This past week at Littleton High School, the theater program put on the play Rhinoceros. It was filled with many amazing performances and costumes. However, taking a deeper look into the behind-the-scenes of the show, let’s talk about one of the people who made it truly come to life!
Senior Emery Burch is the head of the costume crew. She’s been a part of the crew for the past 3 shows Littletown has put on, but she’s done work for original theaters and volunteered for kids’ theater on the costume crew as well. Burch has always had a knack for sewing and embroidery; her grandmother was a seamstress and taught her how to sew when she was young, even getting her an embroidery bag to practice. Naturally, she fell in love with costuming and sewing.
She became the crew head this year, but volunteered last year for Litteltons performance of Cinderella when they didn’t have enough help. She was able to learn all about the job and became a crucial part of the theater. The job is a handful, and definitely has its ups and downs.
When asked what the hardest aspect of the job was, Burch replied, “I would say being able to lay down the law with your peers. It’s very difficult to tell your friends to stop playing around and start being productive.”
However, on the flip side, some of her favorite parts are being able to bring the characters to life through the costumes.
“I love to sew and make people look and feel good and really hone into the character they are becoming. It’s also an amazing way to make friends because, as costume head, you are interacting with not only your crew but all the actors as well!” said Burch.
She has been doing this job and been in this industry for quite a while, so she was asked to look back on the growth she has seen in herself through the years.
“I think that I have a much better sense of what my job actually is now. If someone is supposed to look a certain way, I know how to make that happen, versus just throwing things together because it looks right in a modern sense but maybe not in a historical sense that is being portrayed.”
She also mentioned how it made her grow as a leader and in her relationships with the people she works with. Burch plays a vital role in the school theater, and the shows would definitely be much different without her skill and talent, making the characters truly shine through the costumes.
