In this episode, we caught up with costume designer and BFA alum John Polles. John is currently working with the Santa Fe Opera, and he has also recently worked with the Julliard School and Baltimore Center Stage.
In this episode, we caught up with costume designer and BFA alum John Polles. John is currently working with the Santa Fe Opera, and he has also recently worked with the Julliard School and Baltimore Center Stage.
John and I talked a lot about his work on Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, so here is a link where you can see all of his designs for that show: https://www.flickr.com/photos/olemisstheatre/albums/72157706832283355
And if you're curious about that show in general: https://news.olemiss.edu/mr-burns-examines-importance-stories-everyday-life/
The Department of Theatre & Film is grateful for its patrons and corporate sponsors. As a department we are committed to the high quality instruction that our students receive. Investing in the students’ education and these quality productions helps us move toward our common goal of graduating successful, creative adults who are lifelong learners. If you are interested in contributing to these efforts, please visit: https://umfoundation.givingfuel.com/theatreandfilm.
From the Department of Theater & Film at the University of Mississippi, this is Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
Hi everyone and welcome back to Stage & Screen. I'm your host Katherine Stewart and my guest. Today is John Polles.
Katherine Stewart
He's a costume designer who graduated from our BFA program in 2019 and he is currently with the Santa Fe Opera, since graduation he's also done apprenticeships with Baltimore Center Stage and the Juilliard School. Stay tuned to learn about John's plans for the future and how our program has shaped his trajectory so far.
Katherine Stewart
Hi John, how are you doing?
John Polles
Hi Katherine, I'm doing really well. How are?
Katherine Stewart
You I'm doing great thank you, thank you. Well, I'm very excited to hear about everything you've been up to and to talk to you today.
Katherine Stewart
If you wouldn't mind just to get us started if you could introduce yourself, tell us who you are, where you're from, and maybe how you got into costume design.
John Polles
Yeah, absolutely so, uh, my name is John Pollis. Originally I'm from Albuquerque, NM. My family moved to Jackson, Ms in my childhood.
John Polles
Uhm, yeah, and I think I actually got into costume design because I grew up.
Or I guess run to like you know, more stable work.
John Polles
Uhm, so my parents were always very supportive of me auditioning for shows. Or, you know, acting and anything I could do at school.
John Polles
So that was my first introduction to theater in general, and then it kind of evolved into costume design. I got to high school and I realized performance wasn't really for me. I kind of lost the spark I I just didn't really.
John Polles
It didn't appeal to me anymore, so I was actually looking more into fashion than theater at all. I was kind of trying to find a good fashion program to go to.
John Polles
Uhm, but you know the financial reality of out of state tuition hit me and I was like, OK, I'm not going to fashion school in New York.
John Polles
I guess that's fine, and then I I funny enough. My sisters friend Channing Lomax, who was in the costume program for a little bit, came home to with my sister and.
John Polles
She told me about what she was doing at Ole Miss and how she did costume design and I was like mind blown, that's like, you know, fashion meets theater, which were like two of my biggest interests at the time.
John Polles
And yeah, kind of. On a whim I was like, OK, cool, I guess I'll go do the.
John Polles
A program in costume design.
John Polles
Program in costume design.
John Polles
And yeah, now I'm here.
Katherine Stewart
Awesome, so when you came into the program, did you have any specific idea in mind of what you wanted to do or any goals and if so, how did those work out or change along the way?
John Polles
So yeah, when I first got into the program, I honestly I was kind of just going to college because it kind of was what I felt like I was supposed to do.
John Polles
I'm really glad I did go to college and that I went to college for costing design, but I will admit kind of the first I. I say the first year I was at Ole Miss I was really.
John Polles
Yeah, finding myself finding a finding out if there was a reason I actually wanted to do costume design. It just was something that like really, really interested me.
John Polles
I loved sewing. I had great memories growing up, sewing with my grandmother as a child. But that being said, I also have only some pillowcases up until that point, so I wasn't doing any great sewing.
John Polles
By any means, so I got to the University, Mississippi. It was honestly a very hard first semester for me. I had to really come to terms with what my goals were, where I wanted to go, yeah?
John Polles
And then I pretty early on, I decided I wanted to do costume technology. I was like I don't want to design that designing is not for me and then finally enough sophomore year.
John Polles
I had my first design show and I fell in love head over heels with the design process, bringing renderings to life was like so magical to me. Having this drawing I did.
John Polles
And then getting to see the three dimensional dress on stage. That's like incredibly fulfilling. And then I flip flops.
John Polles
I was like OK, great, I just want to do costume design. Sewing is fun, but this is like my passion. So yeah, after sophomore year I really just kind of.
