discuss what we are wanting to convey within a dance number,” says Hackbarth.
Now, with all of this work, with all of this dedication, and with all that these two sacrifice to see this musical happen, one question has to come to mind; why?Jill Hackbarth’s favorite part of it all was- two heart warming words- “the students.”
“Investing your time, energy, and care in the younger generation is such a rewarding experience. Being able to work with them in choreography and makeup/hair, two of my passions, brings me so much joy; it’s hard not to fall in love with the cast. The kids who come through the drama room are pretty spectacular.”
Jill Hackbarth
Talking about the students, Ringhofer states her joy in, “Watching them maybe when they first start be a little bit timid, and then seeing- especially the four years that have gone through all four years- seeing how confident they get.”
These two are working in overdrive to give the student body a gift; both in the actors and performers, and to those simply enjoying their hard work.
February 17 and 18 at 7pm, and 19 at 2pm are the musical showtimes. It will take place in the L.J Williams Theater. General admission tickets will cost $12.00.
Tags: A&E, arts, arts & entertainment, arts and entertainment, costumes, Micah Stipech, musical, musicals, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, Redwood Musical