OleannaCostume Designs

Shannon Enander

I believe that the following slides show my

ability to be able to accurately show the

process and produce my reasoning forchoosing the costumes for the play

Oleanna

Characters• John – College professor in his forties• Carol – College student in her twenties

• Set in a southern state in John’s office.

• Time period – Modern day

Scene ITime – Beginning of fall semesterIn scene I, Carol has come to speak with John about her grade

in his class since she is having trouble understanding the material. John sympathizes with her and tells her of his own problems. At this time, John is constantly getting phone calls about a house he has put an offer on to go with his new tenure at the college. Carol is assured that if she goes to John’s office hours to begin the class again that she will receive an A in the class. John is finally told that the calls to get him out of the office and to the house is for a surprise party to celebrate the tenure announcement and the new house.

John, Scene IThis outfit shows that he is in control and holds the power while not being too pretentious. The jacket would be worn open to appear more casual and more approachable to students, but having the matching suit pieces makes him seem to have more power.

Carol, Scene ISince it is the beginning of fall semester, it is still warm outside, so she’s wearing a short sleeved shirt with a white tank top underneath in order to be more conservative. She has on light colored jeans which are very informal and flat shoes to get around the campus easier. The bag is for her to carry her books around campus and the necklace is a simple touch.

Scene II• Time Period – End of fall semester• Scene II starts with John reading a formal complaint written

by Carol that mentions him as being sexist, racist, elitist, moved to embrace her and offered a good grade for visits to his office. John feels as though these things did not happen, but Carol knows that each of these actions did happen, so he is powerless. John tries to reason with her and explain what his intentions were, but Carol does not agree. Carol mentions that she has spoken with a “group” about the matter and that they should continue talking about the matter with the tenure committee. As Carol is about to leave, John restrains her saying he just wants to talk to her while Carol starts yelling for help. It is not clear whether Carol or John has more power in this scene.

John, Scene IIJohn is wearing the same jacket as scene I with a pair of khaki pants. The informality of the sports coat with khakis shows that he does not hold himself to be as powerful as the first scene, but there is the possibility that he could regain that power. The blue shirt is again less formal than the white, and it brings his power look down more.

Carol, Scene IICarol is wearing darker colored jeans in this scene which shows that she is becoming more serious and “powerful”. The cardigan also shows that she is trying to appear more grown up and important. She is carrying the bag to hold her books again, and the flat shoes make it easier to walk around the campus. The necklace is still simple.

Scene III• Time Period – Spring semester• In scene III, John has asked Carol to come to his office again. John

has lost his tenure and possibly his job, but Carol still feels that her accusations were valid and is happy with the power that she now has over him. She tries to tell John that she and her “group” will drop all charges if John agrees to sign a document banning some books, including his, which John quickly refuses. John mentions that he has not been home in a few days and that he needs to accept the consequences. John’s lawyer Jerry calls John and Carol tells him to pick it up. Jerry tells him that Carol and her “group” are considering charging John with rape from their last meeting. As he hangs up, his wife calls and John tells Carol to leave, as she is leaving she tells John not to call his wife “baby” and John snaps. He beats Carol to the ground and picks up a chair to hit her, but changes his mind and Carol is left on the ground saying to herself, “Yes, that’s right.”

John, Scene IIIJohn is wearing the same pants as scene I. Since John has not been home in a few days, he looks more disheveled and is wearing black socks instead of matching brown ones. He is not wearing a tie making him even less formal as well. This outfit shows that he has been left powerless by Carol and that he doesn’t have much to loose anymore.

Carol, Scene IIICarol has the most power in this scene, so she dresses the part. She is wearing dark jeans and a structured jacket to show she is more formal and more powerful now. She is wearing low wedge shoes to also boost her appearance of power. The bag is more grown up as well. Her appearance is more grown up, but is still acceptable as a college student. It is clear that Carol means business in this scene.

OverviewJohn and Carol are both struggling for power in each scene, so in that

way, they are connected. To show this connection, I used blue in every one of their outfits. Their garment choices also show how their power has either increased or decreased in each scene. I kept many of the same elements of John’s costumes the same throughout the show to show that he may want to look powerful, but in reality, he may not have a lot of money and may only own one nice suit. Carol’s garments were all found from stores college students would shop at such as American Eagle, Target and Old Navy. Even when feels more powerful, her budget does not increase, but she wears clothes that make her seem as though she can do anything.