Peck School of the Arts’ next theatre production, “Dames at Sea,” a pastiche on 1930s musicals, opens this Wednesday. The show is notable for its slew of quick changes that give students an experience that reflects professional theatre.
The process of quick changes
A quick change is when a character changes from one costume to another, typically between 30 seconds to a minute. In “Dames at Sea,” theatre students have been challenged to complete several quick changes, some in fewer than 20 seconds.
“We do quick changes a lot,” said Jason Orlenko (Assistant Professor, Costume Design). “Out in the professional world, they happen a lot in musical theatre… If you go out in the industry, you are going to have a lot of changes.”
Throughout the process of preparing costumes for the show, Orlenko and his long-time collaborator Dana Rochester (Teaching Faculty II & Area Head, Costumes & Stage Makeup), alongside their team of student costumers, have experimented with a variety of quick-change materials, including snaps, zippers, and magnets.
For example, Orlenko decided to sew a pair of shorts and a top together with a large zipper in the back. This allows the actor to walk into their costume as the wardrobe crew zips it up seamlessly.
“When designing things, I try to think about where those quick changes are going to happen and how I can design the costumes to accommodate that,” said Orlenko.
Quick changes are done throughout “Dames at Sea,” but many of them come near the end of the show, when the three female leads do what Orlenko describes as a “cavalcade of quick changes.”
The collaboration of quick changes
Sophomore Alyna Williams plays the head chorus member, Joan, in what is her first collegiate-level theatre production. Williams has great love and admiration for the process of quick changes, in part because of the collaboration that is necessary to do them properly.
“Quick changes are one of my favorite parts of costuming,” said Williams. “I think it’s amazing that costume and stage craft students can help us because not many programs do that.”
Williams describes how collaboration is achieved by communicating closely with the crew, something that she does both on and off stage to foster a positive environment.
“I believe in not having a divide between the actors and the tech crew,” said Williams. “It is important to build those connections because these are the people who are going to be consistently helping you… You want to make sure you are communicating and collaborating.”
Senior Abby McBee similarly communicates with the wardrobe crew to ensure they receive the respect and recognition they deserve.
While dressers stay out of the spotlight, they are essential to the quick change process. McBee understands this as her character, Mona Kent, has six costumes and eight quick changes.
“A lot of these costumes were hand-made for the show, which gives students in the costume department such great experience,” said McBee. “I think Peck does a really good job at making it a good environment rather than an extremely stressful one.”
Actor mentality for quick changes
Quick changes can be stressful for actors and dressers.
“As an actor, if we start to panic then it can go downhill,” said McBee. “I feel like it can pull you out of the show mentality. I find it important to stay focused on the scene while also being present in what is happening backstage.”
Senior Sophia Roth encourages a calm atmosphere backstage, understanding that it is important to stay in the moment of live theatre.
“Quick changes can get really stressful,” said Roth. “The main thing is knowing that live theatre is live for a reason. Things happen and it all will come together in the end… For me it is really about staying in character, staying calm, and letting the costumers do their work.”
In “Dames at Sea,” Roth plays Ruby, a small-town girl from Utah who comes to New York with Broadway dreams.
Roth’s quick changes in “Dames at Sea” are full circle to her stage debut. At nine years old, Roth was in “Mary Poppins” and saw quick changes for the first time, something she remembers fondly to this day.
“I was backstage, and I remember seeing the process of [Mary] getting changed,” said Roth. “I was absolutely enamored… Being able to experience that myself backstage feels very professional and very Broadway.”
Roth’s memories are just one example of the magic that quick changes bring to the experience of live theatre.
“Dames at Sea” opens on March 5, 2025, and runs through March 9, 2025, at the Mainstage Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit the PSOA events calendar.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25