1. Costuming
Theatre Arts

2. Vocabulary
Costume Crew – the people responsible for making/borrowing/buying the costumes, assisting with costume changes and emergencies backstage, and cleaning the costumes
Dresser – responsible for helping with costume changes and emergencies backstage
Wardrobe Mistress – responsible for the care of all costumes (cleaning, fixing, etc.)
Costume Plot – a chart listing each character, the acts or scenes in which they appear, and all undergarments, garments and accessories needed
Accessories – anything carried or worn on top of the basic costume for decorative purposes (hats, purses, jewelry, etc.)

3. Costume Plot Example Play: Calling Dr. Curemee Date: November 12-13
Act 3, Scene 2
Character
Actor
Costume
Accessories
Notes
Sylvia
Megan
Blue silk dress
Hat, scarf, heels
Help tie scarf over shoulder
Walter
Eric
Brown suit
Spectator shoes, pipe, glasses
Grandma
Andrea
Blue bathrobe
Slippers, tissue box
Must look very rumpled
Bobby
Justin
Jeans and T-shirt
Baseball cap, glove
Suzie
Jackie
Soccer uniform
Soccer ball, water bottle
Dr. Curemee
Roberto
Blazer, navy pants, white shirt, tie
Stethoscope, notepad, pencil
Taken from Glencoe’s Exploring Theatre, Nancy Prince & Jeanie Jackson, (c) 2005

4. You may already have experience in Costume Design!
Did you dress up last Halloween? Or any other Halloween? Think of your favorite costume.
What did it look like?
What materials did you use?
What design did you use?
How did you gather it? Make/buy/borrow/rent?

5. Why are Costumes Important?
Help the audience “see” the characters. They show them the:
Setting:
Time period
Location
Character:
Age
Personality
Social standing/wealth
Occupation/job
Help the actors feel and move as characters rather than as themselves

6. Research!
Costumes must reflect the setting (time and place) of the play. Costume Designers must research what costumes of that place/time looked like!
Study the period of when the story takes place
Research in:
costume books
encyclopedias
old magazines
paintings/artwork/photography

7. Things to think about when designing!

8. 1. Consider the silouette
There are 3 different types:
The draped line, like in a toga
The fitted line, like men’s tights in Shakespearean times.
Combination, like fitted bodice and draped skirt.

9. 2. Consider the choice of fabric.
Fabric helps to suggest social status:
Luxurious texture suggests wealth
Rough textures suggest poverty
The weight of the fabric is also important
Regal robes require bulky material
Fairies from Midsummer Night’s Dream need light-weight material that will flow easily.

10. 3. Consider the color.
Proper choice of color will help establish the play’s mood and the personality of the character.
Blues and greens are restful
Red coveys danger or anger
Black denotes tragedy
Purple suggest royalty
White is associated with purity
and innocence

11. 4. Consider decoration.
Decoration (accessories) includes trim and accessories attached to the costume.
Buttons
Lace
Hats
Shoes
Fans
Canes
Jewelry

12. How do we get costumes? Buy Rent Make Borrow
Refurbish (change/alter old costumes to make them look different)

13. Mary Poppins Costume Design

14. Elizabethan Era
Color played a huge role in what the people of the Elizabethan era wore.
Some colors were more expensive because the things used to make the dyes were rare, etc. Only the wealthy could afford those colors. Examples:
Purple
Royal Blue
Crimson (dark red)

15. Elizabethan Era
Sumptuary Laws dictated what people were allowed to wear based on their position in society.
People of lower class were not allowed to wear certain colors or fabrics. These colors were reserved for royalty only:
Gold
Purple
Royal Blue
Crimson (dark red)
It was against the law to wear a color or fabric you were not allowed to wear, and you could be sentenced to death if you wore it!

16. Meaning/Symbols of Colors (Elizabethan Era)
Red/Crimson – fire, power, importance
Royal Blue – power, importance, wealth
Purple – royalty
White – pure, innocence
Black – authority, power, death
Pink – joy, happiness
Blue – servitude (servants)
Orange – courage
Brown – humility, poverty, plainness
Gray – mourning, regret, humility, plainness
Green – renewal of life, nature
Yellow – renewal, hope
Gold – divinity, majesty, wealth

17. Your Assignment
Design a costume’s color and fabric. You will be begin with a basic black and white Elizabethan era costume rendering.
Add the color and find/attach at least 3 pieces of fabric that you would use for the costume. 1 of those fabric pieces can be a trim (ribbon, etc.).
Fabrics and the colors on your drawing must match!
You will create an original character based on your choices.
Make sure you look at the Sumptuary laws to make sure your character is allowed to wear those colors!
Look at the meanings of the colors to show your character’s personality.
Describe your character’s personality and what you did with your color/fabric choices to show their personality.

18. Examples

19. Examples

20. Sweeney Todd Costume Design
Colleen Atwood interview:
Design your own costume!

21. Sweeney Todd Costume Design Part 1

22. Sweeney Todd Costume Design Part 2

23. Now it’s YOUR TURN to be the Designer!