SEUSSICAL
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When director Tina Kailiponi invited me to design Seussical, I wanted to take a different approach than the many productions I had researched. Too often, the costumes looked like ordinary clothing, which felt uninspired compared to the whimsy of Dr. Seuss. With encouragement from my husband, illustrator Craig Mullins, I explored ways to create a two-dimensional look that reflected the original books. I studied the illustrations closely, focusing on their bold colors and black outlines, and was especially inspired by a production from the Encore Theatre Collective that captured the playful, graphic quality I wanted to bring to Maui.
 
From there, the design process became about translating those illustrations into wearable art. Each costume used a simplified palette of two to three colors, with collars, cuffs, and pockets edged in black to mimic drawn outlines. Volunteer textile artists hand-painted folds and shadows directly onto the fabric with acrylic paint, giving the costumes the feel of illustrations while remaining durable enough for laundering. The set designer and scenic painters joined in, creating a backdrop with a limited palette so the bright costumes stood out, uniting costumes and scenery in a cohesive, storybook world. The process was a true collaboration among costumers, scenic painters, and textile artists, all working together to build a cohesive, playful world that delighted the audience.