Unit 1 - Principles of Performance
My main area of interest for this essay is costuming but I also would like to explore the area of stage management.
Some of the people that are involved in costume designing are:
- Costume designer
- Set designer
- Lighting designer
- Head of wardrobe
- Choreographer
- Actors
- Director
The role of costume designers in theatre
Introduction
Usually people only see the finished product of a piece of theatre or musical. Everything looks well put together and it all runs smoothly. But what the audience does not get to see is how much work and deliberation has gone into that one particular dress or those wonderful coats. Because behind all of the costumes that go onto the stage is a train of thought created by one person: the costume designer.
History
Although dressing up in certain pieces of clothing to tell a story has been around for a long time, the actual role of costume designer did not exist until the 18thcentury. Before this the writer of the story or actor would usually provide the costume for the character. During the ancient Greek times most of the performers on stage would wear the same, or a similar, type of robe. This changed during the Middle Ages and Renaissance when costumes became more important as they helped to create a character and their mood. Another big element of the costume was to keep the crowd interested in the character and what they were doing on stage. The first real character costumes were created by a traveling type of theatre called commedia dell’arte. They had costumes representing certain stock characters as a harlequin, doctor and even a type of clown. Because of these costumes and the accompanying face paint, the audience understood what these characters were even before they had started to talk. Towards the end of the 18thcentury the demand for costume designers grew bigger as a result of an increase in stage performances and traveling theatre companies that needed historically accurate costumes. Another factor in this demand was that people gained more knowledge about different cultures and their way of dressing and costume making. During the 19thcentury the designing and creating of costumes became the specialized trait that we now know as a costume designer. The role of costume designer has two parts to it: the creating of historically correct costumes or costumes that portrayed a certain area and the creating of a new concept based on the story, character and the writer’s idea of how the costume should look like.
Process
The creative process of creating a costume usually starts when the costume designer receives the script of the play or musical. The designer takes cues from how the character is described and their surroundings as well as the time period in which the play or musical is set. It is also considered if and how the character progresses during the story and how their costumes portray that. From there on ideas start to form which the designer will translate into a sketch. Accompanying these sketches will be samples of fabric that the designer has researched to be the best fit for the character and practicality for movement. These sketches will be presented to a number of departments starting with the director and sometimes the writer. They will give their opinion on the sketches and discuss their adjustments with the designer. Sometimes these adjustments won’t take place due to practicality issues or due to the fact that the particular fabric will not be able to be modified in a way that it is asked to be. Another department that the costume designers work closely with is the set designers as the costumes need to be able to move practically around the set. This also ties in with how the choreographer wants the actors to move in the costumes. The costume designer also needs to be present during rehearsals to see if and how the garment will be used during the show and who the actor is that will be wearing the costume. During these rehearsals the costume designer will also ensure that all the decisions that have been made beforehand will still work as the production develops. Whilst rehearsals are still running, the costume designer will work together with the head of wardrobe to create the garments that all of the actors will wear. Because the actors will have to wear these costumes day-in-and-day-out the designers and head of wardrobe will have fittings with them to hear their feedback about the ability to move in the costume and the comfort of the costume. When the director, choreographer and actors are satisfied with the costumes they are ready to go into technical rehearsals, technical dress and dress rehearsals. During this period of time the designer will see if the fabrics have the desired look underneath the stage lights. If this is not the case, the costume designer will work with the lighting designer to find out if there is a way to solve the problem by using different lights or colours. When this doesn’t work the costume designer will search for different fabrics that will look better under the lighting plan that is designed for the show. After all these adjustments are made, the costumes are ready to go onto the stage for full shows. During the run of the show the costume designer will check-in to make sure that the costumes are looking the way that they are supposed to.
Skills
A costume designer needs to have many skills that vary from being able to translate their ideas to an actual costume as well as being able to communicate with many other people and understanding their visions. Another skill that is necessary for a costume designer is to be able to draw the costumes that they envision. Having a good knowledge of different fabrics and how they sew, move and feel on the body also is something that a good costume designer should have. Attention to detail is very important too, even if the back row of the theatre might not see it, the people in front will. Being able to work with needle and thread is important too, both sewing by hand as well as working with a sewing machine. Another quality that costume designers should have is the ability to communicate well as they have to work with many different people from different departments to create and execute the ideal vision.
Conclusion
Although the final costumes may not look like the initial sketches or ideas, it will look as if it belongs into that particular production. This is because a lot of different people have brought their skills to the table to make it look as realistic and unique as it can possibly be. By working together with so many different departments a costume designer has mastered the skill to understanding other people’s visions and how to execute them. And that is a hugely appreciated talent by itself.
Sources
- uk.businessinsider.com/paul-tazewell-costume-designer-hamilton-2016-4?r=US&IR=T
- www.thecut.com?2016/06/see-the-original-sketches-of-hamilton-costumes.html
- www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/d/designing-stage-costumes/
- creativeskillset.org/job_roles/1756_costume_designer
- www.hcs.harvard.edu/~htag/handbook/?q=wiki/costume_design
- artsalive.ca/collections/costumes/designer_role.php?lang=en
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/costume-design-definition-history-process.html
No comments:
Post a Comment