By Francesca Olsen
Photographs by Eric Korenman

Costumes are part of the fabric of a show; they bring you into a new place, a new dimension, and let you immerse yourself in the theater. But they need to be just right—or else they may just fall flat. The artists at Barrington Stage Company (BSC), celebrating its 30th season this year, know this well. “If it goes well, it looks effortless,” said BSC Artistic Director Alan Paul. “But a lifetime of artistry has gone into those decisions, and that’s what makes the theater such a wonderful and unusual place.”

Their costume department is led by Matthew Torbett, who has spent three summers at BSC. He manages a team of seven, working with designers, actors, and the show’s artistic team to create costumes that are adjusted and scrutinized up until the second they hit the stage. His team works to put together costumes that take audiences into different worlds, like the nightclubs of the French Riviera in “La Cage aux Folles,” which will run June 11–July 6, or outfits that look like everyday wear but tell a sartorial story. “Our job is to bring whatever the designer has in mind to life,” Torbett said. “‘La Cage’ is not without sequins and feathers,” said Paul. But in a show like “Forgiveness” by Mark St. Germain, a courtroom drama that ends with a vote from the audience (July 30–August 25), costumes need to offer more subtlety. “Things that may not have the biggest impact on first sight are sending you a subliminal message about a character,” he said. “What would you wear to court knowing you’re going to be asking for official forgiveness? How do you want the court to see you?”

The costumers’ job isn’t done until the actors are on stage—the costume team is constantly adjusting, changing, and cutting. BSC Associate Artist Sara Jean Tosetti, who has designed costumes for many seasons and also works in opera and TV, has her own “memorial bow wall.” “Nearly every show, she’s put a bow on something, and then it’s been cut on opening night,” Torbett said. “Things are always changing,” Torbett and his team “work less like a manufacturer and more like a couturier,” creating hand-finished, custom pieces for each performer. They sometimes borrow from Barrington’s incredible archive, which has decades of costumes, including gems like the entire costume collection from the Broadway revival of “On the Town,” which launched at BSC in 2013. In honor of that 30th anniversary, Torbett expects to pull some classic costumes out that fans may recognize, reworking and refitting them for the performance and the actor. There’s one particular layered gold dress, originally made for the witch from “Into the Woods” that keeps getting sliced. “It’s like…oh, well, I guess it’s going to lose another layer this year,” Torbett said.

Drapers are the ones who work with designers to create a pattern; “they turn 2D into 3D,” Torbett said. “First hands” are the first people who touch the fabric—they’re using the pattern to cut materials that become a costume. Stitchers sew everything together. There’s also an additional six-person wardrobe team that gets everything ready for showtime and coordinates offstage costume changes that need to happen in seconds flat. This is legacy work; Torbett learned from veteran costumers, who learned from the generation before them. “It’s really special to me as a maker to be able to have this knowledge,” he said. “It’s connective to the costume makers of the past; we’re all using the same techniques.” Working collaboratively, Torbett’s team draws on those skills to figure out the details. “How should we build it? what is the hem technique? what fabrics should we use to give us movement and the feel that we want?” Barrington Stage has attracted top talent to the Berkshires since its inception. This season, Torbett will work with professional costume designers including Tosetti and Emmy Award winner Jen Caprio, and actors including Debra Jo Rupp, Christopher Innvar, and Mark H. Dold, who will star in BSC’s production of “Boeing, Boeing.” “We’re going to be building some fun things for her,” Torbett said of Rupp. And there’s no feeling like seeing your work shine on opening night, “no matter what the stressors have been,” said Torbett. “That’s why it’s all worth it.”

The costume shop is in the Wolfson Center on North Street, along with rehearsal and office space; Photo by Ben Garver

The Icons

Six ensembles worthy of their own standing ovations

A Little Night Music 2022
This hand-painted dress was made for the 1998 production, and brought back for 2022 (Julianne Boyd’s last show as artistic director), when it worn by Emily Skinner, now on Broadway in “Suffs.”
Costume design by Sara Jean Tosetti (BSC Associate Artist)

On the Town 2013
Barrington Stage Company houses all of the costumes from the Broadway production of “On the Town” in its stock! This costume was worn by Alysha Umphress. She’s a BSC Associate Artist and will be performing her cabaret here this summer.
Costume design by Jess Goldstein

Follies 2005
Matthew’s favorite set in the BSC stock!
Costume design by Alejo Vietti (BSC Associate Artist)

Pirates of Penzance 2016
As Mabel, Scarlett Strallen wore this confection of a dress, its ruffles and ribbons characteristic of Victorian era fashions.
Costume design by Jess Goldstein

Broadway Bounty Hunter 2016
Jeff McCarthy, now a BSC Associate Artist, wore as Mac Roundtree.
Costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley

Into the Woods 2019
Little Red’s costume was worn by Dorcas Leung. She’s now starring on Broadway as Georgie in “The Notebook.”
Costume design by Jen Caprio (BSC Associate Artist)

The costume shop is in the Wolfson Center on North Street, along with rehearsal and office space; photo by Ben Garver