1. COSTUME DESIGN

2. What is a costume? Costume includes all clothing,
underclothing, hairdressing, makeup, and
accessories, such as hats,
scarves, fans, canes,
umbrellas, and
jewelry, worn or carried by
each character in a
production

3. COSTUME CREW The crew in charge of costuming the show. Including:
Organizing the clothes,
Helping to dress the actors
Cleaning and repairing the clothes

4. WHAT IS A COSTUME PLOT? A chart listing : Each character
The acts or scenes in which they appear
All garments, undergarments and accessories needed

6. COSTUME PLAN (also known as a costume rendering)
Black and white sketch of the costume
Colors and type of material are labeled
Swatches of material are attached
No faces or hairstyles (that’s makeup)

9. COSTUME DESIGN
In color with all details included

11. THE NATURE OF COSTUME DESIGN
Objective Information Provided by Clothes
In addition to providing psychological clues, clothing can provide a variety of objective information about a person
Historical Period
Age
Gender
Socioeconomic Status
Occupation
Climate and Season

12. General Considerations for Costume Design
Analyzing the script
The costume designer reads the script to gather various information about the play and the characters
The script provides factual information about period, time, season, climate, gender, age, socioeconomic status, occupation, etc.
Script also provides clues to the emotional quality of the play and the relationships among the characters

13. Research and Creativity!
Costume designers thoroughly research for accuracy in costumes.
Costume designers use creativity in designing one of a kind theatrical costumes.

14. FAMILIES, COUPLES, GROUPS
Theatrical designers use color to
Symbolize the character
Show a couple, family or group
Reflect emotional state of the characters

15. Practical Considerations
Needs of the Actor – size?
Production Venue – where?
Budget $$$$$
How Difficult is the Costume Design
Renting Costumes
Buying Costumes
Modifying Stock Costumes – Goodwill 