SJCHS wins Best Costumes in state competition

OGDEN — Costume designer Joanne Hatch received a Best Costume award for Saint Joseph Catholic High School from the Utah High School Musical Theater Awards hosted by the Utah Festival Opera in Logan April 27.

Hatch received the award for the costumes in the SJCHS production of "Guys and Dolls."

"Winning Best Costumes was thrilling and well-deserved," said Jennifer Hughes, SJCHS theater and dance department director. "Joanne Hatch has been absolutely invaluable to me."

During the last six years, Hatch has costumed seven SJCHS productions: "Macbeth," "The Pajama Game," "The Madwoman of Chaillot," "The Wiz," "Hamlet," "The Drowsy Chaperone" and "Guys and Dolls."

"I believe ‘The Wiz’ required about 150 costumes," said Hughes. "Some of the other productions we’ve done required about that same amount. In addition, she has costumed my students for their work at the Utah High School Shakespeare Competition and the State Drama Competition."

Hughes and Hatch met in 2008 when Hughes was directing "Funny Girl" at Ogden High School, where Hatch was the costume designer. "Her work was beautiful and I fell in love with her," said Hughes. "She is a wonderful collaborator, bringing years of experience in costuming to the overall aesthetic of the productions. What makes Joanne’s costumes so special is her unflagging commitment to detail. She creates a whole look for each character, sometimes several looks when the show demands costume changes for characters."

Hughes and Hatch share a philosophy of treating students and high school productions as though they are professional actors and shows, said Hughes. "The quality that has locked Joanne into my personal hall of fame is her generosity. She is there for every show, making sure that the students’ costumes, hair and makeup are impeccable. If someone rips a skirt, she’s there to fix it on the spot. If a wig starts to unravel, she’s right there in the wings with bobby pins to make it beautiful again. She gives the students her love and her time, shares her wisdom and her wonderful sense of humor. Joanne is a vital member of our theater community as well as a cherished colleague and friend."

Hatch designs the costumes, which are then sewn by "an army of moms," she said. "I work with the director of the production and to do the drawings, select the fabrics and sometimes I sew the special costumes. We have such a lovely, tight-knit community at St. Joseph, and I get a lot of support from the parents."

Hatch studied theater and design in college but graduated in English with a teaching certificate and a minor in history from Weber State University. After getting involved with her children’s school plays, she started the musical theater program at Mount Ogden Junior High and other junior highs, then began designing costumes for high schools, she said.

"I love to see my pieces come out because costumes speak much more before the actors ever do," said Hatch. "The costumes speak as soon as they get on stage. They help transform the students. I love working with these high school students who are almost ready to go to college and make their way in life, to blossom into full their potential. Sometimes they need to be under cover of a character to express themselves before they can fully see what potential they have; it’s a wonderful exploration. The kids form such a bond with each other."

Much of Hatch’s costume design experience comes from trial and error, she said. "I see what works and what doesn’t. I’ve learned that duct tape can go a long way."