This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 03 Oct 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK
The Routledge Companion to Scenography
Arnold Aronson
Costume
Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 Michelle Liu Carriger Published online on: 10 Oct 2017
How to cite :- Michelle Liu Carriger. 10 Oct 2017, Costume from: The Routledge Companion to Scenography Routledge Accessed on: 03 Oct 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781317422266.ch3
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT
Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms
This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 01:19 03 Oct 2021; For: 9781315688817, chapter3, 10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 really thatthing. signifying thethingtowhich thecostumerefers be evident–thatis,theperson inthecostumeshouldberecognizableasdouble,both appear likesomeoneorsomething oneisnot.Acostume’stheatricalitysupposed to “costume” inEnglishusually hasaveryclearmeaning:clothingputoninorder to continuities withtheequally fraughtrealmofclothing“inreallife.”Todaytheword performing bodiesandtherestof Costumes are complicated, not just in the way they need to mediate betweenmoving, alchemy ofturningactorsintocharacters,thestageastory. this “simple”statementbetrayscomplexissuesabouttherolecostumeplaysin making aplay,countthecostumesrequiredandyouknowhowtoproceed.However, Stallybrass 2000:197).Thisstatementisatfirststraightforwardandconcrete–ifyou’re authors ofanimportantbookonearlymodernEnglishclothingandcostume(Jones there areinanyoneplayistoaskhowmanycostumestherequires,”declare “The simplest,andmosttheatrical,wayofthinkingabouthowmanycharacters “Costume,” Monkswrites,“isabodythatcanbetaken off”(Monks2010:11). makes analyzingcostumecomplicatedbutcanalsoverge ontheaffectiveanduncanny. perceptual indistinguishabilitybetweentheactorandtheir costume,”whichnotonly cally, aesthetically,andas“real”materialgoods.Aoife Monksdescribesan“essential costumes on many levels too, looking to them to signify dramaturgically and semioti- provide visualappeal,calibratedtointeresttheviewer. Meanwhile,audiences“read” they mustfunctionwellnomatterwhattheactorsdowhilewearingthem,and about thecharacter,participateinandcommunicateoverallproductionscheme, the performance?Intheatre,costumesperformmanyfunctions:theyestablishfacts cated position–isacostumepartoftheactororcharactermaterialcontext material factorsthatmakeuptheperformance.Assuch,costumeoccupiesacompli scenography; it constitutes the margin between the performer’s body and all the other Costume istheelementoftheatrethatintegratesperformerinto COSTUME Michelle LiuCarriger Definitions mise-en-scène, butalsobecauseofcostume’s 3 42 and signifyingthatsheorheis not -
Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 01:19 03 Oct 2021; For: 9781315688817, chapter3, 10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 entire Costume isoneoftheearliest scenographicelements–itcouldevenconstitute the ing. Forexample,a identify withmotorcycleculture,butassimply“cool.” also been adopted as fashionable items in their own right, and somaybe worn not to as amemberofsubculturalidentity.Ontheotherhand,bikerbootsandjacketshave A motorcycle gang member may wear biker boots and leather jackets to establish herself a transgenderpersonmayuseclothingtodisplaythegenderthattheyfeelistrueforthem. wardly create(perform)andfixtheidentitiestheyfeelareessentiallytrue.Forexample, intense anxieties as well as pleasure. Indeed, many people rely on clothing to help out person wearingtheclothesmaynotbewhatsheorheseems)–aqualitythatcanprovoke fakery, doubleness,ortheatricalityseemtoclingvirtuallyallformsofclothing. that womenshoulddresstodisguisetheirbodily“flaws”–werealizeanxietiesabout some