RESEARCH REPORT

How does costume and stage design affect a theatre piece?

Introduction:When thinking about theatre, for most people, the first thing that springs to mind is the actors. It’s no surprise as they are the ‘main stars’ of the show; but as someone that has always been interested in fashion, it’s no wonder I was drawn to the costumes. My interest in clothing and wanting to explore more of theatre has lead me to my topic of “How does costume and stage design affect a theatre piece?” Before starting my college course I predominately focused on the latest fashion and brought this into a lot of my writing. But since studying and experimenting with different forms, I found a strong interest in theatre. I enjoyed writing for theatre because I had to write visually for my audience. This is where I first wrote in dialogue and I surprised myself as I felt it came quite naturally. When I decided to take writing for theatre further, I came across complications when it came to the stage directions. But after watching it being performed, I re-evaluated my writing and altered it to work on stage. This process was a huge learning curve and built my confidence. Since I have already looked into writing for theatre, I wanted to look at something else for this project. So I took it back to my original interest and merged the two together. My objective for this project is to find out if costume and stage design affect a theatre piece. My hypothesis is that both costume and stage design contribute to the atmosphere and the tone of a theatre piece; if these were to be changed certain aspects of the play would change as well.

I started my research by creating a mind map of my research plan. I thought of different ways I can approach my question to find an answer: including primary and secondary research. I looked at the advantages and disadvantages of these ideas, this helped me to decide how beneficial they would be for my question. To conduct my primary research I came up with methods such as: interviewing people who are involved in theatre, interviewing people who have seen theatre and creating a survey in order to gain a variety of responses. All of these methods are beneficial to my research because they allow me to find out opinions from a range of people. In particular, I think the interviews are most beneficial; as well as answering the questions I had prepared, they allow me to lead on from any answers I am given to find out more information. Both of the people I have interviewed agreed that costume and stage design have an effect on a theatre piece. They believe it contributes to the atmosphere and tone of the play, as well as revealing part of a characters personality. To conduct my secondary research I have looked on the internet and through a range of books about theatre. These were both beneficial to my project because they gave me further information about my subject. The internet sources highlighted the different aspects of stage and costume design, for example, how the shape of the stage and the size of certain props can encourage an audience to look in a certain direction and how the colour of the set and costumes can reflect and encourage emotions within people.

The books: Great Performances: A Celebration by Jennifer Dunning and Stagecraft by Trevor Griffiths gave me some background history of theatre and how stage sets have changed over time. They also spoke about make-up and how this adds to a character. The books were a great form of research because as well as giving information they inspired me to think about other things related to my subject. One of those was the idea of silent movies. Even though it isn’t theatre, silent movies use costume, setting and actions to create a story. This information made me question how?

Another aspect I looked at were early film posters. I looked into this idea, because the posters give an audience their first information about a film. The audience then takes this pre conceived idea in to the movie with them; therefore creating expectation. Costume and stage setting are the visual aspects of theatre that the audience usually see’s before the first words are spoken. Everything from shape of the stage to the cut of a characters outfit, fit together to create an assumption of the characters and the settings they are in. Audiences, and even the actors, relate all of these things to what they subconsciously know and piece together what is happening on that stage.

This report is going to explain the research I have conducted in depth, and how it is relevant in helping to answer my hypothesis. It will cover other questions that came up as a result of certain research, as well as explaining what I have found and how it has helped answer my question or not.

Methodology: Initial research:For the first step of my research to answer ‘How does costume and stage design affect a theatre piece?’ I looked into three media products that would be related to my research. The first medium I looked at was film; I focused specifically on ’10 Things I Hate About You’ because this is my favourite film. During this process I found out about producer Andrew Lazar; who graduated from New York City University with majors in film production and political science. This information is not relevant to my research. I was already aware that the film is based on Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, but I found out that it was purposely adapted to suit the audience and the context of 1990’s America. Topics like the latest technology, ‘free love’ 60’s (Sex out of marriage) and the 70’s women’s independence and Feminism were covered in this film. This information is relevant to my research because, even though they changed the context, it is an example of how you can take aspects of something and change it into something different. In order to create this, they adapted Shakespeare’s original play with a film which featured all kinds of different aspects from the 90’s culture.

