Jennifer Madison, Resident Costume Designer
Jennifer Madison is a perfect fit for Pegasus Theatre. Her work ethic, her sense of humor, her high standards, her ability to manage a budget, all of these traits are exactly what we look for in all of our designers. We feel so very blessed that Jennifer chooses to work with us each year!
How long have you been involved in theatre?
I officially had my start in theatre as a freshman in college, but by my sophomore year I realized costume design involved nearly all my favorite work in theater without any of the stage fright. After college I spent time at Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Cleveland Playhouse as an intern before completing a MFA at University of Texas. Since then I have kept busy with lots of work in Texas.
How long have you been involved with Pegasus Theatre?
My first show with Pegasus Theatre was XSR: Die! in 2013 and I have been hooked on perfecting grey tones ever since. [Editor’s note: Jen has a special talent for making grey tones look interesting! No where was this more true than the most recent production, Death is a Bad Habit! by Kurt Kleinmann. Jen had to costume nuns and monks and make it look interesting. And did she ever! There were no fewer than six different types of grey used to differentiate groups of characters in this last production.]
Any favorite moments so far with Pegasus that stand out for you?
Sitting in the first dress rehearsal for XSR: Die! and seeing it all come together. I’d looked at photos and talked to lots of people about creating the black and white effect, but it wasn’t until that first dress rehearsal that it all clicked and I understood how exciting it was in person.
You just recently designed costumes for Death Is a Bad Habit! Tell us something interesting about that experience, perhaps something you especially liked about it?
Death is a Bad Habit! was a big under taking for costumes this year. We created all of the nun habits, monks’ robes and Harry’s cassock for the show this year. The show took about 60 yards of fabric, and over 1,000 yards of thread to build everything. I had a very talented pair of seamstresses helping build the costumes and couldn’t have done it without them. December was a very busy month for my sewing machine with no free time for baking Christmas cookies this year.
What do you do when you aren’t working with Pegasus?
I’m designing for other theatre companies around town. In my free time I keep busy with baking, gardening, and travel.
Looking back at all your experiences, who would you say has influenced you the most in your theatrical career?
Looking back I’ve been lucky to have a ton of supportive people influencing my career. My grandmother took to see nearly every show that came through our small town, and even took me for a weekend trip to the Oregon Shakespeare festival in Ashland when I was growing up which fostered a love of theater for me as a viewer. I think it was my parents who influenced me to create a career in theater. My father is a farmer/rancher who loves his work, to the extent that he considered our family vacations to be herding cattle in the mountains, because we were working in a scenic area. Their example that one could do anything as long as they loved the work, and worked hard, has really shaped how I approach my work as an artist.
What comes next for you?
I’m looking forward to a very fun and busy summer with It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Murder! in the middle of it all.