ofthecommoncritiquesfashion–thatteenagersdresstoosexilyorsloppily of identityinthesamewaythat“costume”and“disguise”do,butifwethinkthrough appear tobe.Theword“fashion”meanwhiledoesnotimmediatelysuggestadoubleness those whoseethedisguisedpersondonotrecognizethatweareriswhatthey portrayed, oroblivioustointended semioticmessages. leaving audienceswondering just likeotherclothing,remainssusceptibleto“failures” ofcommunication–sometimes or hersartorialmessage, be unclearwhetherasartorialstatementisironicorsincere, whatthewearerintendsashis precisely becauseitexplicitlyacknowledgesitstheatricality. Incontrast,onthestreet,itcan tic visionoftheproduction.Thatis,a“costume”islessambiguous thaneverydayclothing, meant tobereadsemioticallyasindicativeofthecharacter, orthestagesetting,artis assuaged because we can be certain that costume was planned, was meant to be seen, and disguise themselves).However,otheruncertaintiesthataccrue toclothingoffthestageare personas atonce–theactorandcharacter(andsometimes more,aswhencharacters tional layerisaddedtointerpretationbecausetheperson inthecostumeisatleasttwo outfits meanttopresentapersonintheguiseofsomeotheridentity. “fancy dress”(thelatterisstillinusetodayBritain)toreferstageandspecialoccasion meaning weascribetoittoday,butjustasoftentheVictoriansusedword“get-up,”or of folkculturetheyareoftenfantasizedtobe[Maxwell2014]).Costumecouldalsohavethe ductions, oftenmadeatthebehestofcolonialorelitepowers,not“natural”outgrowths careful historyoffolkcostumerevealsthatthese“traditions”arecarefullycalibratedpro their wearersaresomehowdressedotherthantheytruly(althoughthisisdebatable–a terms like“folkcostume”or“traditionalcostume,”whichostensiblydonotindicatethat “children’s costumes,”andso on. Thismoreambiguoussense of costume is still presentin zines presented images of “walking costumes,” “morning costumes,” “riding costumes,” ago, thewordcostumecouldrefertoallkindsofordinaryeverydayclothing:fashionmaga ever themeaningofword“costume”wasnotalwayssoevident.Justahundredyears This theatricaldoublenesscanbearticulatedincomparisonwithothertermsforcloth Today then,“costume”isoneofthemoreunambiguouswordsdenotingclothing,how In somesense,allclothingalwaysmaintainsdangeroftheatricality(thatthe Thus, costumebothaddsandsubtractsalayerofuncertainty.Onthestage,anaddi- mise-en-scène. Forexample, aperformerincostumecan transformanordinary disguise they intended to send a message at all. Of course, costume, if theyintendedtosendamessageatall.Ofcourse,costume, is also “false” like a costume, but in a successful disguise is also“false”likeacostume,butinsuccessfuldisguise who Costume asmise-en-scène someone is, what kind of character was meant to be someone is,whatkindofcharacterwasmeanttobe Costume 43 ------
Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 01:19 03 Oct 2021; For: 9781315688817, chapter3, 10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 attired inanactualnobleman’sgarments(JonesandStallybrass2000:189). old clothestothetroupes,sothatanactorplayinganoblemanmayverywellhavebeen took innoblemen’sclothes,andnoblepatronsofcompanieswereknowntodonatetheir who investedinmorethanonecompanyofplayers,wasalsoapawnbrokeroften fore clothing was much more expensive and precious than it is today. Philip Henslowe, was atime-intensiveprocess,rawmaterialsoftencamefromdistantsources,andthere more thantheentireplayhouseitself(Cerasano1994:51). S. P.CerasanocalculatedthatthecostumecollectionofRoseTheatrewasworth and text.Costumeholdingsofanearlymoderntheatrecompanyweresoimportantthat ing stagedesigns,theestablishmentofplaceandtimewasmostoftenlefttocostumes scenographic expenditure:historiansspeculatethatwithrelativelysimpleandunchang fabric pattern,costumestyle,andmask. or demonwould“really”look,butthroughhighlyconventionalizedsemioticcodesof