The producers moved the film from LA into Seattle, and purposely set the scenes in real locations. The school scenes were set in a real school, the producers wanted the exterior scenes to match the romance of the piece. This helped to create a sense of realism. This information is important for my research because it shows how the producer knew the setting would affect the feel of the film.

The next thing I looked into was the technologies that were used to produce the film: setting, lights, cameras, microphones, music and editing etc. The majority of the time, all of these things are essential to producing a film. Cameras and microphones are essential to making a film piece, because these are the technologies that record what’s happening; without these it wouldn’t be film. Therefore this information wasn’t relevant to my research. What was relevant to my research was how the setting, lights and music influenced the film. All of these aspects worked together to create the tone of the movie. The setting put the viewer in the place of where the movie was, and because the producer decided to set the film in real locations this put the viewer in the setting of the film.

The lights and the music affected the tone of the piece. The soundtrack for the movie reflected the personality and mood of the characters. Viewers subconsciously react to the music, and relate that feeling to the character that is on the screen.

‘10 Things I Hate About You’ is aimed towards young people; the producers had to bare this in mind. The target audience has influenced the film, because the producers have based the story around teenagers who are experiencing new things and learning from them. The setting in the school and the family home, makes the film relatable for young people. They can watch the movie and know how the characters are feeling about a situation. At the time the film was made, the costume and music choices would have been what young people were wearing and listening to. Now when we watch the film, we relate these things to the 90’s. This information was relevant to my research because it shows how as humans we relate certain things to certain times, which can create a sense of nostalgia and specific feelings.

Finally I researched, who owns the media production and how this influences the product? I found that Touchstone Pictures own the media production. Touchstone Pictures are an American film distribution label of Walt Disney Studio motion pictures. This influences the product because the label of a film can make the film more appealing to people who are familiar with the label. This information is irrelevant to my research because it doesn’t answer my question.

The second medium I looked at was Theatre; I focused on The Lion King: The Musical. President and producer of the Disney theatrical group Thomas Schumacher produced the play. Before researching into the product, I knew that the musical was based on the Disney animated film. It is a coming of age story about main character Simba, which celebrates the music, language, costumes and culture of South Africa. What I didn’t know is that the story mirrors the story line of Moses, Hamlet and those of Greek and Egyptian mythology. This information plays a part in my research because being involved with Disney, Thomas Schumacher knows that audience is a critical part of his production, and the piece will have to appeal to the audience through story, costume, setting, lighting and music, whilst staying in the South African theme.

Creating theatre involves many elements such as: Script writing, choice of music, choice of costume, props and lighting etc. The production process requires communication through every department involved. The costumes were a particularly important part of The Lion King, because they were so extravagant and technical. This process would’ve involved the director, the producer and the stage designer to ensure the costumes were practical for the theatre. Thinking about all of the elements of theatre is an important part of my research, because theatre is my main focus. I need to know what makes a good theatre piece, and how each aspect contributes to a piece and affects one another. In the case of The Lion King: the costumes, music, lights and stage design work together to transform a script into a production.

The next thing I looked at was who the piece is aimed at. The original animated film is aimed towards young people and families, but the musical production is aimed at anyone who is interested in theatre, music or culture. In this particular piece, the bright colours and extravagant costumes attract the audience to what is happening on the stage. They relate what they are seeing, to what they already know. This is relevant to my research because it relates to my question; how does costume and set design affect a theatre piece? When watching The Lion King, the audience react to the costumes and the set by relating them to their knowledge of the animated film and the location of South Africa and animals.

The final medium I looked at was photography. I focused on ‘THE MUSE’ a fashion campaign by Marc Jacobs. Marc Jacobs is a well-known fashion designer, he worked with photographer David Sims to produce his campaign. Before researching the campaign, I didn’t know a lot about Marc Jacob but when I started reading I saw that he is inspired by his models. At first I didn’t think that information would be relevant to me, but as I continued I found out it was. For ‘THE MUSE’, Jacobs took an average girl and dressed her in his alternative designs. The photographer, then used Jacobs’s vision to edit the photographs into what he wanted. This process involved a camera and the editing software. The camera provides the photograph, but the editing software has the ability to change that image. In this case, the photos were manipulated to suit the clothes the model was wearing. This information was all relevant to my research, because originally the photos didn’t create the feeling the designer wanted to, but after editing them into black and white they created a different impression when you looked at them. I can use this for my project because it’s a very similar idea to my question. Editing the photos is the same as changing a costume or set design.

