Costume Director Kristin McClain on The Stories Woven into Dracula Costumes
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) will perform Michael Pink’s Dracula this Halloween weekend. Based on Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic horror story, the production is filled with romance, terror, and peril — all emotions both enforced and reflected in its costumes. Surrounded by dramatic fabrics, PBT’s Costume Director Kristin McLain highlights the stories woven throughout them.
This year, for Michael Pink’s Dracula, PBT rented costumes from Milwaukee Ballet. Along with the actual pieces, McLain and her team received a lookbook with various instructions, photos, and details regarding the production’s costumes; hair and make-up also have a reference sheet in this book. From information on how the costumes are worn to specific details about washing them, McLain and her team use this book as a guide. Explaining that this year’s package didn’t include a few wigs, she shares that the lookbook’s photos will help them recreate the original pieces to the best of their abilities.
Dracula
In PBT’s atrium, McLain holds up Dracula’s coat, illuminated from the light above so that its velvet texture and ombre colors stand out. Melting from a vibrant red into a deep maroon, the coat allows Dracula to blend into his dark surroundings, McLain explains. It is heavy, which gives Dracula a weighted presence but also limits his movement. McLain points to another dresser, where a flowy replica hangs. In one specific scene, Dracula makes a grand entrance with a lot of wind. The lighter, more silky fabric catches it and forces the coat to flutter dramatically behind Dracula. Unlike Dracula’s original cape, this one moves with little hesitation.
The Villagers
Next, McLain turns to a patterned skirt that belongs to one of the Villagers. Very full and heavy, the costume is made of various natural fabrics, such as cotton and linen. Almost as if pieced together, the skirt features beading, small mirrors, and embroidery. It is incredibly detailed. McLain explains that the vibrant colors read very intensely on stage, a reflection of Jonathan Harker’s severe warnings about Dracula.
Dracula’s Brides
McLain’s passion shines through with every piece that she chooses to highlight. Picking up a white, torn dress, she contextualizes its tattered fabric by describing one of the Bride characters who wears it —a woman who turns into a wild vampire. She points out a collection of coins on the waistband, threading a connection between the shiny artifacts and potential background stories. The individual elements, she says, make her wonder about the women- who were they before they were vampires? She speculates that they may have once been villagers themselves, given their costumes’ similar embellishments.
The Undead
The Undead’s costumes are McLain’s favorites; she describes them as “super-fun”. Ripped to shreds, the costumes reveal the artist’s hand and process. They also, despite seeming to be the same black color, reveal various purples, blues, browns, and greens under the stage lights. According to McLain, an inherent black color does not exist- it is the darkest version of another color. Enhanced by the fabric’s texture, this becomes apparent when on stage.
Renfield
Renfield’s straitjacket toward the end of Dracula is based on a historical design. “It is probably the most intense costume I’ve ever dealt with,” said McLain. There’s really no way to replicate being in a straitjacket, so they start rehearsing with it early in the process.
Tea Room Scene
This scene includes historical dresses, suits and vests from the late 1800s. The dresses are fashionable street clothes, with big skirts. A lot of the costumes are bright airy dress in light colors that signify a relaxing vacation. There is a lot of detail in these costumes, including lace, which indicated wealth during that era.
“I always sewed growing up,” McLain recalls. In addition to resonating with the idea that clothes are an extension of oneself, she finds that
“In ballet, there’s no dialogue, so you have to rely on the choreography, the emotion of the dance and how the dancer interprets the choreography, but then also the costume can tell you a lot about who they are in the narrative of the ballet.”
McLain shares that she appreciates distressed costumes because she knows what goes into making them —a fun, expressive process. It feels more organic to her to break something down after making it.
She finds that there is a lot of personal choice and storytelling within that, as “Pants are never just pants, a shirt is never just a shirt, it’s telling you something about the character.”
Experience these costumes in action and under the dramatic stage lights during Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Dracula at the Benedum Center from October 31st – November 2nd.