Interview: The Making of The Hitchcock Hotel Costumes

What’s the secret to becoming the iconic costume designer behind one of Seattle’s most precious gems of a theatre?

According to Shadou Mintrone, you have to keep asking yourself, “How much more sparkle can I add to this?”

Mintrone has been wearing (and designing) many hats at Can Can since she joined the team back in 2014. But of course, her origin story doesn’t start there. From growing up surrounded by 1940s inspired costumes, being an OG thrifter, and pirouetting her way from coast to coast, Mintrone has developed a personal and sensual feel for clothing that is meant to be danced in. 
In between sewing wigs, performing onstage, and bedazzling Richard's corsets, Mintrone shares her experience costuming the spooky (in a fabulous, Yasss Queen kind of way) creatures of The Hitchcock Hotel.

Shadou Mintrone putting in final touches to costumes for The Hitchcock Hotel | Photo by Vicente Trinidad Capala III

THECANCAN.COM: Let’s dive right in. What led you to costume design?

Shadou Mintrone: The long answer is I sort of have been doing it my whole life on some level. I grew up in a small town in South Florida, and the dance studio I went to was owned by this mother-daughter duo. They had done the vaudeville circuit back in the 50s, maybe 40s, and they had this back room that was just full of all these old, sparkly 1940s costumes. So, I just grew up watching the older girls get to try on all these costumes. I was enthralled by the sparkles and the feathers, you know, all of that sort of little girl stuff–fantasy. 

And then, when I started to get older, before thrift shopping was a thing, I would just collect clothes. Whether it was from my grandma or mom or friends, I would keep stuff even if it didn't fit me. I would just alter it to make it work. That sort of led into making clothes or putting clothes together. I'd say my personal style was pretty eclectic. I made my high school prom dress. I would rhinestone costumes when I was dancing and all that. And then, when I got to Can Can, the first years were… lower budget. The shows and the costumes were not as curated as they are now. I think it was in 2018 I kind of took it under my own wing. I don't know how it happened. It was kind of organic. I’d just say, “Oh let me do this to make it better, let me try and rhinestone this to make it look prettier, or let me alter this or try this costume on this person. And that really just led to now, where I just do all the costumes.”Mintrone laughs. 

THECANCAN.COM: Take me back to how you got connected with Can Can. How did you come to join this symphony of utterly fabulous, charismatic, and oh so sexy group of artists?

Shadou Mintrone: So, when I was growing up, dance was sort of a hobby like it is for most kids that do it, and I really didn’t think about it being a profession. But, I decided when I was 16 to look into making it more of a career. I applied for college in Philadelphia, and I got into a school there called the University of the Arts for dance. I went there and upon graduating, one of my professors had a company in Philly, but he was like, “I need a girl that's tall” – but I'm 5'2 so, that didn't work out. Then he said, “I have a friend in Seattle that is looking for dancers. So I'm gonna send you to his audition. And if he likes you,  you'll have a job for at least six weeks because it’s a short term contract.” And he's like, “if he really likes you, you'll get hired for the year.” So I auditioned, I got a phone call the next day, and they asked if I could be in Seattle tomorrow. So, I packed a bag, and I flew out.

That job turned into a four-year contract, so I ended up moving out here. It’s still in Seattle, it's called Spectrum Dance Theater. It's a contemporary ballet modern company. And, usually, how those work is you don't dance year round–it's sort of like a school schedule where you have time off. I was looking for ways to supplement my income, and I felt like there was this burlesque, cabaret scene around here that's right up my alley. So, I randomly reached out to some people, one thing turned into another, and then I started at Can Can around the end of 2014. I was just sort of coming in as an understudy for Wonderland. That was the first year they did that show. I was also, at that time, still dancing at Spectrum. So, I would do what I could. I’d come in for girls when they were sick or injured, and then that turned into a full time job.

Shadou Mintrone putting on a costume for The Hitchcock Hotel | Photo by Nate Watters

THECANCAN.COM: Can you explain a bit about the creative process designing for an original production like the Hitchcock Hotel?

