How To Create An Effective Costume Design?

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to introduce you to costume design and to give you some ways of approaching and understanding theatre costume. I will suggest some key questions you can consider when you see or create a theatre costume. Remember that having a strong concept going into the exam will enable you to have a stronger response and will also mean that you will not waste precious time thinking of something under timed conditions!

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What about the character?

The character is the most important starting point for a costume designer. Costume designs must communicate something about the character to the audience. The costume designer should take into account the social, historical and cultural context of the production, as well as the characteristics of the individual roles.

Context

Context will include thinking about the location and era of the production. For a play text, this might mean thinking about when and where the play was written, as well as when and where it is set. The designer will also need to consider the style and genre of the production, as this will have an impact on the sorts of costumes that are needed. Part of the costume designer s role is to ensure that the costumes fit into the style of the production overall and that they convey the interpretation and approach chosen for the specific production. lt;br>

Characteristics

Characteristics of the role will include thinking about how the character is represented in the play text. Partly, this means the details of the character s biography, for example, their age, social status or profession. However, it also means considering the character s personality and their purpose in the play. Perhaps the character is very rich, but also very miserly: how can a costume represent this? Some characters have a very specific purpose in a play, for example, an orphaned child that the audience must feel sorry for might be dressed in ragged, dirty clothes.

Symbolism

Symbolist costumes are more interested in communicating an idea to the audience than in representing real life. Symbolism allows the designer to create costumes that they think represents the key themes of the play or key ideas about the characters.

A costume designer s job is to make deliberate decisions about the appearance of the actors on stage. Part of understanding a costume is considering what decisions have been made and what effect they might have on an audience. A costume can be the first information that the audience is given about a character, as many characters will be seen before they speak.

Costume designers might make decisions related to:

Shape, for example: the shape of any item of clothing, such as a skirt or jacket the outline of the actor in the costume any padding or shaping that needs to be added to give the actor the correct physical shape (for example a fat suit or carefully made pregnancy pad) the shape of footwear or accessories like hats. Different shapes can have a different effect on the audience or create a different impression of the character: a tailored, sharp cut suit is very different from a flowing, billowy skirt.

Colour, for example, the colours used on items of clothing, jewellery, footwear, accessories, and make-up or masks. Colours on stage have many functions, for example, they can be used to create an atmosphere or tell an audience about the mood or personality of a character.

Fit, for example: how the clothes hang on the actor s body which parts of the clothes are loose or tight how the fit of the costumes reflects a certain era or period. An unseen corset, for example, can be as important as the design of a dress. Costumes do not always fit actors perfectly: a designer can choose to make the costume less well fitting in order to make a point about the character and how he or she chooses to dress.

Texture, for example, the choice of fabric, its weight and thickness how coarse or smooth it is. Costumes can also be distressed or broken down to give the effect of age or damage (for example using a cheese grater). Adding ornamentation (for example, braiding) or even changing colours through dyeing can make a cheaper material feel more luxurious. Different textures create different feelings or moods for costumes, as well as indicating a character s social or personal status.

Learn more great ideas and approaches to drama with experienced teacher and examiner, Steven BA (Hons) Drama, PGCE.

If you would like additional help with your GCSE or A-Level written examination, feel free to message Steven on his tutor profile to arrange a private tutorial.