Your exploration of the art and craft of costume design will happen concurrently with the course's theoretical unit in costume design. It is impossible to coordinate separate deadlines for the two projects as the demands of mounting a production has differing deadlines depending on the area of responsibility. Scene Design deadlines tend to happen at the beginning of the process. Property Design work happen during the rehearsal. Costume Design deadlines happen toward the end as characters develop through the rehearsal process. Poster and Program Designs fall at a time appropriate for advertisement and the like. You may find you will have an assignment in the theoretical costume unit due at the same time a Matchbox design deadline is due. I will provide ample time in class to work on the costume unit. With careful time management, you should be able to meet your deadlines.

There will be six costume designers for the MATCHBOX THEATRE Production, three per Act. Each designer will be assigned a scene from Mr. Razavi's play which will have 5-6 characters. In collaboration with Mr. Razavi and Professor Gilliam as well as the other designers assigned to your company, you will design costumes for your production. As we will not build costume aside possible simple accessories, your job will be to coordinate costumes which might come from the actor's closets, your friends and/or the Trinity University Costume Collection. Your "paper" designs will set the boundaries of your ideal costumes. These should be executed in consultation with the director and should be a part of the scenic world of the play collaboratively determined by your design team. In most cases, you will be able to find suitable costumes in consultation with your cast. Listen to their ideas. Depending on the demands of your design, crew members from Drama 1304 may be assigned to assist you. However, you are responsible to create a clothing "look" for your play to insure that the actors have costumes. Below you will find specific deadlines.

General Deadlines
(Subject to Announced Change)

Specific Design Area Responsibilities
(Subject to Announced Changes)

Costume Designs

Character Descriptions. After reading the script, attending the director/designer concept meeting, the initial read-thru of the play, and at least one rehearsal, you are to develop brief descriptions for the characters in your play. These ideas should conform and enhance the director's visions of these characters. Ultimately, this written information should help guide your decisions as you selecting clothing which will enhance an understanding for the audience of the characters in the world of this play.

Your analysis should include but not be limited to the following considerations:  age and gender, physical type, the character's function within the play (protagonist, antagonist, catalyst, foil, chorus, messenger, etc.), the symbolic significance (if any) of the character, the character's relationship with other character, the character's occupation or station, and the desire or intention of each character.  In developing your character, you should quote references in the script.  Characters are revealed through the author's descriptions often found in stage notes, through comments made by other characters in dialogue, or through implications.  Including your feelings for these characters in terms of line, shape, texture and color.

Costume Research. You are to conduct research for your specific production concept and style of your costumes.  You are to select a period, a style, a spirit which will inspire your final design.  You may need to collect pictures of clothing, hats, shoes, mushrooms, Chagall paintings or Erte prints or examples of whatever is called for by the script. Look for details these characters might wear.  You are to immerse yourself into the world of your play as support by external documents and visual research.

You are to make a research morgue, perhaps collage to communicate ideas with the director.

Digital Photos of Actors by Company. As we have observed in class, body shape within a cast of contrasting shapes influence design decisions. You are to arrange to have digital photos taken of each of your cast. These should be front on shots from head to toe. Take them in good lighting, in the same location for all 5 or 6 and in the same relative scale. If you have questions, ask. You will need to negotiate when and how to take these photos. Talk with your 1304 Stage Manager to coordinate the photo shot. You may be able to take a few minutes the actor s' time immediately following a rehearsal you have attended. Go early. Plan ahead. You will need a complete set of black and white digital photos. Print them on regular paper. They will serve as the base figures for your costume design sketches.

Preliminary Costume Sketches and Ideas. Using your digital photos as a base, on tracing paper, draw the ideal costumes you see for your Matchbox characters. Photocopy your tracing paper designs as your preliminary sketch. Attach magazine pictures or research to augment your commucation of the ideas. If you desire, you may want to include color: pencil, magic marker, pastels, etc.

Final Costume Designs. Based on your discussions with the director and actors, make the necessary revisions to your costume designs. This may require redoing the sketch or including additional or different research or sample images. Theses designs will guide your execution of the design.

You must share your costume ideas with each cast member. In many cases, your actors may have necessary costume pieces in their closets. Many will go home for Easter and may have stuff we can use in their home communities. I suggest you attend several rehearsals to see how the actors move and what is require of them physically.

Costumes Completed & in Rehearsal. The execution portion of your design project must depend on the collaboration between you and the actors. We have no budget for costumes. The first person place to look for a costume is with the cast members. Your second alternative will be to search the Drama Department Costume Stock. For the most part, we have been able to use costumes from our collection. I will share a few general policies for our use of the collection at a later date. Regardless, it is your responsibility to help your company to locate their costumes prior to Final Dress rehearsal. You will need to attend the Dress Rehearsals and take notes to fix costume items before we open.

Public Performance. You need to attend at least two performances, one each day. You will need to reflect on the use of your design in a real performance with an audience. You will note that there are no two performances ever the same. The audiences makes a big difference.