We caught up with recent graduate Mckenzi Massey ('22; BFA Theatre Arts, emphasis Design and Technical Production; BA English), who's been working with our department as the costume designer for our closing production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Since graduation, Mckenzi has also started her own custom garment and alterations business—right here in Oxford.
We caught up with recent graduate Mckenzi Massey ('22; BFA Theatre Arts, emphasis Design and Technical Production; BA English), who's been working with our department as the costume designer for our closing production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Since graduation, Mckenzi has also started her own custom garment and alterations business—right here in Oxford.
You can see Mckenzi's work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenzi_kreations_/
and on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KenziKreationsStudio
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From The Department of Theater and Film at the University of Mississippi, this is Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
Hello and welcome back to stage and screen. I'm your host, Katherine Stewart, and my guest today is recent graduate Mckenzi Massey. McKenzie graduated last year and was recently invited back to our department to design the costumes for our production of little shop. Of horrors since graduation, Mckenzi has also started her own business, doing alterations and creating custom garments, most especially recreating costumes worn by Taylor Swift in videos and on tour. We had such a good time catching up, I know you will love this chat, so stick around. Hi Mckenzi, it is so good to see.
Mckenzi Massey
So happy to be. Talking with you, Katherine.
Katherine Stewart
I know it's great to see you again, and I'm. I'm excited to hear about everything you've been up to since you graduated. So First off, if you could just introduce. Yourself. Tell us. Who you are and where you're from. And your your major, your degree, all that, yeah.
Mckenzi Massey
So my name is Mckenzi Massey. It's about to be Mckenzi Hawthorne, which is weird, but I also, I just graduated. I know it's very. Exciting. I just graduated in May of 2022. Wow, it's almost been a. Year and I. I was a double major, so I did costume design, BFA with our program, and then I also did English and. So that took five years and I'm happy to be out of school, but it was great. I really loved my time there at I don't miss and I'm from Fort Myers, FL. I I don't know how I ended up in Mississippi, I could barely. Spell, Mississippi. Until I came here. But I love it. It's great. And I came mainly because the program costume program, so it's just. It's been a treat, so yeah.
Katherine Stewart
Thank you. So, what have you been up to since you graduated?
Mckenzi Massey
So I feel like I took a really untraditional route after after graduating cause a lot of my friends who were above me in the program, you know, they went to costume shops for theater, for film even and really proud of them. I'm super excited for all that they're doing. I actually though I'm really passionate about Commission. Work and also I want to teach something so bad through video form and so right now what I've been up to is mainly supporting myself through alterations here. Still in Oxford and I also have Commission work. Through some local people here, I've made dresses for and then. I also make. Stuff for Etsy and right now, as you can imagine right now with Taylor Swift is on her Aaron's tour and I have been knee deep in costumes for Taylor Swift. So yes, I've been making a lot of bejeweled outfits and behind me as we're. Sitting here talking, I have a reputation jacket I'm making for somebody from her tour last time, so I'm just making lots of costumes and stuff. That because I love sewing so much, not so much design. Even though I I have design, but I think we're going to talk about for little shop what we're doing. Yeah, you'll miss, but I my heart, my heart song is absolutely like sewing. So that's what I've been up to.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, so that’s so exciting. So are you kind of creating your own business where people come to you? For alterations or maybe they have an idea for something they want to see created and you help them. See that?
Mckenzi Massey
It's called Kinsey creations. It's kind of cliche, but I got the business cards printed, so we're stuck. Here for a bit. Just kidding. But yeah, I have a. Yeah, I have a business here, Facebook. All that. And that's mainly how a lot of people have found me other than just like mutual. Friends like referring. Me, which has been that's been like the main way I've met people here in town, is just referrals and. All that and I work out of my house. I have a two room house all to myself, so I have a the biggest room. The master bedroom is my sewing suite, so that's what. Yeah, it's it's the best having my own space. So that's why I work out of so.
Katherine Stewart
That is so nice. So was there anything in particular from your training at the university? That you have. Like brought forward into what you're doing now.
Mckenzi Massey
Oh 100% like I feel like when I came into the college, I had, like my personality. Like pretty much discovered and all that. But I started sewing in high school and so coming to school, I just feel like my mind was open so much. I feel like to be really successful for what you want to do. It's like you have to have the drive and the creativity. But then school gave me the tools to make all these. Things in my mind kind of come true. UM and to and. To be a reality. There's no way I could do alterations and help people if I did not know how to hem pants the right way, you know, not just slap it under a machine and hope for the best, you know, so technically wise. Ohh yeah, Miss Donna, the professor who teaches tech is like fabulous. You get to meet her. You have been blessed. And so I really attribute a lot of what I can do. Now 100% to school like pattern making and all these things. But then also I can see how through critical thinking, not only from the theater program, but also because I did English. That has helped me tremendously, even just like. Dealing with customers and like writing emails that don't sound like you know, kind of like nasty, but like, you know, kindly and to be a professional. And I feel like those were big tenants of our program is just professionalism doing well-being creative, but still like you know. Working as a team and all that and you know. Trying to be the best version of you as you go out there and do the thing. So it's just, yeah, I I rave about a program to everybody.
