posted by Savanah on Sep 21
For a costume designer working in the contemporary theatre, one of the biggest challenges comes from work with a dramaturg . The dramaturg is the one whose job it is to assist the director in making a number of choices about the unity of the production. The unities in consideration can be in terms of the overall flow of the play, but more often than not are focused on the historical accuracy of the presentation. This doesn’t apply when looking at a play that does not engage with history, but it’s rather difficult to argue that any play can exist outside of a historical perspective.
In this regard, then, the dramaturg’s function is to locate the production in a specific time, and to apply criteria for judging how effective the elements are in serving the time depicted. For the designers, theatre costumes need to be useful above anything else. Historical accuracy is sometimes set aside simply in order that the actors are able to move in the costumes without tripping. But there are plenty of ways to still serve the historical accuracy while also making useful costumes. This is where the designer’s art really comes into play, because in theatre, it is about facade as much as anything else. Part of the challenge, and also the fun, is to make a costume that bears the external appearance of historical accuracy, while remaining flexible and easy to wear.
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