The beginning of my process as costume designer for the production of Every Rose… begins with research into the history of theatre costume.

Greek Theatre

The most iconic item of costume that was used in Greek theatre was masks. Due to the size of the theatres, the audience members would have been seated far away from the actors. To emphasize the characters being played they would wear masks. These masks would be tailored to fit the characters personality; for example, comedic characters would have large smiles whilst tragic characters would have mournful facial expressions. Not only this, the mask helped the actors project their voices due to the way it molded around their mouths.

Examples of Greek masks.

(Voronin, 2014)

However it is without a doubt the most powerful function of the mask was its ability to allow:

 

an ordinary man… [to] go beyond his real identity and become a mythological hero or a lusty satyr, a foolish old man or a beautiful young woman, a god or a slave. In this disguise he could say and do things that could not be said and done in everyday life, and could present to the audience events, actions and ideas that were horrifying or ridiculous, inspiring or fantastic. (The British Museum, 2016)

The influence these masks had on the actors’ performance was a driving point for me to achieve this impact with the costume I will create.

 The Middle Ages and Renaissance

Religion was prominent during this period and this was reflected in theatre. Miracle plays and the dramatization of scriptures were incredibly popular both inside and outside the church. When they developed further the plays were moved into other public places such as the market place, which allowed larger audiences to attend. These plays usually involved characters from similar backgrounds of the performers, such as townspeople. Because of this, the performers would usually supply their own costumes.

The renaissance period saw the visual production elements become as important as the script. The costumes became more lavish, colourful ad overall expensive, just like the fashion of the time. Due to the expense of these costume they were usually sourced by upper-class citizens, ‘Thomas Platter, a Swiss visitor to England in 1599, said that important people often left clothes to servants in their wills. The servants were not allowed to wear expensive clothes, so they sold them to actors.’ (Shakespeares Globe, 2016)

 

Renaissance fashion.

(Costume History, 2014)

Sixteenth – Eighteenth Century

As well as being extravagant, costumes during Elizabethan era involved certain colours to represent the characters status. These colours and status in society would be understood by the Elizabethan audience, which allowed them to identify the character as soon as they enter the stage.

During the seventeenth and eighteen centuries, the actors began to wear costumes that were fashionable at the time. Certain items were added to indicate who the characters are, for example, a crown would signify a king or queen.

Example of an Elizabethan dress.

(Atanu B, 2014)

Nineteenth – Twentieth Century

Many periods of history has passed and costumes were now being made to fit the specific era the play. During this period, travel was beginning to become easier so people knowledge of difference cultures increased. The audience would attend the theatre and expect to see the representations of the cultures advertised. Because of the development of travel, costume designers were able to research and acquire the correct materials to create accurate costumes.

 

Works Cited

Atanu B. (2014). Elizabethan Stage (Unedited). [online] Available at: https://atanu4.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/elizabethan-stage-unedited/ [Accessed 19 May 2016].

 Costume History. (2014). Renaissance fashion in the Reign of Francis I. 1515 to 1545. | Costume History. [online] Available at: http://world4.eu/16th-century-fashion-reign-francis/ [Accessed 19 May 2016].

Shakespeares Globe. (2016). Costumes & Cosmetics. [online] Available at: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/uploads/files/2014/01/costumes_cosmetics.pdf [Accessed 17 May 2016].

The British Museum (2016). Teaching History with 100 Objects – A Greek theatre mask. [online] Available at: http://www.teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/greek_theatre_mask [Accessed 19 May 2016].

Voronin, P. (2014). Smiley Face. [online] Loosely Analogous. Available at: https://looselyanalogous.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/smiley-face/ [Accessed 19 May 2016].