Even though the three mediums I chose are very different, they have things in common. Each of my mediums have a focus on costume and setting design. When conducting my research, I found that each of my pieces looked at design as a very important component. In the three examples I used, the costume and setting affects how the audience reacts and feels towards the piece. The costumes and settings have been chosen to make the audience feel a certain way and put them in a certain place. If I were to change any of the costumes or the settings I could potentially change the tone of the pieces. In relation to writing, film and theatre are very visual. In order to successfully write for these mediums you need to be able to write visually. The director has to be able to look at a script and be able to see what will be happening on stage. Writing visually is also important for the costume and set designer, because they have to visualise what the characters and set should look like to suit the script.

There are also some differences. The theme of the photography campaign was down to the designer, although the photographer took the photos he had to follow the brief the designer had in mind. In both theatre and film the director takes the lead and the team follow his/her visions. In theatre a writer does have a say in how the play is seen by an audience – it is also their vision. The producer then sets to work getting the other creatives to fulfil these visions. When it comes to writing, theatre is very different to film. When writing theatre, the writer needs to remember that the stage directions have to be achievable. Unlike film where any footage can be edited and parts can be cut out.

Analysing film has helped me with my research because I have found an example where the producer has purposely taken a story line and used costume and setting to change the original idea. This initial research of a film product, has made me think about why producers have done certain things and how this influenced the product. It’s also helped me, because it has raised questions like: How would I feel if the film was set earlier or later? How would the producer change the costumes and the settings to achieve this? Asking these questions benefits me, because I can think about these as I continue to do my research.

Analysing theatre has helped me with my research because it has made me question; how do settings and costumes have the ability to put you in a certain place? When researching The Lion King, all I could think about were the technical costumes and settings. In the first scene, the actors come out in lines to African music. Whether you’ve seen the original film or not, you piece together what you are seeing and hearing and subconsciously know where you are in that play. This first bit of research is already playing a huge part in answer my question.

Analysing photography has helped me with my research because I now know to take hair and make-up into account as well. This is a form of costume.

My research question is how does costume and stage design affect a theatre piece? After doing my initial research, I think this task has highlighted the fact the costume and design apply to a lot of products. I think that it’s a really interesting concept and so I won’t be changing my focus from the theatre industry.

Mind map:For the next step of my research, I created a mind map for a research plan. I came up with ideas and ways of how I am going to answer my question. This ideas included:

Interview someone who is involved with theatre.

Strengths Weaknesses I would receive a professional and

passionate opinion. Likely to have watched a lot of theatre. They know how it feels to perform with

and without costumes and stage design.

They have probably only performed in original plays, meaning it’s likely they’ve worn a certain costume and couldn’t specifically say how it feels when you change that costume.

Interview people who have seen theatre.

Strengths Weaknesses They would possibly be able to

compare different productions they have seen.

They can talk about how the costumes and setting made them feel.

Everyone is different- different people will perceive things differently.

Create a short survey for the public.

Strengths Weaknesses I would receive a number of answers

rather than just one person’s opinion. The survey will only reach people on

my social media pages- limited age range.

I may receive biased answers if someone who isn’t interested in theatre answers without the intention of being useful.

Use sources such as books and the internet to research more about costume and design.

Strengths Weaknesses

Get an idea of the history and meaning of costumes and stage designs.

Unlikely that they will be able to tell me about the effects the pieces have on a production I depth.

Watch a theatre production.

Strengths Weaknesses I would be able to get first-hand

experience of how the costume and stage design make me feel.

It’s very expensive.

I think that all of the above will benefit my research project. They will all reveal information about my topic. However, watching theatre is going to prove difficult due to expenses and restricted time allowance.

Secondary research:The next part of my research was where I put all of those plans to use. I started off by looking at a couple of books which focused on theatre. The books I looked at were: Great Performances: A Celebration by Jennifer Dunning and Stagecraft by Trevor Griffiths. Both of these gave me some background history of theatre and how stage sets have changed over time. I found out that the stage designer thinks in the fourth dimension. The stage isn’t just a picture for the audience to look at but it’s a moving picture, the stage works with the actors to create the setting. In the 16 th to the 19th century, it was the designers’ job to create a background of the stage. Around this time, they would have created a two dimensional, naturalistic backdrop by working alone. After the 19 th century, the designers worked equally with the directors and playwrights to create a three dimensional setting. It would relate to the abstract qualities in the play, and usually feature symbolic images. Around this time the costumes would be dramatic. This information is helpful to my research, because I have learnt how stage setting has changed over time and how this change has led to people working differently. The advanced stage designs mean that the theatre team have to communicate more, this suggests that the stage design contributes more to the production than it used to in the 16 th century.

