Welcome back to our weekly interviews with cast and crew! As opening nights approach, check back every few days another behind-the-scenes look at Romeo and Juliet and Mercutio and his Brother Valentine (RJMV)

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Who are you? – My name is Katie McNeill. I am the costume designer for RJMV. I was born and raised in Kingston and currently sell high fashion clothing in a local store. I’m also a burlesque dancer in Kingston. My stage name is Kiki KaBang and you can find me on Twitter.

What’s your theatre background? – I do burlesque costuming and a lot of performance artist clothing. This is my second time working with Impromptu. I was also involved in The Merry Wives of Windsor in 2012. Besides that, I did some improv in high school.

How and why did you get involved with Impromptu Productions? – Matt [the Director] gave me his big doe eyes and asked if I would costume for him. I knew him through a friend of mine who also does burlesque.

What has been the best part of Romeo and Juliet/Mercutio and his Brother Valentine so far? – Definitely watching the fight scenes and the dance scenes. I even got to dance at one of the rehearsals because there was someone absent.

What is something that most people don’t know about you? – Every summer I disappear off to Toronto and go to nerd conventions and dress up in costumes.

Are you a big Shakespeare fan? What’s your favourite Shakespearean play? – I know nothing about Shakespeare, but fortunately I’m dating someone who does. However, I do have a favourite play: Twelfth Night.

How is the costuming going? ­­– It has been extremely challenging, as I’ve had to completely recreate/redesign Italian Renaissance costumes to fit strict restrictions. In order to deal with these, I’ve had to be more creative with my designs, allowing for budget and time constraints, yet making sure they still resemble the correct period. I’ve had to watch a lot of episodes of The Tudors.

What does your future hold? ­– Hmmm. A float off on a cloud of glitz and glam… and someday you’ll find me doing costuming in New York.

Why should people come and see RJMV? – Come and broaden your horizons! Romeo and Juliet is great Shakespearean play, and Mercutio and his Brother Valentine is pretty interesting, too, as you can get more information about some of the characters in Romeo and Juliet. Also, I’ve heard the fight scenes are going to be wicked.