Designing a fairy tale
How a student designer brought over-the-top flair to CCM’s latest opera
Maura Kesterson spends her days, and most of her nights, sewing away in a vast, windowless workshop underneath Patricia Corbett Theater.
“Pretty much anything you can do in the costume department, I’ve done,” Kesterson said. A lifelong seamstress and performer, Kesterson was crafty enough in her career choices to land her at the University of Cincinnati, designing all the colorful costumes for a grand opera, a retelling of the charming story of Cinderella.
Kesterson taught herself to sew with books and online tutorials. Photo/provided
Kesterson is a master’s degree student studying costume design and technology at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music.
For her third and final year in the program, she is taking charge of the costume design for CCM’s fall opera, Cendrillon. Presented as part of CCM's Opera Series, the production is directed by CCM professor Brian Robertson and conducted by CCM professor Mark Gibson.
Cendrillon tells the classic fairy tale of Cinderella as a French opera. Just like Charles Perrault’s original Cinderella story, Cendrillon features the classic evil stepmother and stepsisters, the helpful fairy godmother and, of course, the Prince Charming at a luxurious palace ball. The timeless romance is brought to life by CCM’s student stars both on stage and behind-the-scenes.
Stitching a story
Kesterson explained that leading the Cendrillon costume design is a daunting task due to the college’s reputation in the performing arts world. “It’s definitely a big adjustment, the amount of responsibility that comes with the CCM name,” she said. CCM consistently ranks in the Top 10 most represented colleges on Broadway. “There’s a certain expectation of the caliber of our shows in order to match with our brilliant performers. So I definitely feel a bit of pressure,” she added.
“I designed Hair last semester, and I assistant designed for Clue: On Stage the year before that,” she said.
But Cendrillon is her first time leading design for an opera. She said this show presented an exciting and different opportunity to get more creative with her design decisions because of how CCM adapts its operas for a modern audience.
The fairy godmother grants Cendrillon her gown for the ball. Photo/Mark Lyons
“At our very first production meeting, director Brian Robertson already had an imaginative concept for the show,” Kesterson said. His vision threw away being “period-accurate” and instead wove a 21st century art movement called excessivism into the creation of the set and costumes.
“It critiques overconsumption and capitalism. There’s just so much stuff everywhere. For the costume design, the stepmother, the stepsisters, the royalty, they all have these huge bright and garish costumes.
Characters like Cendrillon's stepfamily embody the artistic movement of excessivism. Photo/Mark Lyons
“One of my friends likened it to the Capital in ‘The Hunger Games,’” said Kesterson. “I thought that was a great way to describe it because these people are trying to stand out and flaunt their excess wealth, even if they don’t have it.”
To contrast, the titular Cendrillon is the symbol of simplicity and elegance. Her gown embodies the idea of “less is more.” And for the fairy godmother’s design, Kesterson’s idea was to reuse what exists already in the costume shop. Her cape is full of fabric swatches and old costumes, breathing new life into them to tie into the themes of reducing overconsumption.
In the final year of her graduate studies, Kesterson is using the costumes of Cendrillon as her thesis work. “It’s very cool to have such a design-focused show for that,” she said. “I’ve been able to play a lot more with that than with my previous shows.”
Connecting threads
Kesterson got the itch to stitch when she was nine years old. “I was a very crafty child,” Kesterson said. “I taught myself how to sew with books and YouTube.”
Kesterson went to a performing arts high school and earned a bachelor of arts degree in theater, where she took her first wardrobe-focused classes. “I just kind of fell in love with it,” she said. “It’s a lot of the character development that I really enjoy, but translating that work into visual choices rather than acting choices.”
Kesterson explained that costuming blends her childhood hobby with her acting experience. “You get to do that acting work, but for every character. You have to understand them the way an actor would in order to understand what they would wear and why,” she said.
CCM's twist on the classic Cinderella tale is a group effort, both on stage and in the wings. Photo/Mark Lyons
“There’s always a level of mentorship in our program,” Kesterson said. Her assistant designer is a new student in her program, who will eventually head design for a future show.
“What I really love about the theatre design and production program is that it’s really competitive and there’s all these really incredible artists,” she said. “Everyone in their area has such a depth of knowledge about what we’re doing and how it works and collaborating together. I really love that ability to work with such talented, knowledgeable people.”
“The amount of time the theatre design and production students spend here is insane,” she said. “It’s a huge time commitment that isn’t really seen by a lot of people.”
CCM Opera Series' performances of Cendrillon run from Nov. 13-15. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office — discounts available for UC and CCM students, faculty and staff.
Next OnStage
There's more to explore — view our full performance schedule by month or visit the CCM Box Office website to buy tickets.
Stay up to date on CCM news and events by subscribing to our Next OnStage email newsletter, which is published every other Wednesday. Visit ccm.uc.edu/subscribe to sign up for email updates.
Featured image at top of Cendrillon and the fairy godmother singing with ensemble members surrounding them. Photo/Mark Lyons
Related Stories
See a concert or show at CCM: Fall schedule of major events now available
August 15, 2023
Experience world-class performances by the next generation of performing and media artists at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)! The college’s fall 2023 schedule of ticketed events is now available; tickets are on sale beginning 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15 through the CCM Box Office website.
CCM shares fall 2022 schedule of performances and public events
August 12, 2022
Audiences are invited to return to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s (CCM) concert halls and theaters to experience world-class performances and presentations by the next generation of performing and media artists! The college’s fall 2022 schedule of free and ticketed events is now available. Tickets go on sale beginning on Monday, Aug. 22, through the CCM Box Office website.
Giving Tuesday: Support CCM health and wellness
November 26, 2024
For the UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) community, Giving Tuesday offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact by supporting Student Health and Wellness. As our students dedicate themselves to the arts – pursuing rigorous schedules filled with practice, performance, and academic study – their mental and physical well-being is crucial.