They also spoke about make-up and how this adds to a character. In theatre there are usually four types of make-up: straight, character, stylized and fantastic. The type of make-up that is used all depends on the type of play, the lighting and the size of the theatre. My initial research into the Marc Jacobs campaign, made me think about make-up as a type of costume. The books were interesting to read and helped me to gain more knowledge about the types of make-up within theatre.

The books were a great form of research because as well as giving information they inspired me to think about other things related to my subject. One of those was the idea of silent movies. Even though it isn’t theatre, silent movies use costume, setting and actions to create a story. This information made me question how? When I was looking at some silent movies, I found an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJoW1Xqndzs

This clip highlighted the importance of setting. Even though there is no dialogue throughout the piece, thanks to the setting you are able to follow and understand what is going on. The part that particularly stood out to me is after Alice follows the rabbit and has to get through the door. The director, made use of the setting and props to show the audience how Alice changes size. Without the change of setting, the audience would not have known what was going on. The costumes are also relevant in this piece, they give the audience a sense of what time this is set in. They also clearly distinguish between the different characters. This information is relevant to my research because it highlights the information you can get from a piece by using costume and setting.

Another aspect I looked at were early film posters. I looked into this idea, because the posters give an audience their first information about a film. Here is an example:

This early film poster shows a single man sitting at a table. As humans, when we look at images we subconsciously relate what we see to what we already know. By looking at this poster I would assume that the man shown is of high class and facing a struggle. My reasoning behind this is because:

His clothing- he is wearing a blazer, shirt and tie. These items are worn on formal occasions and represent wealth.

The glasses- paired with the title on poster implies that they are alcoholic drinks. The act of drinking alone suggests the man is stressed.

The audience then takes this pre conceived idea in to the movie with them; therefore creating expectation. This is the same idea with theatre poems. Costume and stage setting are the visual aspects of theatre that the audience usually see’s before the first words are spoken. Everything from shape of the stage to the cut of a characters outfit, fit together to create an assumption of the characters and the settings they are in. Audiences, and even the actors, relate all of these things to what they subconsciously know and piece together what is happening on that stage.

Once I had finished looking at a range of relevant texts, I decided to take to the internet to see if I could find anything more. I looked through a range of websites, and found more than I expected. The first website I looked at was:

http://artsalive.ca/en/eth/design/costume.asp

The article revealed aspects of costume that I had and hadn’t yet thought about. “Costume designs need to faithfully reflect the personalities of the characters in the script. The shapes, colours and textures that a costume designer chooses make an immediate and powerful visual statement to the audience. Creative collaboration among the costume designer, the director and the set and lighting designers ensures that the costumes are smoothly integrated into the production as a whole. Stage costumes can provide audiences with information about a character's occupation, social status, gender, age, sense of style and tendencies towards conformity or individualism. As well, costumes can:

Reinforce the mood and style of the production.

Distinguish between major and minor characters.

Suggest relationships between characters.

Change an actor's appearance.

Suggest changes in character development and age.

Be objects of beauty in their own right.

Costume designs also need to include any accessories such as canes, hats, gloves, shoes, jewellery or masks. These costume props add a great deal of visual interest to the overall costume design. They are often the items that truly distinguish one character from another.

If the production is set in a specific historical era, the fashions of this period will need to be researched.”

This website was useful to my research, because it covers the simple aspects of costume. Throughout researching, I think that I have gotten carried away and forgot the simple things a costume can represent. Knowing the characters gender, occupation, social status and age are all important when watching a play. Costumes help to distinguish these elements.

http://artsalive.ca/collections/costumes/effective.php?lang=en&page=4

“A designer reveals personality through specific choices: colour (bright, sunny, gloomy, drab, eye-catching), cut (revealing, modest, elegant, boxy) and fabric/texture (rich velvet, floating chiffon, body-skimming satin, rough burlap, distressed denim). Fabrics like leather, fur, silk, and accessories like stiletto heels, sunglasses, and cigars all carry particular significance and a designer may play with, or against, certain prejudices or expectations. Costume may show how the character wishes to be perceived, as opposed to how he or she really is. The audience may laugh at the contrast of the shy and awkward character trying to appear cool and elegant in designer clothes, but that contrast speaks directly to the character’s inner conflict.

