The play's main character entered, running from stage left. Her love of writing was suggested by the pattern of typed words on her skirt, glimpses of which could be seen beneath a baggy green overcoat. Details like that keep audiences engaged and costume designers delighted.

Sarah Ghostlight has been the costume designer for the Whitefish Theatre Company for nearly 10 years. Her studio space in the O’Shaughnessy Center is full of satin, sequins, threads in a rainbow of colors and tools not typically used by a seamstress, like pliers and hot glue guns.

"I really do enjoy what I do. Theater is also one of those fields ... it's an art that takes a village," Ghostlight said. "There are so many moving parts, and so ... you're working closely with people to achieve a single vision. It does create little families." 

Whitefish Theatre Company has a paid staff of six people. The rest of Ghostlight's work family are enthusiastic volunteers who help make the local theater scene vibrant. 

"Thank goodness for the phone book of volunteers that we're blessed with," she said. "There are probably two dozen regular volunteers, and more people who are occasionally available and interested, just in costumes alone. That's pretty wonderful support in a community of our size." 

What is the process for making characters come alive via costumes? For Ghostlight, it starts with reading the script and discovering the arc of the story, the mien of the characters and the setting. 

"I will go from reading the script for story, to doing research on what's the setting, what's the timeline, what's the context," she said. "Whether it's set in an apartment in New York in 2008, or if it's set in London in the 1890s, I'll do a lot of research on the setting, on costume silhouettes and history."  

A weekly production meeting allows directors to discuss the work together before Ghostlight gives the script another read, this time with logistics in mind. She considers how many costumes are required by the script, which characters are on stage at the same time, and how quickly they must change clothes. 

"I will bring my ideas to a production meeting, and the director, ultimately, is kind of the captain of the ship, in terms of the overall atmosphere, vision, color palette that they might be hoping for," she said. "But I have a lot of artistic freedom." 

Once the team settles on the vision, Ghostlight said the work becomes "a lot more practical." 

"What patterns do we have? What fabric do I need to buy? What's already upstairs in our costume storage?" she queried. "There might be something that is perfect as is, or 70% of the way there, and we could alter it, add, subtract, to make it what we need."  

This is the time to call in the volunteers and get busy building the costumes. Ghostlight communicates her plans to the makers via sketches. 

Each actor has one or two fittings to confirm the costume will work with their bodies and the movements required by the role. The cast is then involved in a costume parade. 

"It's just a chance for us to see the human landscape and double check for any tweaks we want to do," she said. "Then we start in on the dress rehearsal process, where we get to see everything in motion and practice those changes and really bring it to life. 

"It's very fun," she smiled. "The whole process itself, from the audition for the actors to our opening night, is usually about six weeks. That's the span of time that we're working with, and then we do that on repeat for our five shows."  

IN COLLEGE, Ghostlight wanted to be a writer and studied theater from a literary perspective, but her direction changed after an advisor suggested she earn a credit in the theatre department. 

"The bug bit. I did a little bit of everything. I built sets. I stage managed one show. I did lights," she said. "I acted and eventually found my way to costumes and I got my BFA in theater design and technology from the University of Montana back in 2011." 

Ghostlight lives in Columbia Falls with her husband of three years, Justin Ghostlight, the assistant technical director at the Wachholz College Center on the FVCC campus in Kalispell. The two share their home with beloved black cat, Penumbra. 

"We actually met as actors in a performance at FVCC," she said. "We were in the same show together, and sparks did not fly immediately, but we were each like, 'That's a cool person,' and several years later, we circled back around to each other and the time was right."  

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.

    Just a few of the hats in one of two costume storage rooms at the O'Shaughnessy Center. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Some of the supplies in costume designer Sarah Ghostlight's studio. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Some of the supplies in costume designer Sarah Ghostlight's studio. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)