PATRICK LANGKNECHT

A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES IN TOP METROPOL JOURNAL ISSUE 09/2023
Can you tell us about your background? Why did you choose this profession?
Even as a child, I drew a lot and sewed with my grandma. Very early on, I felt this overwhelming need to express myself creatively and create something wonderful out of nothing that others could see and experience. Using imagination and your own hands to create something to enchant the audience – that’s what it’s all about! That’s why I was fascinated by the world behind the scenes of show business. The lights, the music, the choreography, the costumes, the applause and the mystery… it’s just magical! And what child doesn’t dream of running away with the circus?
There was a moment in third grade when I was visiting a friend whose brother was studying fashion design. He came out of his room wearing a black satin ball gown. He looked fabulous and I wanted to know what it was all about! He showed us his sketches & patterns, there was fabric & tools around his sewing machine and all over the room – I was overwhelmed. That was it! And all of a sudden I had a word for what I wanted to become… Designer.
But fate had other plans for me. I initially worked as a hairdresser, but quickly realized that I just wasn’t made for it. So I decided to make my dream come true and attended a fashion school. But the pandemic got in the way of my desire to work backstage. And so I started working again at Szenarium Mannheim, where I had completed my training ten years earlier. There I met many great people again, including Rhiannah Kitching, choreographer & costume designer for Palazzo Mannheim and many other shows. I recognized her immediately. We talked and it became clear that she needed two helping hands with her work. So on October 17, 2022, my life began as the designer I have always been.

What have you experienced since that day? What projects have you worked on?
I spent the 2022/23 Palazzo season among the artists and made sure that the costumes continued to sparkle. I also accompanied Rhiannah to the set-ups of various productions. It was a real roller coaster ride working backstage for six months at my little table with my sewing machine – in the middle of the circus – and I loved every second of it like I’ve never loved anything before! I am very proud to have designed a costume for Rey David from the duo Ebenezer, with whom he performed at the Palazzo and Moulin Rouge in Paris! Likewise an outfit that the singer Aida Blanco wears in her music video for „No me diste na“.

How do you approach the design process for projects like this?
So far, no project has been the same – and I don’t think there can be any total routine in my job. Every show, every act, every costume and every audience is unique and should be treated as such! I start by talking to the artists to find out what the theme of the concept is. Also how it is presented on stage and what technical requirements the costume has to meet. Then I collect ideas, choose colors & materials and start drawing. I discuss my finished designs with the artists and together we choose the best one. I then construct the pattern on paper – a very important and interesting part of the whole thing. The technology & mathematics behind the creation of tailored clothing is fascinating! Finally, the costume is made in the studio and handed over to the artists for its stage premiere.
What are you currently working on and what projects are you planning for the future?
I’m currently supporting Rhiannah with the preparations for Palazzo’s 25th anniversary show. At the same time, I am working – together with the creative people behind the Palazzo Show – on the first Mannheim Christmas Circus.
I will expand my work in the world of variety theater and continue designing costumes. One day I would also like to found a fashion label for high-quality ready-to-wear, Made in Germany. Fashion has always been an important part of my life, so I would like to express my creativity in this area too. To accompany people in their everyday lives and give them the opportunity to express themselves, to feel liberated or protected and to fill life with more joy. What could be better than the costume that each of us puts on in the morning to enter the world stage?
PATRICK
