Sasha Varchenko is shown as the title character for Dancers Studio Inc.’s upcoming production of “Cinderella” April 1.
Sometimes these days Susannah Lipinski strolls into Andrea Davis’ office wearing part of a whimsical mouse head. Or a raccoon snout.
Let it be clearly noted right at the top that Lipinski is a stable and businesslike person. And also a very imaginative one.
The costume designer is just testing some of her latest critter creations on boss Davis for Dancers Studio Inc.’s “Cinderella,” to be presented at 6 p.m. April 1 at the Columbus Area Arts Council’s First Fridays For Families series at The Commons, 300 Washington St. (The show will be repeated May 7 at Judson Erne Auditorium with a second half of other dances).
The mouse, racoon and a host of bird dancers all are part of the crew who find Cinderella in the forest in artistic director Stacie Woempner’s presentation. Which is why Lipinski’s office on Cottage Avenue on a recent afternoon was covered with fabric ranging from screaming yellow to bright blue.
Last week, with two weeks to go before finishing the bird outfits, the part-time staffer and part-time volunteer seemed as calm as possible.
“Panicking doesn’t get you anywhere or buy you anything,” she said with a laugh. “You can’t afford to freeze up.”
“Susannah is the calm thread that runs through all of this place,” said Davis, Dancers Studio Inc.’s executive director, ignoring her accidental but perfect pun.
And she’s quite the one to leave others in stitches — or at least chuckling good-naturedly with her dry perspective, including how she handles the stress of costuming deadlines on a nearly invisible wardrobe budget.
“I raised two daughters,” she said of stress management. “They gradually wore me down.”
It helps that she has selfless and talented assistants in the form of volunteers such as Renney Hodek.
When it comes to adorning dancers, she has reached for everything from bubble wrap to fishing line to foam to make pieces and accessories. And her efforts, including ample hand stitching, are about far more than beauty, sparkle and pizzazz.
“As a costume designer, you’re leading the story (for the audience),” Lipinski said. “With Cinderella, they have to know she’s always the one in blue so that they can correctly follow the characters and the story.”
The studio’s near-20-year veteran began sewing as a 12-year-old in Memphis, Tennessee, after school under the guidance of a friend of her mother. She later earned a degree in textiles and apparel. Her favorite part of her studio and production work is clearly the animals. And with this show and other Dancers Studio Inc. productions such as “The Jungle Book” and “Peter and the Wolf,” she has plenty of opportunity to reach for inspiration.
“With animals, there’s a lot of creative room (for interpretation),” Lipinski said.
And goodness knows she has made more than a menagerie through the years. Elephants. Frogs. Monkeys. Tigers. Snakes. Panthers.
She mentioned that while especially the younger dancers grow excited when they first try on her costumes, they often don’t share wardrobe details with their parents ahead of time.
“They usually want it to be a surprise to them, (at the show),” the seamstress said.
As a member of the Columbus Star Quilters and another similar group, older group members sometimes give away collections of their fabric, thread, zippers and more to Lipinski. Plus, the costume designer sometimes can transform a jacket from “The Nutcracker” into a piece for another performance, such is her versatility. Lipinski struggles to estimate the total time involvement for this 45-cast-member show.
“But, for the audience, this production is not about me,” she said. “It’s about the kids.”
The studio originally planned to perform “Cinderella” in spring 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“I already had about 75 percent of the costuming finished then,” Lipinski said.
But the cancellation meant that an eventual new cast would be different sizes — requiring her to begin all over again.
Including the headpiece parade into Davis’ office. Her executive director wouldn’t have it any other way.
“She has such joy in creating,” Davis said.
Audience members can see for themselves come April 1.