John Polles
The book went full steam ahead. I was like this is what I want to do. This is the most exciting thing for me at the moment so.
Katherine Stewart
Wow, So what was that show? Sophomore year that that flipped you over to design?
John Polles
It was actually the tooth puller. It was a commedia dell'arte show. It was completely devised by the cast and the crew of the show, so it was a ton of like very unique design.
John Polles
You know, challenges that I had to work through, but just I just had so much fun depending of diving into this like.
John Polles
You know, clownish comedic world that was so brightly colored and so historically inspired. But I could still, I think the tooth puller was a really good introduction to custom design for me, because the director Matthew Arm Wilson, really let me go gung ho with where I was pulling inspiration from.
John Polles
What spoke to each character. So I was really able to incorporate all of my personal tastes and my own things that excited me about clothing at the time, and that I think, is the kind of what got me hooked on costumes.
John Polles
Right?
Katherine Stewart
Wow, so did you feel like you were starting to develop? Sort of like a design identity while you were working on that?
John Polles
John Polles
Really, I I actually really yeah for sure. I definitely feel like the tooth puller. Yeah, definitely kind of helped me develop my sense of design and kind of my eye for design going through. I think that's one strength the BFA program at all. This really has is a.
John Polles
Getting to just throw you into these experiences as an undergrad that in most universities you know. If they have a masters program attached to it as well, you really won't get that kind of opportunity at those programs, so I think I'm I'm very thankful that oldness kind of threw me in the deep end and said alright, you got to figure it out and you know buy swimming back to the shallow end.
John Polles
I was like, yeah, that's what I want.
Katherine Stewart
And what about some other some other design projects that you worked on? What other shows did you work on?
John Polles
Yeah, so after tooth puller I did zombie prom my junior year and then my big. I guess you could.
John Polles
I think it was considered my I should know this better I think. Let's consider my thesis for my BFA was Mr. Burns a post electric show post electric play. Excuse me and those were like kind of my arc. So I kind of went.
John Polles
It's really interesting. I meant like Renaissance and then 50s and then post, but I really kind of got a broad spectrum of.
John Polles
Challenges and just like really fun shows that I got to design at undergrad.
Katherine Stewart
That's interesting that they were sort of in chronological order. I'm sure that was totally coincidental.
John Polles
Hurry, I know crazy.
Katherine Stewart
So I know we talked before around the time when Mr. Burns came out and we talked about your designs for that show. Then can you talk a little bit about those designs?
John Polles
Yeah, so uh. Mr. Burns was a really.
John Polles
Again, I mean, I feel like I say this about every show, but it had such a unique like approach to it and the way that the design team kind of tackled some of the topics in the show, we kind of so. I guess Mr. Burns the way it works is act one is set.
John Polles
Pretty modern day, and then it's seven years in the future. And then I believe it's 85 years after that, so the third act is very far into the future after the world ends.
John Polles
And we kind of saw these characters like prop up The Simpsons into a like religious, almost operatic experience. So the most fun part was ACT 3.
John Polles
I got to kind of combined elements of Japanese. No theater, ancient Greek theater, and just kind of mushed them all together.
John Polles
And kind of create this very much melting pot of cultures and experiences.
John Polles
That was kind of the idea the director had was that, you know, in this post apocalyptic world everyone would be coming together and bringing their own, you know, backgrounds and cultures to the table and saying hey, this is how we remembered things.
John Polles
This is how we did things, so it was really. It was honestly very challenging at first to to combine those.
John Polles
2 But I'm I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, I think I think that image with the mask and everything is so indelible. I'm going to try to put a link to it.
Katherine Stewart
Or maybe a link to the story that contains the image in the show notes so people.
Katherine Stewart
Can see what we're talking about, but yeah.
John Polles
Right, a little hard to imagine.
Katherine Stewart
So that was kind of your your big senior project and what have you been doing since graduation?
John Polles
Yeah, so I've actually kind of been on a, uh, an apprenticeship run. I guess you could say for the past few years I so immediately after graduation I did my first summer at the Santa Fe Opera as a stitching apprentice, so that was a lot of a lot of sewing dressing and I also got to design, uh?
John Polles
Couple opera scenes at the end of that season and that was such a very. It was such a strong and affirming way to kind of wrap up my education because I just graduated as fresh out and I got to have this wonderful experience at an incredible offer company.
John Polles
Uhm, so that was fabulous. And then I after that I went off to Baltimore Center stage and I worked with them on several of their shows as an apprentice. Again working in the costing shop, sewing costumes, and really doing it all.
