TSF opening night requires many long work hours
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

Jennifer Schottstaedt works on costumes for the play, The Royal Hunt of the Sun during one of three work sessions put in each day to get the TSF ready for opening night. These professionals work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in three sessions to get ready.

The Shakespeare Festival has one play with thirty cast members. Translated, that means thirty costumes and with multiple actors wearing the same type of costume it all adds up to lots of cutting and sewing.

For those duties TSF needs a dedicated group of stitchers, cutter/drapers and first hands. For a better definition that simply means someone has to create the patterns for the costume, someone has to cut them out and them someone has to sew them together.

Jennifer Schottstaedt, from Mainz, Ger., now living in Georgia, is a First Hand. "I work between the stitchers and the cutter/drapers," said Jennifer. "I do cutting, if a stitcher has a question they come to me first and if I can't answer it, then we go to the cutter/draper."

Jennifer said because of the massive amounts of work for The Royal Hunt of the Sun there are two teams working on that play as well as the Twelfth Night. "I can also work as a stitcher if needed," said Jennifer, who is working for the first time with TSF.

"I have done summer stock a couple of times, but so far this is my favorite place to do summer theater. The people have been so nice here," said Jennifer.

Jennifer said she wants to go into performance and travel through Europe, England and France to work.

Jennifer also has worked on "1776," the musical. "My work will be done in six weeks," said Jennifer. "The biggest challenge for me is problem solving when working on a costume."

One costume being worked on is a mourners' costume. There will be a dozen mourners on stage at the same time, "which means we need 12 costumes just alike and then sized to fit each actor," said Jennifer.