Not only do particular colours have associated emotions, but they also affect the emotional state of the audience, for example, a designer may or may not want the audience to leave the theatre feeling too “blue”. Colour also has very different connotations depending upon culture and tradition. In the west, brides traditionally wear white, but at Chinese and East Indian weddings they often wear red. In southern India, the woman wearing white would normally be elderly. Light also affects colour in different ways and the savvy designer understands the many possibilities of these changing effects. Colour may play an important role in focusing the audience’s attention on a particular character. Juliet’s appearance on her balcony late at night will be enhanced if she is dressed in such as way that the lamplight glows on her and her pale dress or nightgown. Romeo is inspired to compare her to a rising sun against the darkness just before dawn.

Military uniforms, religious habits, physicians’ white coats, judges’ robes and wigs are all costumes designed to set the individual apart from others. Sometimes colour does the same thing, as in “royal” purple, or the white-clad bride. Subtler clues about financial status are provided by fabric quality and cut.

The action of a play changes a character in many ways – age, mental and physical health, and status – and costume becomes an important marker of these transitions.”

This website was extremely useful for my research. Not only does it talk about the simple use of costume, but it goes into depth about how even the colour can suggest so many things. The thing that really interested me, was how a costume could be used to suggest the emotions of the character and how this can affect the emotions of the audience.

https://www.geneseo.edu/~blood/SetDesign1.html

“Today many theatres do not use the main drape, or curtain which separates the stage and audience; instead, the audience sees the set when it walks into the theatre. Therefore, the audience makes assumptions about the play's style and tone based on the set designer's work, before an actor walks on stage or a line of the play is delivered.

The tone of the set usually reflects the dramatic genre: for example, tragedy may use a darker or less varied colour palette and a few, large objects, whereas comedy may use a brighter and broader colour palette and many realistic or comically exaggerated details.

The set gives the first information on time period and location. A gothic cathedral will tell the audience the play will be set in Medieval Europe, but a fast food restaurant will probably indicate contemporary America.

Mass: the size of the elements on the stage. On stage, mass relative to the actor's body is important: does the scenery dominate an actor (a big cathedral, huge stone palace, large forest) or is it in scale with the actor (an everyday kitchen, a subway car, a corporate office)?

Composition: how are the scenic elements arranged in space (along an x,y, and z axis)? Along any given axis, the composition might be symmetrical, balanced, or unbalanced.

Space: positive space is three dimensional space taken up by scenic objects. Negative space is open space, which may be taken up by actors and perhaps by movement of actors and other pieces of scenery. This set dominates the actors spatially.

Texture: can be two dimensional or three dimensional. Two dimensional texture is variation in colour, pattern and material. Three dimensional texture is a tactile property: objects could be rough, smooth, silky, bumpy and gritty. Because stage lights tend to hide an object's texture and because texture is harder to see across a distance, a scene designer usually exaggerates stage objects' textures.

Colour: has four properties. Hue is what we normally think of as colour; in paint it is a specific mix of primary colours red, yellow, and blue; in light it is the wavelengths absorbed by the object while the rest of the wavelengths are reflected and caught by the eye. Saturation is how much of the hue, the hue could be faintly or strongly present. Value is the scale from black (value=0) to white (value=100); if you think of converting the colours of a picture into a black and white movie, which is really a grayscale with black and white at either end of a spectrum, you will arrive at the picture's values. Colour values compared to grayscale. Temperature is a metaphor used for the emotional qualities of a colour: reds, oranges and yellows are warm colours while blues, greens and purples are cool.

All of these aesthetic tools will have metaphorical and emotional qualities for an audience member.”

This website was useful for my research because, it’s highlighted the different components of stage design. It shows that there is a reason for why the stage is set how it is, and what impact it’s intended to have.

http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/drama/AQA-7261-SET-D-TG.PDF

“Set designers need to consider the period and genre of a play, as well as the venue where the performance will take place. They also need to respond to the social, historical and cultural context of the production. For a play text, this might mean thinking about when and where the play was written, as well as when and where it is set.

