From television and film to the stage, costume designer Sarah Voon makes her theatre debut with ATC’s MARY: The Birth of Frankenstein – a reimagining of Mary Shelley’s gothic creation.
Sarah Voon is the costume designer for the world premiere of Auckland Theatre Company’s MARY: The Birth of Frankenstein.
How did it feel getting that call from Oliver Driver – and what made you say yes?
He asked me at his 50th birthday party. It seemed like a great idea at the time – there were a lot of thespians around and I was intrigued by the story. There were no real limitations for design. I was told to just go for it, so I did.
What surprised you most about designing for the stage compared with the screen?
I found it a very collaborative process. Filming is collaborative as well, but it’s different. Theatre is a lovely experience. Attending the script development workshop and being able to see the actors reading the parts allowed me to see the script come to life. This was really helpful in determining the designs and how they would work on stage.
How did you take all the costume designs, knowing there’d be a lot of blood? Did it require more research into fabric, wear and tear?
My initial thought was, Oh, my gosh! All the repeats we’re going to need. And then it’s like, hang on! No, you can’t, because it’s stage. You’ve only got one take. So, the only repeats you need are clean costumes for the next night.
What design challenges came with creating costumes to be used before a live audience?
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Advertise with NZME.People kept telling me not to be so hung up on the finish, because it’s stage, and the audience is relatively far away. It’s not like HD film or TV. But in saying that, they do have to be really well cut and able to withstand a lot of physical action. I designed Power Rangers for years, so have a lot of experience with costumes needing to respond to action. The costume builders – Amethyst and Laura – have been fantastic. We’ve added things like action gussets in pants, so actors can kick and throw themselves around and hopefully not split their pants.
How did you research the project, given it is a period piece?
This is such a smart, intelligent, funny and cutting script. I read it thoroughly to find the bits that intrigue me. From there, I did a deep dive. For this project, I read Frankenstein. Research is one of my favourite parts of the process. With costume design, we always start from an authentic place, a real place. The line of all the costumes is true to the era, but then we explore how we can play with that. The poets from this period were Bohemian and really quite a different crowd of young people – making their mark and living their lives. They were holed up in this villa, and they really let loose, which surprises people about the era.
Tell us about some of your career highlights.
I’m working on one of them at the moment – the third in the latest trilogy of the Evil Dead films, Evil Dead Burn, directed by Sebastien Vanicek. They are a fantastic horror film series, and it’s so great to work on them.
I also costume designed the recent film Mārama (2024) – by writer-director Taratoa Stappard – set in the 1850s in Yorkshire, but filmed in Auckland and Dunedin. It hasn’t been released yet, but it was a huge achievement on a low budget with a fantastic team of costume makers and crew.
Where do you get your design inspiration from?
I love film. I love TV, but also fashion. I’m a big fashion fan. Art galleries and travel are also inspiring. I recently went on a trip to Sydney, and it was full of life. The art gallery there was amazing.
Who are your favourite designers, and how do they inspire your work?
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Advertise with NZME.NZ designers who inspire me are Kristine Crabb, Kate Sylvester (recently taken over by her three boys as Sylvester), and Wynn Hamlyn. International designers I love are Alessandro Michele, who was the creative director for Gucci from 2015-2022, and Demna, who was with Balenciaga but has recently taken over at Gucci.
Some of the inspiration for the MARY costumes has come from recent Gucci shows and how they put things together. I love the way they have an eclectic op shop vibe mixed with sportswear.
What first drew you to costume design as a career?
When I left school, I wanted to become a fashion designer. I applied to the Wellington Fashion School, but didn’t get accepted because I was too young. So I decided to open a market stall and sell clothes. I’ve always been into fashion – making clothes, designing clothes. Then I went travelling. When I came back, I started nannying for a friend of mine who was a costume designer, Glenis Foster. Every now and then I went to set. I loved the vibe and thought it was amazing. She gave me some work, because I could sew. My first job was working on a film called Broken English, which was back in the nineties. After that, I was hooked. I worked on Hercules and Xena, starting at the very bottom as the assistant to the second unit standby, and then worked my way up. In 2000, I designed my first show, which was called Being Eve, and I’ve been designing ever since.
What advice would you give to budding designers wanting to step into the industry?
I believe that set experience is really helpful. Knowing how your designs translate to the actors wearing them is so important. I would say, get yourself a job on set. You need to be keen, be helpful and listen and suck up as much information as you can. You need to see the business from the other side. Then your work will be so much better, because you’ll understand what it looks like from behind the camera. A lot of people think it’s just about making things look nice, but you’ve got to make costumes work for so many different facets of filming and still convey the story.
What costumes have you seen that have inspired and wowed you?
All costumes designed by Milena Canonero. Her films include The Shining, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Marie Antoinette. Also, Holly Waddington, who designed Poor Things, Lady Macbeth and Atonement. I had Poor Things in the back of my mind when I was designing MARY.
Auckland Theatre Company’s MARY: The Birth of Frankenstein is playing at the ASB Waterfront Theatre from August 21 to September 7.
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