Shadou Mintrone: Chris, Fae, Jonny and myself will sit down weeks prior to, if not months prior to, the actual rehearsal process and come up with the show. Usually, it's Chris and Jonny sitting down and developing what they want the show to be, and then Fae and I will talk about who can be in what numbers. With Hitchcock Hotel, Chris had very specific character studies that he wanted to embody. It's interesting, though, how it starts on the first day of conversation. [From] the first production meeting to where it ends up is genuinely night-and-day for every show, no matter what.

So, with this show, the one thing I knew was what we were going to want was for Tori's character [Madame Maybell]. The original idea was sort of a lounge singer. From there, we think, “Okay maybe she’s from the 20s.” So, we’ll go into that sort of mindset and pull out what we want. And then, we’ll start a Pinterest board of inspirational looks. 

What's interesting about what we do is that it's so few of us backstage and onstage, and we have to do many things, right? So it's dance, we have to sing, also, there's no costume person backstage. In big theaters, you have somebody that’s a dresser that literally puts your clothes on. At Can Can, we don't have that person. So it's got to be easy for people to put it on and take it off really fast sometimes. We’ll often take our clothes off on stage, so it has to be functional that way, too. So there's all these little layers that go into it.

For the summer show [Lola], I had no idea what we would end up doing. But I knew we wanted bright colors, like big, showy costumes. And then, it’s a complete 180 for this production of Hitchcock Hotel. Like dark and mysterious, you know, a lot of black and muted colors. That was a direct contrast to what somebody would see from Lola in May. And coming back in October, it's a completely different look, which is one of the best things about it. For my personal growth as a costume designer, I have to challenge myself all the time to make it look and feel different because it's really easy to just regurgitate the same concept over and over. So for me, it's also like, “Okay, Shadou, how can you make this corset be different from a corset somebody else wore in the last show?” There's a lot of moving parts.

Photo by Nate Watters

THECANCAN.COM: I’m curious about the process of incorporating your performers into the costumes. How much of it is inspired by them? When do they come into the equation?

Shadou Mintrone: They definitely run side-by-side. I've done a lot of performances in my life where I don't feel awesome because of the thing I'm wearing-I don't like the way it looks on me. And I think it's so much of what Can Can is, outside of the nudity aspect, that we all want to look and feel confident on stage because the cast as a whole is super talented. And so I feel like my job on the back-end of that when I'm costuming specific people is if it looks good on that person, they're gonna feel good in it. And if it doesn't look good on that person, it doesn't belong on stage. So I think outside of the character aspect of costuming. It also has to make them look and feel as talented and beautiful as they are.

Also, we have different body types in the cast. That's also a huge consideration of just because it looks good on somebody with, for lack of better words, big breasts, it doesn't mean it’s going to work with the girl with small breasts. So, I had to kind of play with that, too. And then, on top of that, what are we doing in the costume? So, something like when Tori sings her solo, she's just standing there. So it needs to be captivating for more than like, “Oh, that's pretty…move on.” You know, it's got to last the whole number. So yeah, I think they definitely go hand-in-hand. The minute I know what somebody's supposed to be on stage, character-wise, I start to imagine what they're gonna wear even if I don't know what costume or what number they're going to do or what numbers they're in. I started to source stuff that would fit that person's body and then also fit the vibe of the show.

Tori Gresham as Madam Maybell in The Hitchcock Hotel | Photo by Nate Watters

THECANCAN.COM: I’d love to ask you about Madam Maybell’s dress during her rendition of “You Don’t Own Me.” Reviews have been raving about her “showstopping performance.” What emotions did you want to evoke compared to her other costumes throughout the show?

Shadou Mintrone: I would say if I weren't in such a mad-dash sometimes to get stuff done, in retrospect, I might have done the costume completely differently. What happened with that number, oddly enough, is the costumes that Sasha and I wore during that number when we were dancing on the sides–I built those costumes years ago, and they never got used. I pulled them out and was like, “Oh, this would be perfect for the show. When can we wear this?” I only had two of them, and they happen to fit Sasha and I. And then, when we started to develop that piece for Tori, I knew I needed something that complements what we're wearing but is a showstopper. We're not the focus on that number, we're supporting actresses, if you will. So, that one was kind of a happy accident, in a way. 

