Sixteen lead roles, seven performances, nine Dr. Seuss children’s books, two months of rehearsals, numerous Whos … the number of elements in Cornerstone University’s spring stage production is almost too high to count.

But when it comes to costume design, “Seussical the Musical” is a one-woman show.

Cornerstone Costume Director Nancie Smith is the visionary and sweat behind the dramatic attire worn by the actors and actresses who have graced the school’s stage for the past 15 years.

Whether the performance is set in the throes of the Victorian Period or in a mystical Seussian world, Smith is the go-to woman for costumes.

And this seamstress is flying solo.

“A lot of other schools who do this stuff have a team of costumers,” Smith said, mentioning that she has been training a few students who do the costumes for one of CU’s four annual shows. “When it comes to the shows I’m a part of, I pretty much do it all.”

For Smith, “doing it all” includes researching characters’ personalities, organizing and improving old costumes, discussing ideas with directors, visualizing new costumes, gathering fabrics and sewing every stitch.

“It gets a little stressful – I only have six to eight weeks to do the costumes for a show,” she said.

Smith once had to make 110 costumes for a single show.

“It’s hard keeping organized enough to do a whole show by myself.”

Smith said the job is also about stewardship.

When she became CU’s costume designer in 1994, costumes were kept in what was called “The Cage” – a group of two-by-fours surrounded by chicken wire.

“It was just an absolute mess. Things were everywhere; nothing was organized,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘This is a stewardship area that’s being neglected; there’s money being invested, and no one’s taking care of them.’”

Smith spent her entire first day on the job picking up costumes, desperate searching for The Cage’s floor. Now, her costume shop is lined with rows of costumes on hangers, and she can easily tell if a piece is missing.

“What amazes people when they come over to borrow or rent a costume is that I’ll go right to it and pull it,” she said. “It’s funny because they’ll say things like, ‘Do you know everything you have here?’ and I say, ‘Well, pretty much, yes.’”

Not an easy task when her office holds over 5,000 costumes ranging from Victorian to modern styles.

Smith said her favorite pieces are ones made for Victorian Period productions.

“I love the Victorian period. They added so much detail to not only the front of their outfits but the back of them,” she said. They added ruffles, they added lace – they added all kinds of beautiful, beautiful details to the dresses.”

However, she said designing costumes for Seussical has been a nice break from other productions.

“I’m having a ball doing Seussical because it’s creative. They can be really fun and crazy costumes,” Smith said. “It’s been a lot of fun to just totally create something whimsical.”

But the Seussical costumes are more than just polka dots and feathers. Each costume not only emphasizes the abstract feel of Dr. Seuss’ works, but complements and adds to the personality of the characters.

Sophomore Lauren Root, who plays Mayzie La Bird, said her costume, complete with red and black boas, is “insane.”

“My dress does half the work for me. These red ‘look at me’ colors and the boas that scream ‘diva’ take care of the elements of my character.”

Smith said one of her favorite moments during a production is when she finally presents the costumes to the performers.

“They’re always excited when I bring costumes over to recitals to start trying things on,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to see them excited about each other’s costumes. Working with the students is really the best part of my job.”

For the students, Smith is a joy to work with.

“She is amazing to work with and has so much experience in the field,” Root said. “She has proven herself to be an extremely talented and creative seamstress over and over. “She has never ceased to amaze me with her handiwork.”