KWMP's costume designer spent hundreds of hours creating costumes for upcoming musical

K-W Musical Productions has spent months working with local actors, on the music and choreography for their upcoming show, Shrek the Musical. And pulling the whole production together is the costumes.

Ann Mackenzie has been KWMP's costume designer for more than a dozen productions and this year's fantasy musical has kept her busy creating 75 costumes for 40 cast members.

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So far, she and her team have logged over 300 hours just in costume design — and their work's not done yet. She still has to launder and repair costumes for the company's 13-show run.

Rarely working from a pattern, MacKenzie said she loves using her imagination to create costumes. 

"I like when they are a challenge creatively," MacKenzie told CBC News. "It's the colour and the art side of it that appeals to me."

MacKenzie, a retired teacher, got her start in costume design when her daughters were in competitive dance.

Costumes for competitive dance are notoriously expensive, she said. So she started making costumes for her daughters, which eventually lead her to KWMP when the girls were cast in several musical productions.

Creative process

For this production, MacKenzie started working with director David Atkins early last year to ensure there was enough time to make all 70 costumes.

"I Insisted on auditions in June so that I would have that time," she said.

Her approach starts with a base for each character's costume, MacKenzie explained. Once a pair of pants or shirt is designed and completed, she moves on to the next character and adds to previous costumes as materials or ideas come to her. 

Since MacKenzie is working with a relatively small budget, $2500 for the show, materials come from a variety of places like Value Village or Len's Mill Store — even costumes from previous productions were reused.

Fiona's dress for example was pieced together from three different 80's bridesmaid dresses.

"We were only limiting her by budget," said Atkins, who has worked with MacKenzie for some time.

"When you have someone like Ann, who is talented both as an artists and a seamstress, it's great that she can make what ever she wants."

MacKenzie said her biggest challenge has been trying to find people who are confident sewers.

Often times, she said, she looks to people in her generation for help because, though there is interest, the younger generations don't have the necessary sewing skills.

"To take ownership for an entire costume, it's difficult to find someone brave enough to do that," she said.

However, ultimately, she feels "wonderful" when she sees the actors come on stage wearing the costume that took her and her team time and effort.

"The final product is obviously the goal in the whole thing, especially in this show," she said.

"That it has the look I wanted when I started. That when they go on stage it looks like what I wanted it to look like."