THEATRE & PERFORMANCE FEATURES
Stage Costume
The art and science of designing and making stage costumes
Costume design for Insects, Attilio Comelli, 1907. Museum no. 2006AH6350 (click image for larger version)
Among the Theatre Collection’s treasures are over 3,500 stage costumes and accessories - ranging from complete outfits to individual headdresses. All are a tribute to the creativity and skills of designers and costume makers from the mid 18th century to today, in every kind of live performance - drama, opera, dance, musicals, pantomime, rock and pop, music hall, cabaret, circus. This feature celebrates the imagination, knowledge, skill and ingenuity of the designers, and the makers who translate their two-dimensional designs into three-dimensional forms.
A much-repeated cliché is that theatre costumes are badly made, tawdry, unfinished and don’t bear close inspection. Yet only in close-up can the inventiveness and resourcefulness of designer and maker be really appreciated. What at first glance seems crude is actually boldness, as a costume has to ‘read’ as well from the back of the auditorium as close up to the stage. Colours which seem garish in daylight soften under strong stage light.
Costumes also have to be extremely well constructed to survive the strains of performance and many costumes bear the scars of a long life. Fashionable clothes may only be worn a few times, but in a successful stage production a costume is worn every night for months or years. The clothes must stand up to robust handling, quick changes, theatre grime and the sweat generated by nerves and the incredible heat of the stage light. Pristine costumes are therefore likely to come from productions that failed, though they can still be superb examples of a designer and maker’s art.
In this resource we look at how stage costumes are created, constructed and performed in, with details and examples of items from our collections. Click on the links below to find out more:
-
Guided tour of stage costuming
A guided tour of stage costumes selected from the Theatre Collections which demonstrate the art and expertise of theatre designers and costume makers.
-
Designing Stage Costumes
A look at the processes involved in creating designs for stage costumes, and how designers communicate their vision to costumes makers.
-
The Designer Speaks
In this section we look at the careers of some reknowned designers, and their reflections on the relationship between designer and costume maker.
-
Making Stage Costumes
A look at how Theatre costume makers translate two-dimensional designs into fabric, decoration and trimmings to take the design from the page to the stage.
-
Reading List
A reading list for further study and information related to Costume Design and creation
-
Links
Click on the links below for web resources containing further information about costume design, collections, makers and related topics.