At the heart of every great production is a storyteller who weaves magic with thread, fabric, and imagination—and for the 2024 A Christmas Carol at the American Shakespeare Center, that storyteller is Costume Designer Tori Wright. With her masterful designs, Tori breathes life into Charles Dickens’s timeless tale, using costume to elevate its themes of transformation, redemption, and the passage of time. Each piece is a visual journey that helps turn this holiday classic into an unforgettable experience.

Meet Tori Wright

Tori Wright is no stranger to the Blackfriars Playhouse. Now, in her 18th production with ASC, she has brought her creative expertise to countless productions, from Shakespearean classics like Macbeth and Julius Caesar to modern interpretations like Pass Over. Having previously worked as a Wardrobe Supervisor on productions like Hamlet and A Christmas Carol (2023), she’s now proudly serving as the Costume Designer for A Christmas Carol (2024). With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design from Longwood University, Tori’s work balances historical authenticity with a flair for innovation, ensuring each design serves the story while captivating the audience.

Bringing A Christmas Carol to Life, Stitch by Stitch

Tori’s designs for A Christmas Carol bring Dickens’s world to life with a balance of historical authenticity and theatrical practicality. In the fast-paced environment of repertory theatre, where actors often play multiple roles across different productions, quick costume changes are crucial. Tori ensures each costume not only enhances the story but also holds up under the demands of live theatre, allowing actors to transition seamlessly between roles.

“One of the key components of the Dickens story is, of course, its time period. The story is rooted in the culture of its time. So, to incorporate that, I really wanted to bring in Victorian fashion trends that would have been familiar in Dickens’ time while also not losing the performability of the costumes, as is necessitated by the theater space.”

One of Tori’s standout creations is inspired by a Victorian transformation dress, a garment with “two interchangeable bodices” for different occasions:

“One is casual for daywear, and one is formal for evening wear. We’ve sort of taken it to an extreme and turned one into something that, you know, a lady of the lower class might wear and the other into something that would be worn by a lady of the upper class.”

This thoughtful approach not only grounds the costumes in Dickens’s time but also ensures that they support the fluidity and quick changes necessary for repertory theatre. Tori’s work ensures that every stitch and silhouette serves the performance, flowing seamlessly under the candlelit glow of the Blackfriars Playhouse.

Jacob Marley: A Haunting First Impression

As the first ghost to confront Scrooge, Jacob Marley needed to make an unforgettable impact, and Tori’s design delivers just that.

“Jacob Marley was completely redesigned for this year’s production. He is the first ghost that Scrooge encounters in this play. So he needed to make a huge impact. I wanted to focus on Dickens’ description of Marley in the novel, which is surprisingly detailed. It discusses an old-fashioned tail coat and waistcoat. And Dickens describes Marley as having no bowels, as being transparent so that Scrooge can see the buttons on the back of his tail coat.”

To capture this eerie transparency, Tori added a striking visual element:

“So to suggest this, I included two transparent panels at the back of Marley’s coat so that we can see these prison stripes on his waistcoat and sort of suggest to the audience that he is transparent, that he can be seen through. And as a fun little detail for the actors, these buttons on the back of his tail coat include a skull and crossbones.”

By blending Dickens’s vivid description with thoughtful design choices, Tori brings Marley to life as both ghostly and theatrical. The prison stripes and skull-and-crossbones buttons add unsettling layers to his presence, setting the tone for Scrooge’s haunting journey to redemption.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: A Timeless Elegance

For the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tori creates a costume that is both familiar and fantastical, blending elements of history and memory.

“For Christmas Past, I wanted to explore the notion that this spirit looks like an entity Scrooge would recognize from the past. She’s wearing an 18th-century sack-back gown with a watteau train in white damask—a style Scrooge’s grandmother might have worn. We upscaled it with patina lace, diamond details in the shape of a Christmas tree, and a magnificent holly garland draped over the side.”

By drawing on 18th-century fashion and enhancing it with delicate, festive details, Tori transforms Christmas Past into a figure rooted in Scrooge’s history, yet ethereal enough to embody the magic of Dickens’s ghostly tale.

Ebenezer Scrooge: From Ivory to Ash

Tori uses costume design to chart Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation, reflecting his moral and emotional decline through a gradual shift in tone and texture.

“Ebenezer Scrooge is the central character of A Christmas Carol. The story centers on his corruption and redemption, the various transformations that his character makes over the course of his lifetime. When we first see Scrooge, he is dressed in black—simply black with touches of gold to highlight his selfish wealth. But in his youth, we see him wearing ivory, just a pure ivory. He is still pure in nature as a boy. But gradually, his character progresses into gray until finally, he has returned to that black tail coat that we saw him in at the beginning. However, when he makes his final transformation and decides to become a better person, he returns again to this beautiful white of ivory.”

Tori’s costume design brings Scrooge’s emotional journey to life, using color and texture to reflect his transformation. From the stark black of his present to the purity of his youth in ivory and the moral gray of his middle years, Scrooge’s wardrobe visually tracks the choices that shape him, reflecting the depth and complexity of his redemption.

The Costume Shop: A Collaborative Effort

Behind every beautiful costume is a team of dedicated artisans working in perfect harmony. At the heart of A Christmas Carol’s stunning designs is the ASC Costume Shop team, led by Costume Shop Manager Marie Lupia. Wardrobe Manager Amy Monsalve and Wardrobe Assistants D. Scarlet Frishman and Trina Yager work side by side, making sure each costume is expertly crafted, fitted, and ready for the stage. Together, they bring Tori’s vision to life, ensuring that every stitch and detail supports the magic unfolding at the Blackfriars Playhouse. It’s a true team effort that enhances the immersive experience of Dickens’s beloved classic.

Don’t Miss Tori Wright’s Stunning Designs in A Christmas Carol

Step into the world of Dickens this holiday season and witness Tori’s masterful designs on stage. From Jacob Marley’s haunting transparency to Scrooge’s colorful transformation, her costumes promise to bring A Christmas Carol to life in ways that will move you.

Reserve your tickets today and experience the magic live on stage at the Blackfriars Playhouse through December 29th.