Behind the Scenes with Lucy Strandquist

customImage
Lucy at work on the Addams Family costumes in the fall of 2022.

In the dead of winter, the MSA chapel radiated with the vigor of the Freaky Friday ensemble. The musical’s opening night was underway, and lead actor Lucy Strandquist shined brighter than her spotlight at center stage. Her spirit and virtuosity demanded the unwavering attention of her audience, a skill she had been cultivating for months. “I was nothing but ready,” she recounted. Everyone could feel it: this was her moment.

Freaky Friday had only three performances, but Lucy had run every line and song a hundred times before the curtain was drawn that night. However, it takes much more than saying the words on the page to procure the stage presence that Lucy boasts. With each flick of her arm, twinge in her face, and cadence in her voice, Lucy colors the condition and personality of her character. “When you’re on the stage,” she revealed, “every motion and word adds its own facet to the narrative. A good performer knows what those facets should be.”

As a fashion designer, Lucy knows that actors are not the only ones telling the story. Lucy has been sewing her clothes since she was seven, a skill she showcased at the 2022 prom in her self-made, sparkling, silver gown. During an Independent Study, Lucy also created garments inspired by the fashion of the 1960s and ‘70s, applying her own modern flare. Linking this passion with her appetite for theater, Lucy landed the title of Costume Designer for the fall musical, The Addams Family. With this position, she will not only be a star on the stage as Morticia Addams, but also a star designing behind the scenes as the invisible storyteller.

Director Christopher Celella commented: “Our drama program, by nature, encourages students to take initiative and get involved in the holistic theatrical process, from building sets to making costumes. When we chance upon versatile students like Lucy, it becomes apparent where their niches lie.”

Although last year’s productions were still feeling the repercussions of COVID-19, Lucy kept a top priority to mirror a character’s identity in their style and color of clothing. Fellow actor Lilly Miller remarked: “During rehearsals for Sealed for Freshness, Lucy would have discussions with the rest of the cast about how the colors in our costumes silently relay information to the audience about our characters. We would walk through the character biographies in the script, analyze how we could portray their traits through their attire, and frame the relationships between the sets and costumes.”

This year, Lucy wanted to further submit herself to the design process. Perusing the libretto (a musical’s text and sheet music), she noted how the outfits could parallel the story’s dynamic character arcs. She also explored the costuming in other portrayals of The Addams Family, such as the TV shows and movies, to discern how past designers have depicted the cast. After consolidating her research, Lucy began her concept sketches, aiming to preserve the famous styles while exercising her personal latitude. Lucy remarked: “In the musical, Morticia is not given the most dialogue to help the audience get a good sense of her character. To compensate, I wanted to make sure her costume accurately embodied her elegance, stoicism, and quiet allure. I tried to represent these traits by adding a corset detail and lace overlay to her iconic, slender silhouette.”

To actualize her research and sketches, Lucy began sourcing materials from the extant clothing of past MSA productions, upcycling their fabrics and sewing them into what would soon become the musical’s costumes. However, it was not just about joining textiles together to make clothes; Lucy was embodying the humanity of each character in their costume, walking so the actors could run.

Whether she is performing onstage, sewing in the art studio, or leading the Gender-Sexuality Alliance, Lucy is painting narratives. As she said, “MSA has become somewhere I can forge my own path.” On the Hill, students are not told who they should be; they are given the chance to show us who they can be. All it takes is a passion, and, here, anyone can write their own story.