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Walk into the warehouse area of the Utah Opera Production Studio and you will see racks and racks of costumes: soldiers, courtesans, sailors, Gypsies, noblemen, servants, cowboys, Egyptians, nuns, priests, woodland creatures and Philistines.

Susan Memmott Allred designed them all.

"I started with 10 costumes, one sewing machine and a box of thread," said Allred, the company's resident costume designer. She has been on board for all but the company's inaugural production, a January 1978 "La bohème." Starting with a production of Verdi's "Otello" later that year, she free-lanced for Utah Opera for five or six seasons before becoming its official designer.

The production of "La bohème" that opens Saturday, Oct. 16, is the fifth "Bohème" for which she has designed costumes. This one has a special twist: The action has been moved from the 1830s to 1939.

" 'La bohème' has a special flavor to it," Allred said. She believes director Crystal Manich's staging retains that flavor while adding a visual flair. "It's a really happy marriage of traditional 'Bohème' and an updated version."

Allred and Manich brainstormed via e-mail last spring, while Manich was in Argentina directing "Madama Butterfly." The director wanted several classes of characters included in the opera's second act, which takes place in Paris' Latin Quarter on Christmas Eve. It was also important to "make every single character really distinct and defined," Manich said. "We paid detailed attention to who the chorus members were going to be."

The chorus of 40 adults and 20 children includes soldiers, urchins, wealthy people, middle-class families and students. Chorus member Jared Knowlton fractured his leg while skydiving last month, so the creative team cast him as a beggar. "It's like a community of characters," Allred said.

"The kids were really fun to do because a lot of silhouettes from that era are popular now," the designer said. She and her staff found many vintage costume pieces and accessories in antique stores and secondhand shops.

This will be Allred's last full season with Utah Opera, though she will return regularly as a guest designer. "There are fun things I've always wanted to do — writing, even more research, educational goals," said Allred, who recently turned 60.

"I don't think I will miss buying clothing or fabric," she said. "I've bought literally thousands of pairs of shoes, thousands of yards of fabric, a mind-boggling amount of trim and buttons."

But she will miss the camaraderie of the costume shop.

"My heart is here. I love it here, I love this company. I'm one of the luckiest people on Earth. I've transitioned through all these years; I have memories no one else has."