Location- appropriate scenery.

Shape: the shape of the stage floor, the shape of any platforms, levels, or pieces of scenery and the shape of any stage furniture. Different shapes can have a different effect on the audience or create a different atmosphere: lots of smooth curves look and feel very different to lots of jagged, pointed lines.

Colour: the colours used on the stage floor, pieces of scenery, stage furniture and backdrop. Colours on stage have many functions: they can be used to reflect colours in real life, create an atmosphere or tell an audience about the mood of a place or the personality of a character.

Scale: the size of individual items on stage and the relationship between different objects of different sizes. An audience can be told that an object is very important by making it slightly bigger and ‘out of scale’ or a strange atmosphere can be created by varying the scale of different parts of the stage.

Texture: the textures of surfaces on the stage (the floor or the walls), as well as the texture of the stage furniture. Texture either comes from the materials used to create the set (wood, metal, fabric) or it can be created using paint effects (for example a painted woodgrain effect). Different textures can give the audience information about the setting of the play (i.e. heavy velvet curtains hanging at a window can tell the audience that the character who lives here is very wealthy) or can help create an atmosphere on stage (i.e. shiny metal surfaces can give a set a cold and clinical feeling).”

This website was relevant for my research, because not only does it state that the components of stage design are important, but it also mentions that the venue of the play should be considered to contribute to the atmosphere of the production.

When I came to my internet research, I simply looked for ' How does costume and stage design affect a theatre piece?', and lots of information came up. I had a look at a few of the websites and wrote down the information I found.

This research also revealed new things and opened up further questions for me. One of the things that caught my attention was the idea of colour. I read up on how even the colour of a costume can reveal the personality of a character, and the emotional state. This is something I hadn't thought about. As a human, we subconsciously relate colours to feelings. So the colour of a certain set or costume has the ability to make us feel and relate in a certain way. Working hand in hand with this comes lighting. The technology in theatre contributes to the atmosphere and the tone of the piece.

I also found out some interesting points to do with the Mass, Composition, Space and Texture of a stage design. Before conducting my internet research I hadn't really thought about the different

aspects of costume and stage design. I was looking at the subject as a whole without separating the different components and how they each have an effect in theatre.

Mass- Does the scenery dominate the actor? Is the actor in scale with the scenery? What affect does this have?

Composition- Symmetrical? Balanced? Unbalanced? How does this have an effect on the audience?

Space- Positive space? Negative space? The space affects how the actors can move and where they can go.

Primary research: Originally I was going to create a survey to gather responses from the public about their theatre experiences. As I started my survey, I struggled to come up with some questions which were relevant and helpful to my research. So I thought about what I really wanted to find out from them. My main aim is to find out their experience of theatre and how the costumes and stage design affected this. I came up with the following questions:

Can you tell me about a play you've seen, where the costumes and stage design were memorable for you?

What made them so memorable?

How did the costumes and stage design impact on the play?

How did they make you feel?

Did the costumes and stage design create an atmosphere for you?

Did you relate to them straight away? Or did you have to figure out where the play was putting you?

After coming up with the questions, I've decided that it would be more beneficial to ask them in an interview. This allows me to gather information first hand and gives me more opportunity to gain further information from a person through conversation.

The first person I interviewed was Tom. He is a theatre graduate, so knows a lot about the subject. As well as asking the questions I came up with, I also decided to talk to him about costume and set design from his perspective as an actor. I recorded our interview, and as it was quite long I didn't transcribe the whole thing; instead I took note of the most important and relevant information.

"You need to know the space you're in. The costumes and set design need to add to the performance- you need to feel that as an actor."

"The colours and lighting on a stage can create an emotional/sensory response. You need to know your actor and the ins and outs of your space. You need to be able to interact with what’s around you. If you're on a multiple function set, you need to know how to react to what’s on the stage and how to use it. In this case the designer and the director have to work closely together."

"Working in a blank space is possible but its hard work for the actor. They need to be able to interact with that space, to create the illusion of a real space for the audience. It's okay that the space is blank if they want it to be blank."