Katherine Stewart
That's so that's so sweet. Well, and and you mentioned pattern making, it sounds like if you're getting commissions from people for things they've seen Taylor Swift wearing, yes, how does? Must be a big part of that.
Mckenzi Massey
Ohh yeah, and it's fun too. It's so funny. I I love to challenge myself. I feel like I do. At this point. I I love getting patterns for stuff as I can. And you know. Save money anyway, you know. But I love taking like a simple, like $2.00 pattern from like the back of Walmart. And then, like, let's make it this way and and you know I, that's what I did yesterday. I cut one in half and did all this like sloping and the and then the in the front and made the short sleeves longer. And I only know how to do that because of the hours spent in the costume. So yeah, it's a.
Katherine Stewart
Well, speaking, Speaking of your hours spent in the costume shop and your time as a designer at the university, you are now designing our current production of little shop of horrors. How did that come about? What's that been like?
Mckenzi Massey
Yeah, it's actually a really interesting and kind of funny story I after I graduated, I went on a study abroad with our program to London. And Donna was the head of that, and it was a great trip. Oh my goodness. It was really fun to have some time to learn abroad and be in London and be in London and see all the shows and all these wonderful things and. I don't know, I I. I was gonna. I knew I was gonna stay in Oxford for another year, and so I just brought up to Don. I was like, hey, if if there's an opening for a designer position like I'll be here. I know like it's hard to find someone for every job that they need, you know? And so I was like, oh, you know, I I could do that. And so. Donna just encouraged me to reach out to Kerry and I. Did it right there and. Then she said, OK. Yeah, we'll keep it in mind and then? Two months later, she's like, hey, I have this position for you. So that was kind of crazy. I did not anticipate that. And so being a guest designer as like a ex student, you know, like a graduated student, it's it's really interesting. And it's been a really fun process. I have not because I was a student during COVID. I only got to do one production that was like. On the stage and realized and so this has been a a treat to kind of go through the process again like we did through COVID and all those online shows that I was a part of as a. But now to, you know, we're talking about tech and we're talking about ohh here at this time and all this, I'm like this is nice to do. So yeah, it's been a fun process so far.
Katherine Stewart
Well, specifically to to that show. Can you talk a little bit about your designs for that show and kind of what your concept has been and process?
Mckenzi Massey
So it's been, it's been really fun to work all together as a team and something we talked about early on is having a more muted and Dark World as like because of this, the show starts and like everyone is you know it's Skid Row, it's dirty, it's nasty. It's like this part of the town where it's like there's no hope left. And so we're. We're trying to convey that through our characters, who are there in Skid Row. But then we have our septet. We have these beautiful girls who are, like, the ensemble of sorts, like a Greek chorus, and they are, like, juxtaposing the world. They come out all fabulous and in our own rendition. They're in beautiful like 1950s blue dresses. And so it's just really exciting to have a color play there. And and yeah. And so as the world go, as the story progresses, the world gets more vibrant and vibrant. As you know, the crazy stuff happens. The plant gets bigger and bigger and more people are fed to this plant and it's just chaos takes off. And so we're kind of tracking that through our concept and design.
Katherine Stewart
Sounds really fun. I can't wait. To see it.
Mckenzi Massey
Anything in mid century is like chef kiss.
Katherine Stewart
So so I was, I was going to ask, what's your favorite thing about the show?
Mckenzi Massey
Oh my I. Think it has to be the girls. Except Ted. I just think they're so interesting. And of course, Audrey is going to be so beautiful and glamorous. And I'm excited about her outfits too, because I have the. I'm actually making. One of her skirts because we just. I volunteered myself to make a skirt, and so it's be cool to design something because that doesn't happen. Often because you know. Uh shows happen so fast, you know, we're working so quickly, and especially as a designer, there's a million jillion things you. Have to do already. And so I had the opportunity to the opportunity, though this time around to make a skirt for something. So that'd be cool. And I can point there when my parents come to the show. I'm like I did that. So it would be.
Katherine Stewart
Oh, that's so fun. Do you have any advice for current or prospective students who are who are maybe looking into coming into our costume design program and and maybe not sure exactly which direction they want? To go, but you've.
Speaker
Oh yeah.
Katherine Stewart
You've gone a different direction than some do and.
