Visualize Your Space
A compelling and fully formed theatre experience isn’t complete without the work of visual artists. Technicians who execute on visions and unite under a common cause —to world-build and create transforming experiences for audiences. We spoke with four such multi-talented artists about how theatre creates these spaces.
Pictured: Cindy Bakke, dedicated costumer & makeup artist in the area for the past 20 years; costuming & makeup instructor at Augustana University; longtime contributor & technician to the Mighty Corson Art Players; 2021-22 Sioux Falls Stage Award nominee for Best Technical Achievement for Augustana University’s Little Women; board vice president of the Mighty Corson Art Players (Credit: Peter Chapman)
What excites you most about the state of performing arts in the Sioux Falls community?
Cindy Bakke: One of the things I firmly believe and we’re starting to see is finally we’re starting to see people going out on their own and starting something… doing something! A rising tide raises all boats — the more activity we have, the more people will get involved. The more people that get involved, the more activity we’ll see. It just builds on itself. That’s what I want and am so thrilled to see starting to happen here. We have the talent, we have the ability — we just haven’t had the places for it to be. It’s lovely to start to see things flower.
Alexondrea Thong Vanh: When I came in 2020, I was shocked with what was here. It was small and up-and-coming. It was big enough that the opportunities were there, but small enough that I could be involved. It wasn’t an Omaha or New York — trying to bust through doors where there are tons of people. I’m shocked with how many different communities there are within the greater community, be it scenic designers or freelance artists or photographers or performers. It’s really well-rounded here. It’s what made me decide to stay — there are so many opportunities for me to explore and grow and feel comfortable enough to do so.
Sarah Larson: Coming back, I was trying to figure out where I was going to fit — to kind of find my place here. And the arts have always done that. In one way or another, it’s saved my life every day, I feel like. I try to do lots of different things, so sometimes it feels like you’re doing all the things, but nothing well. But it’s been a really lovely space to be able to explore even more. I feel really lucky and excited to be a part of the theatre community here. Growing up here, being away for a long time, I’m hoping to bring some of the culture that I love to find back with me. Because we can love it here — we just have to find our people and our space.
Jill Clark: It’s such a welcoming community, too. They open doors to anybody and everybody. When I finished school, I had that panic — “Am I good enough? Am I going to have to wait it out for a few years?” — and then I immediately started getting calls to come work up here. It’s completely open arms — there’s no gatekeeping that you see in other, bigger arts communities. Everybody is willing to welcome you, but also help you grow. I’m very thankful for the Sioux Falls arts community, because you can see so much camaraderie and so much support that it’s really inspiring and very genuine.
SL: I think about the kids, too — when we’re pulling arts programs because we don’t have the funding or the resources. It’s such a safe space and place for people to be, so we’ve got to protect it and build it.
Pictured: Alexondrea Thong Vanh, local freelance artist, stage & commercial performer & technician; frequent charge scenic artist & performer for the Premiere Playhouse; scenic charge & performer for the Good Night Theatre Collective; recently collaborated as a performer with Broad Cast Theatre; and 2021-22 Sioux Falls Stage Award nominee for Best Leading Actress in a Play or Musical for Good Night’s Into the Woods (Credit: Peter Chapman)
What’s the most gratifying thing about being a visual theatre artist?
CB: When I start the costuming discussion with students at Augustana, I always say that you can take any play and you can tell the actors that we’re going to do it with what you have in your closet, and that’s a legitimate choice if that’s the director’s concept. These choices tell you something about that show right away. Say, if you take a Shakespeare show or Drowsy Chaperone and you put it in its period, it’s a completely different experience. That’s what I love. How many times haven’t I heard, even professional performers, “I put that costume on, and it suddenly all became clear.” I think about (Augustana’s recent production of) Little Women — modern-day young people who might not even know what I mean when I say, “You’re going to need a slip under that.”
[Laughter]
CB: It’s completely different now, and when they put on a corset and a petticoat, all of the sudden they move differently. Things that they’ve been struggling with all of the sudden kind of start to fall into place, because you feel like a slightly different person than when you’re all comfy in your sweats. All of the sudden you can’t slouch, because you have a corset on — you have to sit differently. I love watching that happen.
ATV: Theatre magic — transformation.
JC: The character coming to life!
SL: There’s something really beautiful that happens, because you see these kiddos on stage, and you would never know that there’s bullying outside of there. There’s a light that shines. It’s so cool to witness and be a part of it. And as a costumer, putting someone in something they maybe wouldn’t have thought of, they walk out and there’s this light.
ATV: I think my favorite part is layering in all of those pieces. For a set, scenic-wise, there are a lot of layers that go into each piece. Alone, they might not mean much or might not be absolutely perfect. There are under-layers that you’ll never see — whether it’s set dressing or a costume on a person. I think when all those layers come together and click and the theatre magic happens, it’s transforming not only for the person, but also for the audience. They can feel that transformation, that magic, and they can sit in their chairs and be completely immersed in this world all these people have created.
JC: The collective experience.
Pictured: Sarah Larson, local costume designer & artist; communications coordinator with Arts South Dakota, a statewide arts advocacy organization; founder & owner of hARTt Studio in downtown Sioux Falls; collaborator with Dakota Academy of Performing Arts; and costumer for the Good Night Theatre Collective, including recent productions The Fantasticks & Salem (Credit: Peter Chapman)
CB: It’s like the difference between listening to an album and going to a concert. That’s hard to explain to people sometimes, that coming to see something done live has such a value.