"The set should never be the star of the show; it's a podium for the action to happen on. The actors make the story. The set needs to amplify the feelings and the tone of the action- not set them. The theatre should be chosen specifically so it has its own feeling. The theatre is important for setting a tone- it sets an expectation before they see the stage. There is a piece called 'Einstein on the Beach' by Phillip Glass. It has a huge set but this is what he wants you to look at."

"Costume represents part of your character. In a way the costume needs to be coupled with the character- take a man dressed in stiff Victorian clothing, you wouldn't expect him to be moving everything around lots. Costume says a lot about a character before they speak. So much of theatre is through your eyes. When you put on a costume, it brings you into the world of the play. If the actors were to perform the same play but dressed differently, they may subconsciously perform differently. Maybe bits of the writing come out differently- or they react to the set differently- it might even bring out a different theme which makes it more relevant to certain people."

“The Lion King- the costumes are amazing. The play is supposed to be huge, sometimes the setting is the star of the show; but it should be. The lighting and the music creates a sense of nostalgia. They stand out more because they’re supposed to. There are moments within the play where the actors, in their costumes are the set. Like the stampede scene; the set and the music provoke emotions, it gets more intense as the music gets louder and the set gets bigger. The elements were working together.”

I found Tom's interview really beneficial for my research. I was able to find out what costumes and stage set means to someone who has had to perform with and without them. I explored how they make him feel and how he thinks they affect an actor’s character. Overall, I found out that Tom thinks stage design and costumes are a very important part of theatre. Although they aren't the "main star" of the piece, they add to the tone and the atmosphere which works with the actors to create the performance.

A lot of the information that I came across when searching online, linked to what my interviews said. Such as the costumes revealing a characters personality, and the set up creating tone and atmosphere. Similarly to what I read Tom said "The theatre should be chosen specifically so it has its own feeling. The theatre is important for setting a tone- it sets an expectation before they see the stage." I read some useful information about how not only should they consider the venue, but they

should think about the social and historical context of the play such as when and where it was written. This could be reflected in the theatre and the set if that's what the director wants to do. Even though I have gathered this extra information, I think it's very important to remember what Tom said; if that's what the aim is, it can work.

Another interview I conduced was with Amy. Amy works in the drama department as a performing arts tutor.

“The costume is important to the performer- If they feel uncomfortable they have to work hard to stay professional and not let their self-comfort effect the performance. Costume and set adds to the character, to the aesthetics.”

“There is a piece by Jasmin Vardimon called Justitia. The set is always moving and that really captures you.”

I asked Amy the same range of questions and got her response. She had similar views as Tom, and thought that costume and set design helped to add something to a theatre piece. Something that was really interesting that Amy spoke about, was the fact that sometimes the actors/performers won’t feel comfortable in their costumes. This means that they have to overcome their own comfort and make sure it doesn't affect their performance.

Findings: I feel as though all of my research is relevant to my project. However, I have benefited from some parts more than others.

Secondary research: InternetI feel as though I gathered the most information from my internet research than the other aspects. This research revealed new things and opened up further questions for me. One of the things that caught my attention was the idea of colour. I read up on how even the colour of a costume can reveal the personality of a character, and the emotional state. This is something I hadn't thought about. As a human, we subconsciously relate colours to feelings. So the colour of a certain set or costume has the ability to make us feel and relate in a certain way. Working hand in hand with this comes lighting. The technology in theatre contributes to the atmosphere and the tone of the piece.

I also found out some interesting points to do with the Mass, Composition, Space and Texture of a stage design. Before conducting my internet research I hadn't really thought about the different aspects of costume and stage design. I was looking at the subject as a whole without separating the different components and how they each have an effect in theatre.

Primary research: InterviewsI feel as though I really benefited from the interviews- especially the one with Tom. I was able to find out what costumes and stage set means to someone who has had to perform with and without them. I explored how they make him feel and how he thinks they affect an actor’s character. From Tom’s perspective, the costume says a lot about a character before they speak. Theatre is seen through the audience’s eyes. When you put on a costume, it brings you into the world of the play. If the actors were to perform the same play but dressed differently, they may subconsciously perform

differently. Maybe bits of the writing come out differently- or they react to the set differently- it might even bring out a different theme which makes it more relevant to certain people."

Overall, I found out that Tom thinks stage design and costumes are a very important part of theatre. Although they are not the "main star" of the piece, they add to the tone and the atmosphere which works with the actors to create the performance.

