A typical day for Mary DeWerff starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m.

Although she is editor for Soccer Georgia, the soccer newspaper that comes out four times a year and has a circulation of 60,000, that's not what makes her long days.

DeWerff, who has been sewing for about 30 years, is the costumer for the McIntosh High School drama department's production of "Stephanie Hero" by Mark Medoff. The medieval fantasy opens tomorrow.

"Until about eight years ago, I did a lot of English smocking," she said. The dresses I did were made with fine batiste with French seams and everything was very meticulous.

"There's just not enough time and the budget can only handle the cheapest fabrics and it must be done in a hurry. You can hide a lot of imperfections on stage."

The play revolves around Young Stephanie, who finds herself having to take care of her brothers and sisters after her father, the King, goes off to be a hero, and her mother, the Queen, decides she doesn't want to be a mother anymore. An evil sorcerer, a dragon, several spells, a mysterious knight and some swans add to the excitement.

Along the way, Stephanie's mother is turned into a teardrop and her brothers and sisters are turned into swans by the evil Leopold T. Bosco, the sorcerer who wants Stephanie all to himself.

With the aid of a real swan and Horace, the sorcerer's assistant, Stephanie sets off to right all the wrongs.

A big part of DeWerff's job has been researching what people wore during medieval times. She spent 20-25 hours just gathering information, and depending on the production and what is needed, she can spend about 100 hours per production constructing the costumes.

It's a job you would only do out of love, DeWerff said. Her sons, Bill and Bob, are both in the play. She also has a teenage daughter, Beth.

"It takes so many hours," DeWerff said. She mentioned working all day on costumes on Mother's Day and her birthday. "Most working people are not going to put in those kinds of hours," she added.

And as if meeting the challenge of making the costumes in a short time weren't enough of a challenge, DeWerff has found that most commercially-produced patterns don't fit teenage bodies. "They are all arms and legs and they don't like to stand still," she said. "I do the best I can and hope that the audience doesn't notice."

Sometimes, she said, it's easier to pad the clothing rather than alter the costumes. The costumes must also be rugged and it helps if they are washable.

The dressing room looks like the average teenager's room, DeWerff said. "You have to develop a thick skin. You get used to picking things up and putting them on hangers."

Performances will at the MHS Black Box Theater Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $5 in advance, $6 at the door, and $3 for Fayette County elementary school students. For tickets or more information, call the drama department at 770-486-8615.

The Facts

¹ 'Stephanie Hero'

¹ McIntosh High School Drama Department

¹ MHS Black Box Theater

¹ Nov. 5, 7, 13 and 14, 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 8 and 14, 2 p.m.

¹ $5 advance (770-486-8615); $6 at the door; $3 for Fayette County elementary students

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