John Polles
For them and then you know, dundundun the pandemic hit.
Katherine Stewart
Right, right?
John Polles
Yeah, so it. As for everyone you know, we kind of all had to go dark in the theater and I was dumb.
John Polles
Really, I was going through a lot of emotional turmoil as you do. You know, at that time I actually had to move home for several months and do a not so exciting job. I had to work at Whole Foods that just to kind of, you know, make ends meet.
John Polles
But luckily I I was applied keeping in touch with some people at the Juilliard School. I had been applying for a little bit. I applied the year before in 2019.
John Polles
And they you know it didn't quite work out timing wise. I already had a different offer, so I applied again in 2020, actually before the pandemic was even. Too much of a thing. We were all still kind of thinking.
John Polles
You know two weeks to slow the spread at that point, so luckily for me I feel extremely blessed that I was able to.
John Polles
Go to New York City and work at the Juilliard School as an apprentice there and and that apprenticeship, really.
John Polles
Is when they feel like I'm starting to, uh.
John Polles
Whittle away what I want my career to be specifically, I feel like before Juilliard. I was accepting any kind of work I could get, whether they're happy stitching, apprenticeships, wardrobe apprenticeships, anything I just wanted to work in the field, but Juilliard really set me on with their apprenticeship. You work as an assistant costume designer there.
John Polles
For the professional costume designers that come into the school to design so it really set me up for a good footing in New York City, I feel like I have a pretty good little connection when I go back.
John Polles
But yeah, so that wrapped up very quickly may end of May. And now I've moved back out to Santa Fe for the summer.
John Polles
I've been hired back to spend another season here at the Santa Fe Opera, so yeah, that's right then.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, So what is your role there this season?
John Polles
Right, so this season I kind of like I was saying with Juilliard after Juilliard, and even honestly after Santa Fe, I already knew the job I wanted to come back to because I guess the way this opera apprenticeships work, for the most part is you do 2 years as an apprentice and then you can kind of work your way into staff positions.
John Polles
Then you know at the end of the 2019 season I kind of knew stitching wasn't my passion. It wasn't really what you know, got me out of bed in the morning, excited to start the day so I knew they had a costume administrative apprenticeship available. One of my friends was.
John Polles
Doing it at the time.
John Polles
And in this position I'm I'm essentially helping the shopper introduce the lady who kind of places all the orders for the for all four operas we're doing, so it's a lot of tracking, a lot of paperwork, a lot of organization.
John Polles
Then and this way I can kind of work my way up to be a design assistant here. Hopefully, you know, knock on what we'll see.
John Polles
But yeah, so this year I'm coming back as a costume administrative apprentice to do more of the design assistant aspects at the opera
Katherine Stewart
Oh, so you said your time at Juilliard really helped? You kind of concretize exactly what you want your career to look like. Could you describe that ideal career?
John Polles
Oh yeah, totally so. I think for me I guess my end goal, Uhm, would be to only work as a costume designer.
John Polles
That would be fabulous if I could kind of get to a point where I'm only accepting design contracts. I would love. Honestly, I would love to particularly work in opera and film. I'm I, I'm really.
John Polles
Drawn to opera, I think the drama that they bring and the singing it really feels like the highest form of human performance and emotion that is on stage and it's just really exciting to be in the room and hear the orchestra play. And all these beautiful voices singing.
John Polles
And also I feel like offer is more down to get like extravagant and avant garde and weird with their costumes so that's always been super exciting to me.
John Polles
To kind of think more outside of the box, kind of have more exciting fresh ideas, so I'm really drawn to opera and film in particular, but you know, I I still love theater.
John Polles
Though that's not no.
John Polles
And no shade. The theater I still do enjoy people.
Katherine Stewart
I love it. So you would consider some of that extravagant avant garde. Maybe kind of hallmarks of your design style or just things that you're interested in visually, emotionally.
John Polles
I think for me, I think I definitely think I have it in me to to do more avantgarde, more high concept work.
John Polles
I think the University of Mississippi really kind of really forced me to to do it. You know, if my with my first show being the tooth puller and then Mr. Burns.
John Polles
Mr. Burns felt you know, very elevated again, kind of like I said, almost like an opera, and so I definitely think I have the ability to. I also, you know, I also do enjoy.
John Polles
Right?
John Polles
Doing a more strict period, I would say I guess my design I does kind of want me to keep going more avant garde, more big, exciting shapes, you know, bold fabric choices.
John Polles
Really, as as you know eye catching and that's my biggest goal is you know I want when the character walks onstage.
