Characteristics of Costuming for the Theatre
- A stress on their theatricality -- they have a hint of ceremony and
performance about them. If they are realistic, they should still give a sense of the
theatre environment.
- A revelation of historical, social, and/or psychological context.
- An expression of the individual character's personality, profession,
class, tastes, self-understanding.
- Wearable clothing; one must be able to actually act in them.
One has to account for movement, fitting, and quick changing.
[adapted from Cohen, Robert. Theatre. 5th ed.
Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2000.]
Costume and Makeup Considerations
The following shape the way a costume and a character are perceived
by the audience:
- choice of fabric, including its texture, weight, ability to drape,
fold, crush, twist, and dye.
- color
- the appearance or "aging" of the fabric
- hairstyles (including beards and moustaches)
- use of jewelry, badges, accessories
- display or coverage of the body
- period styles, abstractions
- choice of shoes
- makeup's lightening or darkening of facial color
- heightening of eyes, wrinkles, jawlines, eyelashes and eyebrows
Commedia dell'arte Costumes
"Signor Flamineo, will you down,
sir? Down!/ What, is my wife your Franciscina, sir?/ . . . Ere tomorrow I shall
be new christened/ And called the Pantalone di Besogniosi."
-- Volpone 2.3
The following are some typical commedia dell'arte characters:
arlechino frombolatore
pantalone pulcinella
dottor another scene
With the above in mind, how would you costume the following
characters from Jonson's Volpone? What fabrics, colors, and accessories
would you pick out? What kind of makeup option would you choose? Would you try to play off
their associated animal types? What would you hope to show about their personality, social
position, etc.?
- Volpone (The Fox)
- Mosca (The Fly)
- Nano, Castrone, and Androgyno
- Voltore (The Vulture)
- Corbaccio (The Raven)
- Corvino (The Crow)
- Celia (The Heavenly One)
- Bonario (The Honest, Uncorrupt One)
- Sir Politic Would-Be
- Lady Politic Would-Be
- Peregrine (The Pilgrim Hawk)
Click here to see
some photos from a recent production of Volpone |
