What do you do with your dress after the wedding?
Alberta Theatre Projects’ Undressed examines that exact question. In this World Premiere, written and performed by Louise Casemore, the audience gets treated to stories that surround that perfect dress, and what happens after that rite of passage. After all the champagne is gone and the vows are spoken, what do we do with the gown?
Auction it off at Bye Bye Auction, where new brides can bid on secondhand gowns, and every dress has a letter telling its story. There is Emily, who when she found her dress, it felt like home. Or Diana who saw her dress as an opportunity to try something new, even things she would normally never do, like perform a choreographed dance for her fiancé. Or Jessica who is unwed but bought a wedding gown anyway. Then there is Claire’s dress, the host of the auction event and leader of the company behind the auction. It’s boxed, unlike all the other gowns up for auction.
Casemore is able to personify the different brides and stories throughout the play and fills each character nicely. Lane Shordy’s set design displays all the gowns on mannequins on the stage and has a wardrobe filled with dresses open on its own. Jonathan Kim’s lighting design allows the audience to know what gown is being auctioned off and contributes to the atmosphere of the narrative. Sound design by Greg Monforton has fitting music such as ‘Canon in D’ or ‘Time after Time’ play during each story. Bianca Guimarăes De Manuel’s costume design has Casemore in heels, beige slacks, and a blue blouse that allows her to look the part as an auctioneer.
Undressed takes a bit to warm up. The first story from the bride is not quite engaging, but once we get to Diana’s story, the audience is all in. Then there is Claire’s story, which is intriguing and upon initial set up, we want to know more.
The unfolding of Claire’s story, ultimately is confusing. The lead up to it, the sound design, the lighting design suggest a turn of the narrative into horror, which the story doesn’t take a turn into. The audience winds up feeling a bit let down, because there isn’t enough details and story building around Claire’s personal story. ‘That’s it?’ is what we wind up thinking. Her story is too vague for the audience to really be impacted by her pain. This unfolding is a choice by directors Jenna Rodgers and Kathryn Smith, and the theatricality seems off for the story being told.
Undressed is otherwise a light play that explores the wedding industry with a focus on the wedding dress. The production goes into its final weekend, more information is available online.
Photo Credit: Benjamin Laird