A cast of 16, intricate costumes and wigs made of found objects mean that "Amadeus" may be one of the most technically difficult productions Black Hills Community Theatre has undertaken.

After attending a rehearsal in early March, Angie McKie, the theater's executive director, said she couldn't choose a particular element of the show that she was most excited about.

"The acting is going to be great, but to top it off with the costuming, the set, the lighting and sound - technically and artistically I'm going to be very proud of it," she said. "I can't put my finger on one thing that I'm most excited about. It's going to be a very complete show."

The technical demands of the show have allowed some of the community theater's designers an opportunity to shine.

The set, designed by the show's director and sound designer Mikal Kraklio, is primarily black.

"So the lights are really going to play on that," McKie said. "It is really going to make the costumes and set pieces pop, too."

Chris Lee, costume shop manager, agreed that Kraklio's set "makes a very good backdrop for the costumes." She also said the most difficult aspect of costuming the show has been the sheer volume of work involved.

"There's a lot of costumes in the show, and they are the fashionable clothing of the late 18th century," she said.

"We do other period shows, but this one features fashionable clothing of the time period. That presents its own challenges - these costumes are rather time-consuming."

During the time period, it was fashionable to wear very complex garments. So, although Lee is an accomplished designer and even able to make her own patterns, the theater was able to borrow some costume pieces.

"We were able to get some costumes from the University of Montana," she said. "A lot of the stuff was gold, navy blue and green. So we kind of designed around that."

Because of budget limitations, the theater often has to limit its costume designs and color schemes, but for "Amadeus," Lee was able to create a color scheme for several of the actors.

"I'm very excited about the show. I've always liked the play very much," she said. "And I've always wanted to design costumes for this show."

Lee said she is inspired by the fabrics and the trims she has been able to use in designing the show. For her, "the details were very interesting."

Lee's favorite scene in the play is one in which one of the characters wears a large, intricate wig with a ship on top of it.

That's right, a ship.

Alongside Lee's costume designs, the show will feature 22 wig designs. And, according to Lee, "One of the wigs is 3 feet tall."

Mary Linda McBride is creating the wigs and is putting the headpieces together with a myriad of interesting components.

"They are being made of fabric, lace, beads and a variety of other found objects," McBride said. "I'm actually taking things from my recycling to sculpt the big shapes - cottage cheese containers, Nerf balls, beach balls. I've even used a lot of plastic shopping bags for stuffing."

McBride decided to try to cut down on the cost of the creations by using items she had in her home, but she didn't identify all of the items she used.

"I don't know how much I want to give away," McBride said. "If people are there studying the wigs and trying to pick out the cottage cheese carton, they might miss the dialogue."

Each of the show's 22 wigs is different, with the exception of a pair of green wigs McBride fashioned for a pair of brothers in the cast. Along with the brothers, Mozart and his wife will be wearing colored wigs, but the majority of the wigs are white - as in wedding dresses.

"Actually we are using wedding dresses a lot," McBride said. "I originally thought we would cover all the wigs with chiffon and the costume shop gets a lot of wedding dresses donated; white wedding dresses made of chiffon."

McBride said that several of her larger creations took days to complete.

"I molded and shaped and created. I put so much into this that I have actually started to name them," she said. "The first one I created I have named 'wedding buffalo' because of the color and shape."

Lee said Kraklio wanted the wigs to be stylized - like the set he designed.

Kraklio's stylization of "Amadeus" goes beyond the visual elements of the costuming and the set. The actions of the cast and the pacing of the show are also very stylized.

"There's a lot of posing - like mannequins," Kraklio said. "The cast has to do a lot of freezing when Salieri talks to the audience."

Kraklio's favorite scene in the production uses the audience as characters in the show.

"We have the entire cast sitting on stage as though they are watching an opera," he said. "And the audience becomes the opera."

Because the show is somewhat restricted within the space at the Hotel Alex Johnson, cast members will move furniture on and off stage to change the scenes and setting so that the show doesn't stop.

"It has a very nice energy and a very nice pace," Kraklio said. "The show never slows down for a second. It just takes off and never slows down from there."

The quick pace should lend to the enjoyment of the piece, according to Kraklio.

"Although it is a lengthy piece, I think it will be over before the audience knows it," he said.

The play is about the life and death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, so, naturally, music is an important technical factor within the show. The sound design features recordings of 26 musical pieces by Mozart and a piece by Antonio Salieri that Kraklio said was hard to find. Kraklio said his sound design utilizes underscoring quite a bit.

"Oftentimes the actors are talking about a specific piece of music," Kraklio said. "And that's the piece of music the audience hears."

Kraklio wants to warn audiences that although the play has many of the same characters as the film, it is far more involved than the movie. Plus, it's funny.

"The show is extremely funny," Kraklio said. "But when the show takes a turn, it takes a huge turn. The show itself is a battle between good and evil - as all good theater is."

If you go

Who: Black Hills Community Theatre

What: "Amadeus," the Tony Award-winning play by Peter Schaffer

Where: Hotel Alex Johnson

When: Today through April 13; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $18 for adults, $16 for senior/military, $11 for students. Group rates are available. Call 394 -1786 for information and reservations or go to www.bhct.org.

Rating: PG-13 "The show has a little language, sexual references in the form of innuendo and a bit of violence," said "Amadeus" director Mikal Kraklio.

Contact Crystal Hohenthaner at 394-8429 or crystal.hohenthaner@rapidcityjournal.com.