Q&A with Civic Theatre's Costume Designer
December 11, 2025
Image provided by Civic Theatre from their 2024 stage production of "White Christmas".
As a part of our limited-run White Christmas Artifact Display, our friends at Civic Theatre generously gave us the opportunity to feature several unique pieces from their 2024 stage production of White Christmas, helping to bring the film’s magic to life on stage. Highlights include the design team’s recreation of the iconic Haynes Sisters’ blue feathered fans and the custom-designed costumes worn in the production.
We had the chance to catch up with Civic's Resident Costume Designer Adrienne Conces for a Q&A diving deeper into the dresses on display and the creative process that brought them to life on stage.
Meet Adrienne:
Adrienne has been the Resident Costume Designer for Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre since 2013. She received her B.S. and M.A. in Apparel Design and Historical Clothing from Ball State University.
When a show is based on such an iconic, historical work – in this case the film White Christmas – does that make it easier or harder for you to come up with a concept that reimagines that original work?
"It depends on what the audience expects. There are shows where the audience is more receptive to reimagined designs and concepts and others where the audience expects to see exactly what they’ve seen before. There’s a balance between your own vision and what the audience wants when designing an iconic work. White Christmas is one where reimagined visions are well received so it makes it easier. For example, I loved the original “Sisters” dresses but knew there were things I wanted to change. I pulled components from the original but wanted a richer brighter blue, a little sparkle, and to remove the full bodice overlay and sleeves. The result fits my vision of a brighter energetic dress."
How much time do you estimate each dress took to craft? Any other associated #’s (# of people who worked on the dress(es), amount of materials, etc.)
"The red dress and bow took approximately 20 hours to build and alter. It has 10.5 yards of red fabric and 8 yards of white fur trim. A crinoline is worn underneath to give the iconic ballroom shape and help hold up the weight of the dress."
"The blue dress took approximately 10 hours to build and alter. It has 3.5 yards of blue satin and 4 yards of embroidered tulle. A petticoat is worn underneath to give volume and movement to the skirt."
How many performances were these costumes used for – and is there any considerations you made for the durability of these pieces throughout the run?
"The costumes for White Christmas were used in 20+ rehearsals and performances. In order for a costume to hold up to that many uses, construction is done in a way to make the costume more durable. A higher gauge of zipper is used to withstand quick changes and the strain put on the closure. Inner lining, boning, and interfacing are all added to the inside of the garment to help hold its desired shape and also provide longevity to the fabric and construction."
Check out more costumes by Adrienne this December in Civic's production of A Christmas Story, The Musical!
