Fil-Am taps magic and wonder in costume design for Shakespeare’s play

Progression of Filipino American Raven Ong’s costume design for Hermione in Utah Shakespeare Festival’s “The Winter’s Tale.” CONTRIBUTED

CEDAR CITY, Utah — Filipino American costume designer Raven Ong is designing the wardrobe for the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s staging of “The Winter’s Tale.”

King Leontes’ jealousy and rage spark the action in this romance by the Bard. Driven by nothing but his unfounded suspicions, Leontes falsely accuses his wife Hermione of infidelity and dire consequences follow.

Ong says that a Shakespeare play is subject to interpretation. “It can be anywhere and anytime. Building the world for the show is the most exciting part of the process.”

He explains that this particular staging sets the action in the early 1900s. “The Edwardian period serves as the main inspiration. Since the story has several magical moments and characters, we call it ‘Edwardian fantasy’ or ‘imagined Edwardian’ aesthetic.

“By going in this direction, we were able to create our own world of myth and our own visual vocabulary.”

Raven Ong returns to the Utah Shakespeare Festival after having previously designed the costumes for two of its school touring productions, “Othello” and “Much Ado About Nothing.” “The Winter’s Tale” marks his first mainstage summer show.

Credits

Ong has also designed costumes for New York Lyric Opera at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, La Mama Experimental Theatre Club’s world premiere of Fil-Am playwright Linda Faigao-Hall’s “Dying in Boulder,” and De-Cruit Theatre Company’s Shakespeare Triptych in New York.

Musicals include “Alice in Wonderland,” “Waitress,” “Kinky Boots,” “Matilda” and “Beautiful: Carole King Musical,” among others.

He is also the associate professor of costume design at Central Connecticut State University. As an educator, he has presented his paper “Filipiniana: Fabrics and Silhouettes in the Transnational Journey” at the Fashion, Costume and Visual Cultures conference in Roubaix, France.

Whimsy

When he was preparing to work on this show, “it was clear from the beginning that we would approach this play with childlike wonder and belief in the magic of wonder.

“After my meetings with the director Carolyn Howarth, I was reminded of the many things that were magical to me as a young child.

“My research process included looking at artworks by painters of the time such as John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini.”

While grounded in reality, Ong made sure to incorporate whimsy and fun into his work. A favorite childhood cartoon movie provided inspiration for his costume for the character Time.

“The piece is a large white cape with crinkled texture. To achieve this texture for dramatic effect, yards and yards of silk fabric were soaked, twisted and dried. There is a wide belt with a gold 3D printed spinning astronomical clock. It comes with a large gold round headdress with stars and sparkles.”

Ong says “The infamous ‘Exit, pursued by a bear’ stage direction is from this play and it took some time for us to design.”

He worked with the show’s scenic designer Apollo Weaver to craft the show’s “own unique version of Edwardian bunraku puppeteers with top hats and fur details. It is still winter after all!”

Professional

Ong also looks for practical solutions to real-world problems. “I needed to solve a number of looks for the Hermione character. I couldn’t afford two different dresses for two scenes.

“My solution was to create a two-in-one outfit where Hermione wears her base dress and a detachable beaded outer dress. This formula allowed for the outfits to still be able to tell the story without compromising the design, while also keeping within budget and designing economically.”

Ong adds, “Costume Director Jeff Lieder assembled a dream team. Working with highly skilled and brilliant people like drapers, stitchers, costume crafters, wigs and makeup made the process a dream come true.”

“The Winter’s Tale” runs June 18 to Sept. 6, 2024 at Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. Visit bard.org.

Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.