Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2022 - 10

The completed reproduction hat block (left) and the reproduced block in use (right).
hats on it. Her feedback helped to assess
the quality of the results as a functional hat
block. The primary issue with this initial
bass block was the slightly rough surface
(despite significant sanding) mentioned
previously. This did not, however, prevent
Fraser from using it to successfully block
the hat multiple times in parasisal straw.
Several coats of polyurethane could further
smooth a bass block surface after
carving/sanding in future.
Refining the Process
We have used this block with fur felt,
wool felt, and vintage straw hat bodies.
All materials resulted in faithful, lovely
reproductions of the original vintage hat
shape. In future carves, we will focus on
continued improvement of the sanding,
sealing, and finishing. Collaboration with
an experienced traditional woodworker
is another goal for further research.
Overall, this process was effective
and accurate for the reproduction of a
hat block made from an extant vintage
blocked hat. The final product is a functional
hat block that can be used to faithfully
reproduce a unique 1940s era hat
for hundreds of iterations. This project
demonstrates that modern technologies
such as 3D scanning and CNC routing
have a place in the centuries-old world
of millinery. Its success has inspired
many possible other applications of this
process, from the leather " Commedia
dell'Arte " masks (Venetian masks) sculpted
on wooden matrices to historical restoration
and archiving.
Athene Wright is a secondyear
graduate student. She
received her undergraduate
degree in non-Western history
from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since graduating,
she has worked at Barrington Stage
Company, The Santa Fe Opera, and most
recently at Bethany Joy Costumes. Her
stitching credits include Angels in America,
Frozen, King Kong, Skintight, Tootsie,
Beetlejuice, A Christmas Carol, and
Diana (Broadway); Gemini Man, Fosse
Verdon, and Dickinson (film and
television); and Martha Graham, Alvin
Ailey, and Janet Jackson's dance troupe
(dance). http://athenewright.com/
Rachel E. Pollock has worked
as a costume craftsperson for
theatre, opera, ballet,
television, and film since
1994. After freelancing in
Knoxville, TN, Chicago, and Boston, she
served as resident lead crafts artisan and dyer
for the American Repertory Theatre at
Harvard University for four seasons. She
relocated to Los Angeles to work in film and
television costuming, as well as a stint on the
crafts team of the LA Opera, before coming to
Chapel Hill. She has served as crafts artisan,
dyer, and milliner for such designers as
Catherine Zuber, Ann Hould-Ward, David
Zinn, Constance Hoffman, and Julie Taymor.
She also worked as a dyer and first hand at
the Broadway production house ParsonsMeares
Ltd. on shows such as Lion King,
Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes, and
Hamilton. Pollock is the author of Sticks in
Petticoats: Parasol Manufacture for the
Modern Costumer and co-author with
Triffin and Gregory Morris of A History of
the Costume Making Business: Creators
of Character (Focal Press, 2021). At UNC,
she conducts a series of graduate seminars on
costume craftwork-millinery, dyeing/
distressing, masks, armor, and related topics.
10 | THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY | WINTER 2022
http://www.athenewright.com/
Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2022
