Go behind the scenes of Hamlet to see how costumes are made at Denver Center for the Performing Arts
The classic Shakespeare tale, Hamlet, is returning to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The show opens Sept. 13 at the Wolf Theatre. However, before the show opens, only CBS News Colorado was taken behind the scenes to see how dozens of costumes and wigs are created to bring the show to life.
Meghan Anderson Doyle, costume designer for the production, recently took CBS News Colorado into their creative process to show how a team of creators helps transfer audiences into another era through the costumes and wigs.
"It is a huge team effort," Anderson Doyle said. "It is so exciting to see the transformation."
Staff, like wig supervisor Diana Ben-Kiki, have spent months crafting each wig to fit each individual character and actor.
"I customize them to the actor's head, so they fit comfortably," Ben-Kiki said. "To build a wig from scratch can take 40 to 50 hours."
Brian Vaughn, who portrays 'Claudius' in this production, invited CBS News Colorado to tag along with him through a costume and wig fitting prior to the show opening. He sat in a chair as Ben-Kiki custom fit a wig onto his head.
"The color matching is amazing," Vaughn said. "Their work is so tremendous. Instantly I have hair, it is great."
While wig designers worked their craft, a team of costume designers were sewing together hundreds of designs that started as drawings.
"They build the actual garments that become the costumes for our actors," Anderson Doyle said.
Long before the actors for the production were cast, and before the set was designed, the team at the DCPA was creating the looks of each character.
"This production is based on the Nordic legend that inspired Hamlet. So, we have kind of Viking-inspired medieval costumes," Anderson Doyle said. "It is six to nine months of thinking through and working on. We have some of the best artists in the country working here and it is such a joy to collaborate with them."
Some of the materials seen on stage in the production were hand-selected in New York City. Even the smallest of details, possibly not even noticeable by many in the audience, are selected and placed with intention.
After having his wig fitted, and a custom crown placed on his head, Vaughn then returned to a fitting room to have a custom-designed robe fitted.
"It's transformative, you immediately drop into the character you are playing and this world we are establishing," Vaughn said after seeing his final costume look in the mirror. "It is unbelievable. You immediately get a sense of the period we are in, you immediately become a king all of a sudden."
This take on Hamlet will play the DCPA from Sept. 13 through Oct. 6 with tickets available online.
"The artistry here at the Denver Center is just unbelievable. So, this is just an actor's dream to get to wear a costume like this nightly. It is going to be a real thrill," Vaughn said.
"I love moments like this where we get to share the joys of our job, and how those details impact what we do. We really do it for our audiences. It is exciting to share," Anderson Doyle said.
CBS News Colorado is a proud partner of the DCPA.