supernatural beings,notbecausethecostumesmakeactorlookhowaghost,god, spare, never-altered stage,presenting the main actors as ghosts, gods, demons, andother of the actor’s performance. The sumptuous brocade and silk costumes contrast with the modulate hisvoicetoapproximatethecharacter’s–verisimilitudeisnotpoint the costumedomajorityofestablishmentcharacter;actordoesn’teven warrior, behindtheappropriatemaskandhuge,symbol-ladencostume.The noh theatre,amaleactorplayseverymainrole( costumes, broughttolifebythevoiceandmovementofactorswithin.InJapanese much ancientGreekandRomantheatrecharactertypeswerecreatedbymasks that attimestheactorissecondarytocostumeinpresentingcharacterorstory: tricable from the body of the performer herself.Tobemore provocative we could say “perform.” Thatis,costumefunctionsasportablescenography,the public spaceintoaperformancesimplybyenteringit,evenbeforebeginningto tume has beennot so muchto convey information as to impress the spectator through Oftentimes, ascostume-as-advertisement mightsuggest,theprimaryfunctionof cos misplaced handkerchiefservesasaprecipitatingeventto Othellokillinghiswife. when Plays also consistently dramatized the emotional and memorial value of clothing – as ing meaningandvalueastheytraveledbetweennoblescommoners,on-off-stage. what theysawonstage(Kaplan andStowell1994;Schweitzer2009). even meant to double as fashion advertisements toencourageaudiencemembers to buy (Davis 1991:111).Somecostumesinthenineteenthand earlytwentiethcenturywere of artistry,gauzeandspangleswerethekeytomassappeal andcommercialsuccess” stand out. Tracy C. Davis declares, “while black velvet and white lace were the marks comic andseriousroles,withattractive,eye-catchingcostumes thatwouldenableherto a nineteenth-centuryactress’scostumetrunk,forexample, neededtoprepareherfor over history actors were responsible forprovidingtheirowncostumes.Thecontents of tumes outintothecityasiftheyweretheirownclothes. Indeed,inmanyothertheatres Because fabricsandclothingweresovaluable,theycirculatedacrossboundaries,accru In part this is because, before the Industrial Revolution, the manufacture of fabrics Like noh,earlymodernEnglishtheatreinvestedheavilyincostumeastheirprimary Shakespearean actors were occasionally disciplined for wearing their valuablecos ’s Viola dresses in her (seemingly) dead brother’s clothes or when a Twelfth Night’sVioladressesinher(seemingly)deadbrother’sclothes orwhena Beauty andrealism Michelle Liu Carriger Liu Michelle 44 shite), beitademon,youngwoman, mise-en-scène inex------Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 01:19 03 Oct 2021; For: 9781315688817, chapter3, 10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 rience ofacostumeisultimatelythe of theatre–putanotherway,wemightdeclarethatanaudiencemember’svisualexpe costumes. Garmentsthatemphasizespectacleoverfunctionalityhighlightthevisuality masquerade, andLasVegasshowgirlrevuesprominentlyfeatureelaboratebeautiful as nohandkabuki,Chineseopera,kuttiyattamkathakali,westAfricanegungun its sheerbeautyormagnificence.Manytraditionalandpopularperformanceformssuch garments ofCatholicandOrthodoxclergymembers. ers havebeyondtherealmofordinaryhumanexistence,asiscaseceremonial spectators buttoimpressuponthemthespiritualormetaphysicalconnectionsperform many ofthesemonumentalcostumes,suchspectacularityisn’tintendedonlytoimpress the ostensiblefunctionofskirt:tocoverlowerhalfwearer’sbody.For ballet, wherethe“skirt”ofmosttutushasbecomesostylizeditnolongerevenfulfills in otherwaysthroughsumptuousfabricsanddecorationasIndonesianlegong,or tal andeasiertoseefromafar–literallylargerthanlife.Otherformsemphasizebeauty genres oftenfeaturewildlyoversizecostumesthatrendertheperformermoremonumen practicality fordailyactivitiesorapproximationofoffstagenorms.Theseperformance