Suwatana Rockland inspires students and costume creations

The College of Wooster’s costume designer and costume shop supervisor draws much of her creative inspiration from nature before transforming the vision into magnificent theatrical costumes. Suwatana “Pla” Rockland, who joined the College Department Theatre and Dance in fall 2020, recently completed the colorful costumes and folk art for the Sarasota, Florida, production of Once on This Island by the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.

Originally from Thailand, with stops in Colorado and Arizona before landing in Ohio, Rockland has an impressive laundry list of accomplishments before her current position as costumer and teacher at Wooster. From dancer, model, and actress to director, choreographer, and import entrepreneur, she has seamlessly carried her positive mindset and creativity into the next career path.

The work she did for the Florida production was the result of previous costuming she did in the Cleveland area for Kent State University, Ohio Light Opera, Dobama, Porthouse Theatre, Karamu House, Players Guild, and Playhouse Square—all Unions Professional Theatres. Jim Weaver, director of Once on This Island, had worked with Rockland at Kent State’s Stark campus five years ago, before he assumed the titles of education director and artistic associate at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Familiar with her gift of creating memorable and exquisite costumes, Weaver wanted Rockland to bring the costumes to life for the Caribbean-influenced love story.

Despite her full-time role at Wooster, she accepted the challenge with a little trepidation, some anxiety, and a vision board jam-packed with photos on her phone. Not wanting to duplicate the costumes from the Broadway or other versions of the play. Rockland spent hours reading and rereading the script, “six, seven, and eight times until I understood what was going on. I also used my hour and six-minute commute time to and from Hudson, Ohio, to Wooster to listen to the music until I could see the picture inside my soul,” she said, attributing her strong design skills to her acting and choreography background.

Once she had a sense of the characters, script, and music, Rockland took advantage of a family trip to New York City to visit the Garment District. “As I was walking through the aisles with millions of fabrics, there was one fabric that was calling my name and saying, ‘You belong to me, and I belong to you,’” she recalled. The fabric was beautiful, but she was convinced it was the right fabric because of its touch, texture, and movement. She took the fabric home and worked to create everything from the costumes and headpieces to the folk art.

Suwatana “Pla” Rockland, costume designer and costume shop supervisor at Wooster, recently completed the colorful costumes and folk art for the Sarasota, Florida, production of Once on This Island by the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.

The completed costumes were beautiful, but the final look was “because of character, not because of beauty,” she said. Rockland’s costumes created somewhat of a media frenzy, including accolades for the costuming in television interviews and published articles in Sarasota Scene and Sarasota Magazine.

Before Rockland shipped the costumes to Florida, she took them to the Wooster costume shop to show her students and provide a hands-on experience with the finished pieces. She had them try on the headdresses to see how they feel. “I wanted them to touch, look at, and feel the costumes. I wanted them to see the movement, how the pieces worked with the sunlight and house lights,”

She also used the examples to teach the importance of thinking about the actors as people. “I try to have them ask these important questions: Is the costume safe for the actor to perform in on stage? When the actor puts it on, how does the costume feel?  Does the costume become the character?”

The students who work with Rockland in the costume shop are not costume design majors. Instead, students from majors as varied as neuroscience and chemistry to music and history, come for new experiences, she said. Last spring, she and the students who worked on the costumes for Wooster’s production of Alicia from the Real in Wonderland, were laughing, working together, and so happy. She works to impart some of her philosophies: “To do the best for every show, for every theatre, every day. It’s the same for when I teach the students,” she said.

Rockland appreciated that Wooster allowed her to accept the Florida costume request. “It’s a good thing that Wooster encourages faculty and staff to continue professional development,” she said. “A focus on the academy and professional development makes me a stronger, better teacher.” Often with the work she does off campus, she takes a student along as a paid assistant for real-world experience. “After they learn, they are ready to go out and put wings on. I don’t need anything except to see my students succeed at something they love,” Rockland said.

Posted in Faculty, News on November 14, 2023.