Eight hours of surgery, just one week off work
Courtesy of CRAIG SCHWARTZ
Costume designer Alex Jaeger stands during the first day of rehearsal for “Eclipsed,” written by Danai Gurira and directed by Robert O’Hara for a production by the Center Theatre Group.
By Mariel Martinez
Sept. 20, 2009 2:20 p.m.
Not many can say they’ve experienced more than eight hours of surgery in one day, yet even fewer can boast of returning to work shortly after as if nothing happened. Alex Jaeger is one of those few.
Jaeger, an alumnus of UCLA’s graduate program in costume design, suffered a fall that broke his spine and landed him in the operating room for a strenuous surgery that lasted eight and a half hours ““ less than a month before rehearsals of his new production began.
Jaeger’s latest costume design production is “Eclipsed,” an original play presented by Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, currently running through Oct. 18.
Yet despite the surgery Jaeger was able to make it to the first rehearsal and has continued to work on this production since then.
“I was in the hospital a little over a week, and then after a week at home I started to be able to get off the bed,” Jaeger said. “It was three weeks that I was really incapacitated, but I got a little better each day.”
What fueled Jaeger to take the small steps that would eventually lead him back to the theater is the passion he has for costume design.
“My work in general is something that I’m really passionate about. So many people don’t follow their passions, and they have jobs that they don’t like,” Jaeger said. “To me it wasn’t really like I have to (go back), it was a more exciting thing, I felt like, “˜yeah I want to get back, I can finish this project.'”
Thanks to this particular project Jaeger has received the opportunity to do extensive research, another component of his job that he enjoys.
“He has great depths in his research and this play is about a specific time and place and war in Liberia,” said Candice Cain, costume director of Center Theatre Group.
The play focuses on the wives of one commanding officer during civil war in Liberia in 1993, and how they cope with this war during their stay in the compound of a rebel camp.
It follows their experiences as they deal with two new arrivals to the camp and the return of an old wife, now a rebel soldier, as well as the paths these wives must choose when the war comes to an end.
“Each woman in this play has a strong spirit and a way of coping. It’s interesting, they’re all in the same situation but they all cope in such a different way and each one has a different experience at the end,” Jaeger said, “So I think that it really tells us the strength of the human spirit and how you can survive and overcome any situation you’re put in.”
Interestingly enough it was the strength of these women that motivated Jaeger in his own recovery.
“This show inspired me to get out of bed and walk,” Jaeger said.
Once out of bed and back in the theater Jaeger made full use of his time there.
“When I came in to do costume fittings, he took the time to talk to me, if I needed something changed or if I didn’t feel comfortable in something he listened,” Kelly M. Jenrette, an actress in “Eclipsed” said.
Jaeger’s commitment to the play as a whole was exemplified by his presence in every aspect of the production, despite the walker and cane he had to utilize through most of the rehearsals.
“He would be out in the car shopping, swatching (fabrics), shopping for clothes, being in sittings, working with staff in the workroom ““ he didn’t miss a beat,” Cain said. “You had to ask him how he was feeling; he would never complain.”
Besides his commitment, Jaeger’s peers commend him for keeping something else constant: his positive attitude.
“The amazing thing about him is that he’s always smiles. He always maintains a positive attitude and it’s very radiant. It’s a pleasure working with him,” Jenrette said.
The feelings were mutual, for Jaeger was quick to express his appreciation for everyone in the cast and crew.
“It was really nice to learn this artistic community is so supportive,” Jaeger said.
Though the fall that led him to surgery might have been a complete surprise, to Jaeger the unexpected is something he deals with on a daily basis.
“I’m constantly being surprised about what I learn about the characters and individuals and different societies,” Jaeger said. “I never really know what’s in store for me in any particular day and it’s always interesting and inspiring.”