I found the interview with Amy interesting, but unfortunately it wasn’t very beneficial for my research. However, I had a look at the example she spoke about and found it interesting how the set design differs from theatre I have seen.

Secondary research: Books

The books were a great form of research because as well as giving information they inspired me to think about other things related to my subject. One of those was the idea of silent movies. Even though it isn’t theatre, silent movies use costume, setting and actions to create a story. This information made me question how? When I was looking researching this idea further, I found a clip that helped to answer my question. Even though there is no dialogue throughout the piece, thanks to the setting you are able to follow and understand what is going on. The director, made use of the setting and props to show the audience how the character changes size. Without the change of setting, the audience would not have known exactly what was going on. The costumes are also relevant in this piece, they give the audience a sense of what time this is set in. They also clearly distinguish between the different characters. This information is relevant to my research because it highlights how much information you can get from a piece by using costume and setting.

Researching early film posters were useful for my research because, the posters give an audience their first information about a film. The audience then takes this pre conceived idea in to the movie with them; therefore creating expectation. Although this research was relevant to my project, it was not useful because I want to focus on how the stage and costume affect a theatre piece not how posters affect one.

Costume and stage setting are the visual aspects of theatre that the audience usually see before the first words are spoken. Everything from shape of the stage to the cut of a characters outfit, fit together to create an assumption of the characters and the settings they are in. Audiences, and even the actors, relate all of these things to what they subconsciously know and piece together what is happening on that stage.

Conclusion:I have been researching to find out, how does costume and stage design affect a theatre piece? In order to answer this question I have: conducted interviews, searched online and read a range of books. All of my research strategies helped me to gather information on my topic. As I am interested in fashion, costumes in theatre have always stood out to me but until now I have never really thought about how they actually affect the theatre piece. Since conducting my research, I have found out that costume designers focus on every last detail to make sure their designs represent and reflect all aspects of a character; from their class status to their emotional state. Similarly, a stage designer ensures the set-up of the stage reflects where the play is set and that the audience are always focusing on the most important part of the stage. Before I carried out my research, I would have said that costume is used to represent a character and their personality. Since doing my research, I have learnt that costume plays a much bigger role and costume designers have a lot to think about. As humans, we relate certain things to what we already know. For example, if a

character was to wear torn clothing the audience assumes that character is poor. For this reason, the costume designers very carefully choose the colour, cut, shape and style of a characters outfit.

To answer my question I used three forms of research: interviews, online research and books. Although I found the interviews very beneficial for my project, they have limitations. I was only able to conduct two interviews but I would have liked more. This is because interviews take lots of time and I had to rely on my interviewees to be available when I was. Personally, I do not think that researching from books have any limitation; as long as you choose a suitable book for what you are trying to find out. Finally, I think the only down side of researching online is that anyone can write the articles you find. This means that some of the information can be biased or false. Luckily, my topic is largely based on opinions as well as theory so looking online helped me gain a wider insight on my question. I would say the biggest weakness in my research into this area is the lack of plays/theatre I have researched and/or seen. It would benefit my project immensely to see more theatre.

Researching this question has made me want to look into the subject further. I am interested to see for myself how costume and setting can affect an on stage piece. As a result of this research, I am going to take a piece of my writing and dress it with different types of costume and setting. To show the difference the costumes and settings have made I will record each piece. My plan is to change the costume and setting based on different fashion era’s because this is another area of interest for me.

References:

Dunning, J., 1997. Great Performances: A Celebration. Bay Books

Griffiths, G., 1990. Stagecraft. Phaidon Press Ltd.

Design and Production | ArtsAlive.ca English Theatre. 2018. Design and Production | ArtsAlive.ca English Theatre. [ONLINE] Available at: http://artsalive.ca/en/eth/design/costume.asp. [Accessed 08 April 2018]

About Costume Design - ArtsAlive.ca – The Secret Life of Costumes. 2018. About Costume Design - ArtsAlive.ca – The Secret Life of Costumes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://artsalive.ca/collections/costumes/effective.php?lang=en&page=4. [Accessed 08 April 2018].

SetDesign1.html. 2018. SetDesign1.html. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.geneseo.edu/~blood/SetDesign1.html. [Accessed 08 April 2018].