Costume design, direction, and dramaturgy for a production of Mykola Dmitrovych Leontovych’s final, incomplete work, Na Rusalchyn Velykden (The Rusalka’s Rite).

Thesis committee and research support:

Olga Marknova Maslova, MFA (principal mentor, design and direction advisor, Ukrainian cultural and language consultant)
Dr. Valleri Robinson (dramaturgy advisor)
Dr. Julie Gunn (music advisor)
Dr. Donna Buchanan (musicology and research advisor)

Based on research started with Dr. Donna Buchanan as part of a musicology course, this piece grew to become a combination design, direction, musicology, and dramaturgy project. Over the course of the 22-23 academic year, I further developed my initial research on Leontovych, Ukrainian traditional design, and the specific cosmology of the Rusalka myth to create a “proof-of-concept” dramaturgy and design packet for a hypothetical fully-realized production. In the spring semester, I collaborated with Dr. Julie Gunn to realize a few, semi-staged scenes as part of Lyric @ Illinois’ graduate level Opera Scenes class.

I manufactured the crowns and shawl/wings, and created a lobby display triptych featuring a photoshoot and the completed costume designs, as well as information about the composer, the opera, and the design choices.