mance. On the other hand, the performance of apparently untheatrical “reality” on the mance. On the other hand, theperformance of apparently untheatrical “reality” on the after Aristotle,thatscenographic “spectacle”istheleastimportantelementofperfor are intheir“workuniform.” Thesecostumesseemtosuggest,acouplethousandyears rehearsal clothessemiotically suggestthatperformingislabor,andactorsordancers mismatched contemporarygarments. Theapparentnon-costumeofneutralclothingor of performers physicallyworking –balletdancersinlegwarmersandsweatshirts,actors in realism sofarastobreakopenthefourthwallandintroduce ontothestage“real”of thought ofasthetriumph“real”overillusionon stage;theytakethenotionof for rehearsals.Costumechoiceslikethesethatpresentthemselves as everyday livesorcontinuedtowearfortheperformance theclothestheywouldchoose aesthetic of“rehearsalclothes”–asiftheactorshadsimply walkedonstagefromtheir strategies of neutral costume (plain black turtlenecks and trousers for example) or an the boundaries between realistic illusory costumes and the “real itself” onstage by using illusion. Modern and contemporary theatre makers have gone ever farther in pushing and modernpostmoderntheatres’navigationsofthe “fourthwall,”andtheatrical long lifebeforeandaftertheproductionitself. or perhapsthroughpainstakingrecreationsofwornandpatchedclothes,suggestinga jaw-dropping luxury,asonemightseeinamagnificentperiodShakespeareproduction, sometimes realisticcostumesarethemselvespresentedasspectacular–perhapsthrough dampening theaestheticappealofamedievalherolikeRomeoorRobinHood.Indeed, like hoseformeninfavoroftrousersbecausemodernaudiencesfindunattractive, and storytelling;forexample,playssetinthemedievalperiodofteneschewstocking- regularly balancemeasuresofhistorical“accuracy”withcontemporaryaudiencetastes and placedepictedonthestage.Withinrealism’sappealtoverisimilitude,costumersstill their indistinguishabilityfrom“reallife”orhowoneimagineswasinthetime aesthetic, one that guides a viewer to evaluateand appreciate costumes on the basisof be thoughtofasoppositetospectacularoraestheticcostume–realismisitselfastylized has mostoftenbeencostumedunderadifferentrubric:realism.Realisticcostumecannot Mummers paradecostumes),formorethanacenturyAnglophoneandEuropeantheatre temporary performanceforms(thinkofpopsingers’concertoutfitsorMardiGrasand While visuallyspectacularorbeautifulcostumeremainsaconstantinmanycon Trends and tastes for realistic costume index modern concerns with “theatricality” Trends andtastesforrealisticcostumeindexmodernconcerns with“theatricality” real functionofcostume,trumpingthegarment’s Costume 45 may be not choosingmaybe - - - - - Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 01:19 03 Oct 2021; For: 9781315688817, chapter3, 10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 remain self-consciouslypresentedbeforetheaudience. stage remainshighlyillusoryinitscarefuldisavowalofthefactthatbodieson Cruz, Araceli 2012. “Becca Blackwell, Performer, On Being Naked in the Untitled Feminist Show.” Cruz, Araceli2012.“BeccaBlackwell, Performer,OnBeingNakedintheUntitledFeministShow.” Cerasano, S.P.1994.“‘Borrowed Robes,’CostumePrices,andtheDrawingofTitusAndronicus.” Adam, HajoandAdamD.Galinsky2012.“EnclothedCognition.” 