1. Costume Design

2. The Nature of Costume Design • The costume designs for a production need to • Reflect the production design team’s agreed upon interpretation for the production concept • Exhibit a unity of style among all the costume designs for that production • Provide a visual reflection of the personality and nature of each character at a given time in the play • Provide visual information about the world of the play including locale, period, season, time of day, culture, and other elements

3. Types of Costume Designs • Character costume designs are those that are dictated by specific information contained in the script • Decorative costume designs are simply those costumes that appear to be no more than decorative elements in the general stage picture.

4. The Psychological Meaning of Clothes • What a person wears and how it is worn says a great deal about that person and the society in which he or she lives. • How and why? • Give some examples

5. Clothing can be worn to conform or to rebel against a certain segment of society.

6. Clothes can be visible clues to the wearer’s emotional state.

7. Historical Period: The shape or silhouette of garments can provide clear indications of their historical period.

8. Clothing also suggests age and Gender

9. Clothing can suggest socioeconomic status, occupation and climate and season

10. General Considerations • Analyzing the script • The script provides specific factual information. • Gender, agae, time of day, season, historical period, climate, time span, occupation, etc. • Stereotypical Costuming • Avoid making costumes that clearly proclaim who or what a character is • Character Evolution • Costumed need to match the growth or lack of growth of a character • Give me examples from Into the Woods • Interpretation of Period • Costumes make a statement that visually unifies the historical period, style of script and production concept

11. Practical Considerations • Needs of the Actor • Physical: the costume should fit properly and not inhibit the performance • Psychological: ? • Production Venue • Influenced by the venue. How? • Budget • Construction Demands

12. Organizational Paperwork • Costume Chart • Visually plot what each character wears in each scene of the play • You might also want to attach swatches to each change • Costume List • Specifies every element, including accessories, of each costume worn by every actor.

13. Visual Presentations • Preliminary Sketches • Similar to thumbnails • First tangible impressions of the ideas you have • Costume Layout • Small figures, simply and clearly drawn that illustrate the costume designs for a number of characters. • Costume Sketch • Full color drawing that should give a strong indication of character. • Conveys the designer’s concepts to the director and producer for approval • Used by the scenic and lighting designers to provide information on the color palette of the show.