John Polles
I want the audience to know who they are, what their motivations are. You know how rich they are with how they're feeling.
John Polles
So yeah, I think I'm definitely more in tuned with a more kind of elevated sense of design, hopefully.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah yeah. So what are some of the skills or let me rephrase that? Are there certain skills that you learned during the BFA that you have found particularly valuable, or that you've really been able to apply in some of these things that?
Katherine Stewart
You've done after graduation.
John Polles
Yeah, so I'll say one thing. I know that the universe seems to be really prepared me for it, especially on the assistant design aspect of my jobs that I'm doing now is that, you know, Carrie Hanson really made sure that I knew how to do a good, organized paperwork and.
John Polles
And lifesaving, I cannot tell you how many other apprentices I've worked with or other, just like other, you know, costume staff, people who you know aren't quite sure how to do a costume budget or how to do a pieces list.
John Polles
Or do a quick reference sheet or even you know, like a French scene breakdown so you can look at this sheet and know exactly who's.
John Polles
To change so I really appreciate Carrie Carrie's dedication to making sure we were all organized.
John Polles
A well thought out and well planning designers. I think that's something that really kind of put me ahead of some other candidates for some of these jobs ever, but I also have to give a shout out to Donna Buckley for the readable incredible amounts of knowledge that she so generously shares with all of the students in the BFA program. I love that.
John Polles
She knew that my focus was design, but she did at the same time. She did not let that.
Slide didn't let anything slide. She said you might want to be a designer, but you still need to know how to do this and she still helped me to the same standard as everyone else.
John Polles
And I mean to be honest, I came in. I came into Ole Miss with zero sewing experience. Donna used to be mad at me for sitting in the chair all crazy and not, you know, I've been so stressed out at the machine and then by the end of.
John Polles
You know my 40 years I'm, you know, going to the same opera specifically to stitch to like use them with the skills Donna gave me.
John Polles
So and also, you know Don's technological knowledge and teaching that she gave me or really strengthened me as a design here, because now I can, you know, sit down with the drapers and and know exactly what they're talking about.
John Polles
I can use their jargon. I can speak with them, it's just a much similar symbiotic relationship than if I.
John Polles
Was strictly a design student at being received Mississippi.
Katherine Stewart
Wow fabulous fabulous. So I'm. I'm curious if you have any advice for prospective or incoming students who are coming into the BFA design and technology program.
John Polles
Absolutely, I would say.
If you're, I would definitely recommend taking some time before you get to school before you get to the school.
John Polles
To really research the three areas of design and see if any of them just kind of pull you in a certain direction, you know whether that be lighting, scenic or costume design. I feel like the University of Mississippi, really.
John Polles
Offers almost a playground for their design students. There's so much opportunity you know getting to design A mainstage show at college when you're a sophomore in college is very rare. It's not something a lot of colleges do.
John Polles
Do so I would say if you're coming into the University Mississippi for a BFA in design and technology, know what you would like to do, but also don't be afraid to change that.
John Polles
You know, if you take a lighting design class and not just blows your mind, absolutely, you know, follow that trail down, but just definitely be ready to work and be ready to.
John Polles
Risk training that is going to prepare you for the professional world.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, that's really good advice.
Katherine Stewart
What about some favorite moments from either your time at Umm in general or time in the program? Anything you could share?
John Polles
Yeah, let me think a little.
John Polles
Bit let's see yeah.
John Polles
Honestly, I think one of my one of my favorite memories and Donna Buckley did call me out for this, but he was laughing the whole time so it was great.
John Polles
But when I was taking Donna's introduction to Drake in court, I believe my junior year of college she would stay.
John Polles
After class after the shop hours and she would grade papers or you know, kind of be working in the shop anyway.
John Polles
So I was like, well, I'm already here. I might as well go ahead and start working on my.
John Polles
Working on my draping homework so I would just sit right next to Donna, who's the teacher of the drinking class or do my homework and be like hey Donna, does this look OK?
John Polles
Is just looking yeah, you know warped? So it's really special time for me and Donna. We kind of bonded and there's a lot so much laughter and joy in that shop.
John Polles
So you know all of those special memories. Honestly, I find myself cherishing like the opening night parties. It was so nice to kind of get dressed up with everybody again.
John Polles
I feel like my time at Ole Miss. The four years I was there we had a really tight knit group of costuming BFA students. We were all very close.
John Polles
Those and and we all kind of felt like a family, so I guess really any any chance we all had to be in the same room felt really special.
Katherine Stewart
Nice nice, you're not the first person who's mentioned that family quality in in whatever area of the program that they're in.