Mckenzi Massey
Ohh yeah, that's something. OK if anyone here is interested in the costume program, here are two things you gotta know. Do it and just do it, OK? Because honestly, no. I'm so for real though, because this program, they really encourage you to do what you know in your heart to be true in a way. I mean, yes, they're. Going to push you to. You know, talk to all these theaters and these companies that, you know, cause having a job is nice and now they want to push you in a certain direction, but you are able to do. Anything you want with these skills, sewing and design, even learning like color theory like I did, I think in my freshman year, like all of these things, they're just makes a. Web for you to just draw from a well for you to draw from wherever you go. It doesn't have to be in a theater program or for movies or whatever. It's fun to learn about how that can be a reality, and if that's your dream, ohh my gosh, please go for it. But I just I I could not speak enough of this program and because we are smaller. And it doesn't. We know it's not very competitive. I said if if you if you come into this program, you'll most likely, you know get a. Design opportunity right out the gate and that's really exciting. Like when I was a sophomore, I had a whole show to myself and. It was like it. Was so like it was such a treat because I got to learn so much by failing a lot, and by doing a lot. And I think that's so special. I mean, when I was a prospective student, I looked at a lot of different schools. Schools, big schools, small schools. That, but I ended up coming here to Mississippi. Never would have thought that. And it was. It's absolutely the right decision. I think it really, yeah. It changed my life in a lot of great ways. And if you're able to come to the school, I would say do it 100% because there's a lot of lovely people who. Work for our program. There's a lot of caring people. If you've ever met Carrie Hanson, who is the head of the program you have met like an Angel. I'm sorry. She's like the sweetest. So there's no one. You're you're going to be so looked after at our program. And I. Yeah, just do it. That's that's my promo. Just do it.
Katherine Stewart
Very well said, very well said. And I have to ask, since the two of us were in hot making class actually 2 about making classes. Together with Terry. Are you still making hats?
Mckenzi Massey
Oh my gosh. I kind of OK what I even begin. I actually got into felt. Like, OK, so everybody who doesn't know Katherine and I situation, we started hat making class. OK, wait, back it up even. Further, we had hat making class because I asked Carrie if we could have hat making class. That's another promo for our school. If you want something, we will make it a reality. Best that they can.
Katherine Stewart
They will. That's true.
Mckenzi Massey
It's fabulous. OK. Anyway, I have made felt making hats cause our hat class got cut because of COVID. We were still making stuff over zoom, but we were going to do felt molding.
Katherine Stewart
And we never got to felt.
Mckenzi Massey
We never. But I I took it up myself and I bought. Some shapers and this wow good for.
Katherine Stewart
You. That's so exciting.
Mckenzi Massey
I think the coolest thing I actually got to make something for a guy in a band called Happy Landing and he wears it in all of his like Instagram, stuff like that. So it's cool to see my little fedora like having a better life than me out there touring the. Country and all this.
Katherine Stewart
That is so. That's great. That's really exciting. So going forward from that, what's next for you after you're done with this show? What are? You doing next?
Mckenzi Massey
What's next is I'm getting married and I'm making my wedding dress, so there goes my my whole next couple months of sticking to my machine.
Speaker
Sounds exciting.
Mckenzi Massey
It's very exciting, but after that then I I have. I've been accruing a lot of. Footage because I want to make a YouTube. To teach and. Just you know to show different projects and all my Taylor Swift stuff. I'm sure people would love to know how to do that so they don't to spend, you know, lots of money on outfits and stuff like that. So that's like what I really want to jump into 100% is YouTube and then I might need to keep doing some alterations, but for the most part. I really just want to teach online and. Just kind of take. That route so.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, very cool. Well, so, so for people who are interested in either seeing any tutorials that you're doing or maybe commissioning you for for one of the projects that you work on, where can they find you online on YouTube or Instagram or?
Speaker
Thank you.
Mckenzi Massey
Oh yeah, so I'm on Instagram and I'm Etsy. My Instagram is Kenzie. It's KENZI, under score creations. KREATIONS make it really hard integrations and then it's pretty much the same thing on on Etsy. It's just. Kenzie creations? But yeah, so that's my main. I guess you could say.
Katherine Stewart
Well, we'll definitely share that in the show notes, so people can find you.
Mckenzi Massey
Oh, thank you. Have fun.
Katherine Stewart
Do you have anything else you'd like to add, either about the show or yourself, or your time at all, miss or anything like that?
Mckenzi Massey
I I would say come to little shop. It's gonna be really fun. I feel like I didn't talk about the. Production as a whole, but. The people, the characters, and the players in those roles. It looks like it's. Gonna be a really strong and awesome cast and everyone is just so jazzed up about, like, what's happening, what's been just evolving naturally. It's been a very just natural process. It's just kind of all falling together and I'm just really excited about it and having a real show on a stage. That's wow. So it's very exciting. But yeah, that's yeah.
Katherine Stewart
Well, thank you so much, Mckenzi.
Speaker
Yes, thank you. I know.
Katherine Stewart
Once again, that was recent graduate Mckenzi Massey, who has returned to the university to design costumes for our current production of little shop of horrors, which, by the way, closes tonight. So hurry up and come see it if you can. You can find more information about Mckenzi and her custom garment business. In the show notes. Until next time this is Stage & Screen.