Think of "My Fair Lady," and the first technical element that comes to mind is costumes.  Think of ACT I and costumes, and one name comes to mind.  This month, as we bask in the afterglow of our recent production of "My Fair Lady," we pay tribute to a member of ACT I who has never set foot on our stage, but when the rest of us do, we look great because of her.  Her quiet dedication to ACT I and to creating work of exemplary quality is a model to all of us.  Our member of the month for March is our costumer extraordinaire, Ida Higgins.

Ida never flinched as she took on the daunting task of costuming this show, certainly Ida's largest ACT I assignment to date.  Every piece of costume seen on stage in the show -- over seventy in all, recreating the elegance of Edwardian London in 1912, was selected, found, rented, or created by Ida.  Every stitch of every new costume made for this show -- with over twenty new costumes -- was sewn by Ida, and we salute this achievement!  The audible gasp we heard each night from the audience as Kari Douma as Eliza Doolittle stepped onstage in her fabulous ball gown was a gasp of delight for Ida's work.

Ida began working with ACT I during our production of "Bridge to Terabithia" in 1994, creating well over a dozen costumes for that show's fantasy scene.  She recalls this show as being one of her most challenging.  In 1995 she created over 50 costumes for "The Sound of Music," including all the children's costumes -- 4 complete changes of clothes for each of the seven children.  "The Sound of Music" also provided Ida with the opportunity to create what may be her most unusual costume pieces ever -- several Nazi armbands.  For every swastika, Ida appliquéd each bar individually, copying exactly the technique found on an authentic, original armband provided by local collector and ACT I member Dean Beckman for Ida to model.

Sometimes, Ida makes just a few specialized pieces for a given show, such as Kathleen Berger's elegant, ethereal gown for last season's "The Secret Garden."  And sometimes, the challenge requires her to work without a pattern, such as with "The Prince and the Pauper," when she created the costume for Prince Edward by copying a portrait of the real life King Edward VI, the central character in that show, who became King of England at the age of eight.

Some of Ida's creations are seen onstage time and again, appearing like old friends or actors making repeat performances.  An example is the peach colored cape and hat made originally for Jessica Coulter in "The Miracle Worker" which has been seen on our stage in five subsequent productions, most recently being worn by Erin Horst as Mary Lennox in "The Secret Garden."  One of Ida's personal favorites is her White Wolf, another of her creations made without a pattern.  The wolf debuted in "Bridge to Terabithia" and has since been seen in "How to Eat Like a Child" and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

In the past, Ida has been asked to create specific costumes of varying quantities for a given show.  "My Fair Lady" was the first ACT I production in which Ida was totally in charge of costuming, and she found this new challenge very rewarding.  She praised the cast and crew for really making her feel a part of the production company and is looking forward to taking charge of wardrobe again for future shows.  She says the part of the costumer's job that intrigues her the most is the brainstorming with the director while the show is in the planning stages.  When I met with Ida to prepare this article, we reminisced about the two of us discussing "Bridge to Terabithia" one day over lunch, coming up with the ideas for the various fantasy characters, none of whom existed in the text of the play.  Out of that meeting came her many beautiful creations, including her white wolf creation.  She said she enjoys talking with the director to get his ideas so she can make those ideas "come alive in a costume."

Here are photographs of some of Ida's ACT I creations:

At right is the costume Ida created that we have seen most frequently onstage, the cap and vest created originally for Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker," seen here worn by the character of Mary Lennox in the final scene of "The Secret Garden."

Ida describes her most challenging show as "Bridge to Terabithia," in which she created costumes for the fantasy sequence.  Pictured above, two knights duel to the death in the imaginary Kingdom of Terabithia, all in costumes Ida created.  The knights' costumes were later seen in "The Prince and the Pauper."

Another "Terabithia" costume, the one Ida describes as her personal favorite, is the white wolf she created without a pattern and which has been seen in two subsequent productions.  The costume consists of a head, a cape with gloved arms, and boots, all in white fur, to be worn over a white running suit.

Ida created over 50 costumes for "The Sound of Music," including 28 separate costumes for the seven children.

For our 1999 children's theatre production of "The Prince and the Pauper," Ida created the costume for Prince Edward (who becomes King Edward VI during the show), worn by both Josh and Kyle Brewer in their roles of Prince Edward and Tom Canty.  Ida recreated this historically correct costume without a pattern, using a portrait of the real King Edward as her model.  The costume, which includes leggings, shirt, vest, coat, and hat, ranks as among the most beautiful ever seen on the ACT I stage, and contained over $150.00 worth of materials.

Ida is a life long Vintonian, and has been married to Morris Higgins for 32 years.  Morris is employed by Benton County.  They have four children -- Troy, who will graduate from college this spring with a degree in Elementary Education; Traci, who will make her ACT I debut this month in our poetry reading, Dick, who will be married in June, and Kenny, a 2000 graduate of WHS in Vinton.  The couple also has one grandchild and another due in September.

Ida's first involvement with theatre came when she was in the chorus for a high school musical entitled "Swinging High."  Following that, a fair amount of time went by before she became active in ACT I.

Currently, Ida is a Para Educator at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton.  The current school year is her fourth as a full time employee of IBSSS, although she has worked there part time since 1993.  She speaks with great delight about the many students she serves in her dorm.  Prior to working at the Braille school she was a day care provider for 21 years and also worked part time in the lunch room at West Early Childhood Center for several years.

Outside Vinton, Ida is best known as a weather spotter.  She has been employed in this capacity for 21 years by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  As a spotter, she reports regularly to three area television stations -- KCRG (Cedar Rapids), KWWL (Waterloo) and KOEL (Oelwein).  Because of this, Ida's name is heard frequently in nightly newscasts.

What's next for Ida and ACT I?  Ida will be organizing our new costume shop at the ACT I Studio, taking over as our permanent staff costume custodian, putting order to our inventory of costumes which have been recently moved into the new space -- a space filled with Ida's creations.

Congratulations, Ida, for all the shows you have helped costume for so many years, and we look forward to many more beautifully dressed productions in the future!