1 the apparentboundariesofstage,street,audience,actors, real,andtheatrical. Aristotle deemedleastimportanttotragedy,costumehas deepandbroadimport,across character (AdamandGalinsky2012).Farfrombeing“mere” superficialspectaclethat the costumetopreparethemforemotionalandpsychological workofportrayinga for success”hasrealpsychologicalimpact,actorsfrequentlyacknowledgethepowerof any ofthosespheres.Justaspsychologistshavedemonstratedthattheconcept“dress between audienceandactor,stage“reallife,”realityillusion,inextricablefrom tion ofcostumeisperhapsthemostcomplicatedelementscenography,mediating they are not noticed at all, but blend seamlessly into a general impression. Yet, the posi Like somanyelementsofscenography,costumesareoftenjudgedmostsuccessfulwhen neutral, the body itself can be as much a vehicle of illusion as a costume can be. neutral, thebodyitselfcanbeasmuchavehicleofillusioncostumebe. to performthemselfwithoutclothes.Blackwell’sexamplerevealsthat,farfrombeing conforming individualwhohasneveridentifiedwiththelabel“female”(Cruz2012), performers, BeccaBlackwell,describedhowcomplicateditwasforthem, out thewordlessonehourshowuntilappearingclothedforcurtaincall.Oneof in YoungJeanLee’s2012 how powerfullycostumeandclothingworkstonormalizethehumanbody.Forexample, undressed andappearstousasbareness,nudity”(Kraus2004:242). clothed stateasthenaturalconditionandnakednessforus,isprimarilyaofbeing in 1906,“Nakednessisstillindissolublyboundtotheideaofclothing.Weperceivea tume’s ubiquity.Itispreciselybecause,aswriterandjournalistKarlKrausputitback encounters withnon-costumeareentirelyencodedtheeffectsofclothingandcos experience ofbeinglivewithsomeoneelse’sunclothedbody.However,theseaudience ence attentionsplitsbetweenthetheatricalpresentationandphenomenological nudity tendstopunctuatetheatricalillusionbybreakingaudiences’absorption;audi human bodyisoftenconsideredtabooortransgressiveincontemporaryWesternsociety, can evokethroughrevealingandconcealingtheperformer’sbody.Becausenaked out clothesatall?Certainly,manyperformanceformsexploitthetensionscostume
Blackwell usesthesingularpronoun “they/them.” performer-on-being-naked-in-the-untitled-feminist-show-6725005 (accessed12November2015). The VillageVoice,26Jan.Availableonlineat: www.villagevoice.com/news/becca-blackwell- Shakespeare Studies22:45–57. Social Psychology48.4:918–25.ScienceDirect. What aboutcaseswherecostumeisentirelyabsent–whenperformersappearwith Far from seeming natural or neutral, the shock of the nude performer demonstrates Far fromseemingnaturalorneutral,theshockofnudeperformerdemonstrates Untitled FeministShow,thesixperformerswerenakedthrough Michelle Liu Carriger Liu Michelle Conclusion References Note 46 Journal ofExperimental 1 asanon-gender------
Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 01:19 03 Oct 2021; For: 9781315688817, chapter3, 10.4324/9781317422266.ch3 Davis, Tracy C. 1991. Hunt, Alan1996. Fisher, Will2006. Jones, AnnRosalindandPeterStallybrass2000. Kraus, Karl2004.“TheEroticismofClothes.”In Kaplan, JoelH.andSheilaStowell1994. Maxwell, Alexander2014. Schweitzer, Marlis2009. Schlueter, June1999.“RereadingthePeachamDrawing.” Monks, Aoife2010. Zola, Emile1974.“NaturalismontheStage.”In Cambridge, UK,andNewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress. London andNewYork:Routledge. Basingstoke, UK,andNewYork:PalgraveMacmillan. Cambridge, UK,andNewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress. Memory. Cambridge,UK,andNewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress. L. Purdy,239–44.Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress. Macmillan. Grotowski, editedbyBernardF.Dukore,692–719.NewYork:Holt,RinehartandWinston. Culture. Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress. The ActorinCostume Materializing GenderinEarlyModernEnglishLiteratureandCulture Governance oftheConsumingPassions:HistorySumptuaryLaw Actresses as Working Women: Their Social Identity in Victorian Culture. When BroadwayWastheRunway:Theater,Fashion,andAmerican Patriots AgainstFashion Theatre andFashion:OscarWildetotheSuffragettes . Basingstoke,UK,andNewYork:PalgraveMacmillan Costume 47 The RiseofFashion:AReader Renaissance ClothingandtheMaterialsof Dramatic TheoryandCriticism:Greeksto . Basingstoke,UK,andNewYork:Palgrave Shakespeare Quarterly50(2):171–84. , editedbyDaniel . . .