I got that dress. I got the gloves. I made it fit her and look the part, but it's also still evocative of something a Diva would wear, like Cher, versus the black dress in the opening number is very, Morticia Addams, which is great when she's doing her quirky stuff. But, with that number specifically, she needs to be like a powerful goddess. So, it happened to work out with that dress. She does that number so powerfully. She honestly could be wearing anything, and it probably wouldn't matter. But, it really is a showstopper kind of dress.

THECANCAN.COM: Okay, Shadou, let’s get intimate. Can Can is praised for the connection the cast forms with the audience. Checking out of the Hitchcock Hotel leaves guests feeling liberated in ways they maybe haven’t experienced before. How are you finding, or even challenging, the balance of sultry and sophistication?

Shadou Mintrone: Yeah, it's tricky. I think it’s always hard because lingerie can go either way. For me, I'm super inspired by the 20s and 30s and 40s and 50s. I grew up watching old movie musicals, that’s primarily what I watched. And so, all of the women in those movies are just so glamorous. They're sexy, but the first thing you notice about them is glamor. There's this elegance about it. And, I think because I grew up around all of that, that’s what I try to bring into the costumes that I do now. It's sexy, it's sultry, but at the forefront, it's got to be very glamorous. It’s a challenge to not have something that is, you know, a bra and panties essentially come across as risque in a way that's not glamorous. 

It has to be elegant and classy because I think the shows are that as well. What we do at Can Can, the burlesque aspect of it, is the last part of it. We have singing and dancing and acting that are always top notch, and the burlesque element is just another layer to it instead of being the only thing that happens.

Shadou Mintrone as Shadow and Sasha Voyt as Silhouette in The Hitchcock Hotel | Photo by Nate Watters

THECANCAN.COM: Do you have any advice for those wanting to become a costume designer?

Shadou Mintrone: It's a matter of being eager to learn. I’m self taught. I didn't go to school or train myself in any way [with costume design]. We live in the age of information at your fingertips. YouTube is a great resource for stuff like that. That would be the biggest thing…if you're hungry to learn about it or you want to know how to do something, it's very easy to access information. And then, there's definitely that thing of finding the market that you want to be in. You know, there's a lot of places that need costume work. There’re schools, theaters, movie sets… 

For me, I don't want to make clothes that you would see a person necessarily walking down the street in. I don’t want to be in fashion design. So I gravitated towards making things that are,  “How much more sparkly can I make it?” That’s sort of like my MO. It's a matter of being eager and hungry, the timing, and knowing what avenue to go down. And then, you know, I lucked out. I found a home at Can Can not only on stage, but I have costuming work as a full-time job off stage.

Etsy is also a great resource for people that are making clothes. That sort of homemade, handcrafted, artisan-type retail world is really, really popular right now. There's a lot of great people doing great work that are selling it just for themselves online. I think that's another awesome way to do it.

THECANCAN.COM: And lastly, just for fun. If you could trade places with any cast member for a show, who would it be and why?

Shadou Mintrone: Well, it depends… given my skill set? The easy choice would be Sasha, because she’s the Silhouette to my Shadou. But you know, if I could have a voice like Tori, I'd love to be in that track because she gets to blow down the house. I would say though, on the comedy level, I think Richard’s track is pretty fun. He gets to play around a lot, which is really awesome. We always joke backstage about if the boys’ and the girls’ roles were reversed. The girls have to be sexy and hot more than they have to be comedic, at least in this show specifically. So I always like to play a funny character, like I did all summer when I was Rico the Suave in Lola. So, the first choice would be Richard,  just to be a goofball on stage. But if I could inherit talent, I would take Tori's voice any day.

Got a taste of something you liked? The Hitchcock Hotel is eagerly awaiting your arrival now through November 27th. 

And trust us, don’t skip the room service.