Katherine Stewart
Everybody says, oh, but it's such a family and don't don't hesitate to sit on the floor of ice. And when you eat.
Katherine Stewart
Lunch like you have to hang out with.
Katherine Stewart
It just feels like a family. I love that I love that about our program and the department in general.
Katherine Stewart
So what are you hoping to do after this season with Santa Fe? Opera is over.
John Polles
Yeah, so after the season of Santa Fe, I'm going to be moving back to New York City and I'm going to be freelancing in New York City for a little bit. I'm a little nervous or I'm freelancing, but.
John Polles
Yeah, I'm gonna hope. Hope that I get some good assistant design contracts. I'll also be open to you know wardrobe contracts and things like that so I'm really just going to be.
John Polles
Yeah, I guess doing doing the hustle in New York City, you know doing little freelance work and I also believe this fall will be when I start applying.
John Polles
For some grad schools, but.
Katherine Stewart
Oh wow, OK.
John Polles
But it's definitely on my radar. It's something I know I need to do, and I would love to get applications in this fall for grad school.
Fingers crossed, but.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, that's really exciting.
Katherine Stewart
And I this is kind of a backtracking question. I should have asked this before when you were first talking about being in Santa Fe now, but what? What are some of the productions you're going to be working on this season?
John Polles
Yeah, so we're doing the marriage of Figaro is the first opera that's opening. We're doing Eugene O'Neill again, and then we are doing a A world premiere opera called The Lord of.
John Polles
It's a, it's a really fascinating show. Gorgeous designs. It's a blend of the Buckeye and Dracula, so the kind of generally, so that's kind of like the story in the nutshell is that it's kind of this blend of like the Buckeye meets Dracula. I'm really excited for that one, and.
John Polles
Give me one second, there's one more.
Actually real.
John Polles
Oh, Midsummer Night's Dream, obviously.
Katherine Stewart
Oh wonderful.
John Polles
Every night stream opera. Oh my gosh, totally blanked out there, so yeah, those are the four shows we're doing this season.
John Polles
I'm I'm really excited by all of them. They're all visually stunning. We got to see the designs a couple days ago. We had a good costume biteable walkthrough and we got to see gorgeous designs.
Katherine Stewart
John Polles
And I'm just so excited to kind of be in this in this environment again.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, it sounds it sounds wonderful. It sounds like it's going to be a wonderful season. And is this their first season back fully?
John Polles
It is yeah there. So we currently they are doing 75% capacity in the House of the theater.
OK.
John Polles
The good thing for Santa Fe Opera is it is already an outdoor opera company, and as we kind of have been finding out lately, COVID transmission in outdoor settings is very, very low, so they're doing their best to make sure.
John Polles
Everyone is masked and pods are socially distanced from other pods, so they seem to have a really solid plan going forward that you can have a a COVID safety manager specifically dedicated to making sure that.
John Polles
Everything we do is safe, no ones going to be, you know, put in danger or for getting sick.
John Polles
Or anything so.
John Polles
It's a really exciting time to be making opera.
Katherine Stewart
And I'm sure it'll be wonderful. I mean, people are so eager to get back to their beloved forms of entertainment, whatever they may be. So I know Santa Fe Opera is extremely popular and has.
Katherine Stewart
A huge huge loyal following.
John Polles
For sure for sure.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, well, I wish you a wonderful season.
John Polles
Thank you yeah it's very exciting. We we quite literally hit the ground running today. It's very busy season but it'll be great.
John Polles
It's it'll be great is we're creating incredible art and that always makes you know it makes the the Sprint feel worth it at the end when the art is so great.
John Polles
At the finish line.
Katherine Stewart
Absolutely well, we'll be. We'll be looking out for updates. Please don't hesitate to send us anything exciting that's happening. We would love to share it for you so.
John Polles
Course thank you so much, yeah.
John Polles
Course thank you so much.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, well thank you so much for visiting with me. It's been really fun catching up with you.
John Polles
Thank you, yeah it's great to see you again.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, it's great to see you, so take care and again have a wonderful season and I hope I'll talk to you again.
Katherine Stewart
OK, again that was John Polis costume designer and 2019 graduate of our BFA program. During this conversation, we talked a good bit about his senior design project. Mr. Burns, a post electric play, and I've added a couple of links to the show notes so you can learn more about that production and see all of his designs. Also just a little reminder that if you haven't subscribed, please do. We have new episodes every other Friday and if you care to look us up on Apple Podcasts and leave us many, many stars, it not only gives us the warm and fuzzies, it helps other listeners find us. Thanks a lot. You're the best. Until next time. This is Stage & Screen.