Candace Bank, BFA
Costume Design

Candace is a graduate of the University of Regina’s Fine Arts program in Theatre Design and also has a certificate and diploma from Red Deer College.  Since graduating, Candace has worked on several other independent films in addition to working on film and television projects, such as Disasters of the Century and Crime Stories (Partners in Motion).  She also worked for one summer in New York at Stagedoor Manor, a theatre training camp where she designed shows such as The Women, Company, Chicago Gypsies and Pride and Prejudice.  Most recently she designed for the Souris Valley Theatre production of Chaps!

Candace was very excited to have a chance to help tell Tom’s incredible story.  “I grew up hearing tales of Tom Sukanen from my grandparents.  For years, my grandfather drove a tractor at the annual threshing show at the Sukanen Pioneer Village Museum, so from the moment I read Chrystene’s script I knew that I had to work on this film.” 

Of course, there were many challenges to designing for a period film that spans from the 1890’s all the way to 1943 but it was also more than that.  Sisu’s script involves many complex dream sequences and other media, and “the opportunity to implement my designs to fit into Chrystene’s vision was very rewarding.”   There was a lot more to this than getting the right period; “it’s not just recreating the past”.

Trying to maintain the right look on a mostly borrowed wardrobe proved most challenging.  Well over 300 costumes were loaned out from as many as six different organizations including local theatres such as The Globe Theatre, Regina Little Theatre and the University of Regina Theatre Department. The task of borrowing, fitting, altering, cleaning, tracking, and returning all the costumes required the effort of every friend and family member Candace could convince to donate their time to be part of this project.