JC: That shared experience of one moment that will only live in the present. That’s kind of what makes theatre and the performing arts in general really intriguing and unique. That one present moment will never be had by anybody else. You’re sharing it with the people onstage, backstage and in the audience — that one precious, magical moment together that will never happen again. Sometimes the things that go wrong can be beautiful, even — happy accidents.
ATV: It’s real, it’s genuine — it’s happening right now, in front of you. In the theatre, it’s also an escape from reality, which is my absolute favorite thing. I love to step into someone else’s shoes, someone else’s problems and forget about my own life for a minute. I love my life, my life is wonderful, but we all have our struggles, and just that escape from reality is magical.
CB: It’s astonishing the effect that being involved in theatre has on children. A great deal of it is the development of empathy. When you step into someone else’s shoes — maybe literally — if you’re doing it right, you then experience their emotions. You find out what it’s like to be another person. It builds empathy, it increases creativity. It’s not something that you can un-experience — that experience of living a life that’s not yours. It’s so important.
ATV: Theatre teaches empathy, absolutely. If there’s an audience member who’d never seen a particular show before, one that maybe questions their morals or makes them reflect on their own life or the way they see or view their own experiences… it really does teach them empathy. It heightens the quality of life.
JC: I’ve got intense stage fright — being on stage is the scariest thing in the world to me. But I was also that little kid running around backstage when my mom was in community theatre, helping the set people build stuff and not knowing it was a viable career option. It takes so many different types of talents to collectively create. It takes every type of personality and talent to be able to pull this thing off. When it comes to kids, it’s also so important to not only have them on stage but get them involved in general.
SL: There’s a place for you.
JC: There’s truly a home for everyone.
ATV: And children do it best, because they’re more trusting and willing to explore than adults! Sometimes we lose some of that, or try to constrict ourselves, when the exploration and learning process is never over. I think that’s something that’s so beautiful to learn from kids and continue to foster.
CB: At Corson, we’ve been able to give so many directors their first chance to direct, because our theater is the old Corson Township Building. It’s way over 100 years old, and the theater is tiny — we seat 100, 107 if we squeeze. It’s a very intimate space, and our audiences are so accepting. If you’re trying, they’re going to laugh, cheer and love what you do. We get lots of people saying, “This is my first time,” and we love to put people like that in our shows. Even better to get young people those experiences early so they can experience the wonder and the joy and are maybe more inclined to go to shows when they’re adults. Because they know what it means and what it takes.
Pictured: Jill Clark is a scenic designer & artist based in Vermillion, S.D.; a frequent scenic designer for the Premiere Playhouse, including recent productions of Young Frankenstein & The Odd Couple; scenic designer & collaborator for Vermillion Community Theatre & South Dakota Shakespeare Festival; and 2021-22 Sioux Falls Stage Award nominee for Best Technical Achievement for the Premiere Playhouse’s Cabaret (Credit: Peter Chapman)
How do you rate the importance of theatre-making as a team effort?
CB: I grew up in a family of jocks — I love sports. It’s just a part of who I am. And I talk with students all the time about how their activities in theatre are every bit as legitimate as the activities like basketball, football or whatever your thing is. You want to talk about dedication? About commitment? Time management and teamwork? When you’re on stage, you’re dependent on those people up there with you, and nobody wants to let the team down. You form that ephemeral family, and you’re all a part of it. You don’t hear “basketball nerd” but you sure as heck hear “theatre nerd.” And it’s so important that our students are able to value and express the things that they’ve learned, even if it’s a failure.
ATV: What you do when something wrong happens — that’s the key. It’s like life. Things are going to happen. But it’s how you deal with them is what matters.
JC: I’ve never seen a carpenter work faster than 30 minutes before go time when something breaks.
[Laughter]
JC: It’s that quick thinking and realizing the show is going to go on one way or another, so it’s finding a solution and implementing it and continuing on with your day. It’s that problem-solving.
SL: And it’s the listening to each other. What is working and what isn’t. It’s asking and listening — that partnership, too.
ATV: It goes back to the collaboration of the entire team — the different personalities, backgrounds and mindsets. There are so many elements and opportunities for all different personalities and strengths.
JC: On the design side, that’s one of my favorite parts about it, too. Starting the process with the director’s concept — and then you have five different people, five different designers who go away for a week and all come back with their ideas. And you get to bounce so many ideas off of so many different ways to approach the concept, working together to create to build something cohesive. It’s a glorious feeling. Show by show, working with different designers and directors, you get a different type of creative bounce-back. It helps you grow. For sets and costumes, many people would think we don’t have to get together and communicate, but, oh boy, we do!
[Laughter]
JC: If we’re having hoop skirts, we need to make sure we can fit through the doors! We need to make sure we’re picking colors where we don’t blend into the wall!
CB: And lights — is the black going to turn red under certain lighting? Oh no!
What’s your hope for the next generation of theatre artists?
JC: I just hope that it’s even an option. The skills that you learn by doing theatre and all of its different aspects, are so valuable in the rest of your life. I hope that it’s a viable option. Right now there’s a shortage of technical directors — carpenters, contractors. There are so many jobs out there for this kind of thing, but I don’t think there are very many people that know that you can make a living doing this. You can make it a career and a life. For the next generation, I would hope they know it can be more than just a hobby.
ATV: There’s a space for everyone, and there’s always room to grow and explore. I think if you’re not afraid to take that jump and to be vulnerable creatively and be willing to learn, theatre is a great option. It’s a perfect option. You’ll be welcome with open arms.
SL: And to know you’re worth it. And there’s a place for you. A place and a space for you to shine your light and be your person. To advocate and listen to who they are and know that they’re loved.