We had some lessons with Alex about costume. In our first lesson we selected different body parts from magazines and newspapers, and placed them together to make a person, costume or scene. It was really interesting looking at the outcome of this, as everyones were very different. Some people were comical, others very fashionable. It gave me some inspiration to our next lesson, where we had to bring in some fabric. I had an old pair of cotton leggings, and we used some of Alex’s velvet material. I created a long sleeved piece that went round the shoulders and into a hood. On the hood I created some ears to create a ‘cat-woman’ look. The majority of this design was spontaneous, and it was all hand stitched and pinned. I had loads of fun doing this, so I decided to create a dress for one of my performance exams. Our performance is based on the seven deadly sins, and I was cast as Greed. I wanted to be a beggar wearing an exuberant costume under a tatty blanket. I made a dress out of a satin type fabric in a royal green, with gold detail. I made this using a sewing machine, and was reasonably happy with the outcome.
We are aiming to do a performance at someones wedding in March. For this we have chosen the theme alongside the bride’s ideas, as A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have been sketching some costume ideas for the Oberon and Titania characters, as we are going to make costumes to save on our budget. I look forward to this as well, as fashion and design has always been an interest of mine.
Without costume performance can lack interest, especially for elaborate stage shows. Yet some performances rely on simple dress, so that the performance or skill is not overruled. Many of my favourite performances have had great costumes, but in ‘Page Blanche’ by Luc Amoros they wore tatty painting clothes. I really like this performance and there is no need for costume as the whole show is full of art and colour already. I hope to create parts of our costume for another performance based on ‘Page Blanche’. We are to be the three little pigs and I aim to hand sew foam snouts and ears to highlight our characters seeing as our costumes will be plain. The reason for this is because we are using shadow work, so our silhouettes need to be clear, and we are also painting. Anything elaborate could get easily ruined.
