Costume Design for The Comedy of Errors
by Stacey Glenn Thomann
B.A. in History, May 2009, Elon University
A Thesis submitted to
The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts
May 19, 2019
Thesis directed by
Jeannette Christensen Costume Design Faculty, Spring 2019 © Copyright 2019 by Stacey Thomann Hamilton. All rights reserved
ii Abstract
Costume Design for The Comedy of Errors
This thesis serves as a record of the process of designing and building costumes for the production of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors produced by The
George Washington University at the Dorothy Betts Theater in Washington D.C. The production opened February 14, 2019 and closed February 17, 2019. This rendition was directed by Matthew R. Wilson, Associate Professor of Theater. The scenic designer was
Pancharee Sangkaeo, the lighting designer was Jolien Louis, the sound designer was John
Traub, and the stage manager was Calista Ragland. The intent of this thesis is to examine the importance of the concept stewardship, rather than ownership, of design in the collaborative process of theatrical design. Discussion of this concept is supported by the inclusion of costume sketches and final renderings along with production photos.
iii Table of Contents
Abstract ...... iii
List of Figures ...... v
List of Tables ...... x
Glossary of Terms ...... xi
Chapter 1 - Introduction & Script Analysis ...... 1
Chapter 2 - Collaborative Process...... 5
Chapter 3 - Design Process & Research ...... 10
1. The Gender Non-Issue ...... 10
2. An Optimistic Proposal ...... 13
3. The Sisyphean Redesigns ...... 17
4. Finding the Abstract ...... 23
5. Finally, final!...... 26
Chapter 4 - Realization of Costumes ...... 28
Chapter 5 - Reflection ...... 34
Bibliography ...... 37
Appendix A - Research Images ...... 39
Appendix B - Sketches...... 64
Appendix C - Final Renderings ...... 97
Appendix D - Production Photos ...... 114
Appendix E - Paperwork ...... 134
iv List of Figures
Figure 1 Roman research: Isis, 1st half of 2nd century AD, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Wien, Vienna, Austria ...... 39
Figure 2 Roman research: Sabine, wife of Emperor Hadrian, 136AD, Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, Massachusetts ...... 40
Figure 3 Roman research: sculpture of an Emperor, 1st century AD, the Walters Art
Museum, Baltimore, Maryland ...... 41
Figure 4 Roman research: bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, 170-180AD,
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria ...... 42
Figure 5 Roman research: relief from a monument to Marcus Aurelius, 176-180AD,
Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy ...... 43
Figure 6 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, spring 2009 ...... 44
Figure 7 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, fall 2008 ...... 45
Figure 8 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, pre-fall 2013 ...... 46
Figure 9 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, spring 2013 ...... 47
Figure 10 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, pre-fall 2019 ...... 48
Figure 11 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, fall 2010 ...... 49
Figure 12 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, fall 2013 ...... 50
Figure 13 Modern research, Gareth Pugh, spring 2015 ...... 51
Figure 14 Modern research, Gareth Pugh, fall 2014 ...... 52
Figure 15 Modern research, Gareth Pugh, fall 2008 ...... 53
Figure 16 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, menswear fall 2018 ...... 54
Figure 17 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, menswear spring 2018 ...... 55
v Figure 18 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 48 ..... 56
Figure 19 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 59 ..... 57
Figure 20 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 174 ... 58
Figure 21 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 103 ... 59
Figure 22 Modern research, Pattern Magic ...... 60
Figure 23 Modern research, Pattern Magic 3 ...... 61
Figure 24 Modern research, Pattern Magic 3 ...... 62
Figure 25 Modern research, Pattern Magic ...... 63
Figure 26 1st design round, Dromio of Ephesus ...... 64
Figure 27 1st design round, Dromio of Syracuse ...... 65
Figure 28 1st design round, Adrianna ...... 66
Figure 29 1st design round, Adrianna alternate ...... 67
Figure 30 1st design round, Luciana ...... 68
Figure 31 1st design round, Luciana alternate ...... 69
Figure 32 1st design round, Duke Solinus ...... 70
Figure 33 1st design round, Dr. Pinch ...... 71
Figure 34 Color palette ...... 72
Figure 35 2nd design round, Adrianna ...... 73
Figure 36 2nd design round, Luciana ...... 74
Figure 37 2nd design round, Merchants ...... 75
Figure 38 2nd design round, Officers ...... 76
Figure 39 3rd design round, Adrianna ...... 77
Figure 40 3rd design round, Dromio of Ephesus ...... 78
vi Figure 41 3rd design round, Dromio of Syracuse ...... 79
Figure 42 3rd design round, Abbess ...... 80
Figure 43 3rd design round, Antipholus of Ephesus...... 81
Figure 44 3rd design round, Antipholus of Syracuse ...... 82
Figure 45 3rd design round, Duke Solinus ...... 83
Figure 46 3rd design round, Luciana ...... 84
Figure 47 3rd design round, Luce ...... 85
Figure 48 4th design round, Adrianna ...... 86
Figure 49 5th design round, Courtesan ...... 87
Figure 50 5th design round, Dromio’s ...... 88
Figure 51 5th design round, Antipholus twins ...... 89
Figure 52 5th design round, Adrianna ...... 90
Figure 53 5th design round, Luciana ...... 91
Figure 54 5th design round, Duke Solinus...... 92
Figure 55 5th design round Abbess ...... 93
Figure 56 5th design round, Luce ...... 94
Figure 57 5th design round, Officers ...... 95
Figure 58 6th design round, Luce ...... 96
Figure 59 Final rendering, Antipholus of Ephesus ...... 97
Figure 60 Final rendering, Antipholus of Syracuse ...... 98
Figure 61 Final rendering, Dromio of Ephesus ...... 99
Figure 62 Final rendering, Dromio of Syracuse ...... 100
Figure 63 Final rendering, Adrianna ...... 101
vii Figure 64 Final rendering, Luciana ...... 102
Figure 65 Final rendering, Egeon ...... 103
Figure 66 Final rendering, Duke Solinus ...... 104
Figure 67 Final rendering, Emelia ...... 105
Figure 68 Final rendering, Abbess ...... 106
Figure 69 Final rendering, Courtesan ...... 107
Figure 70 Final rendering, Balthazar ...... 108
Figure 71 Final rendering, Angelo ...... 109
Figure 72 Final rendering, 1st Merchant ...... 110
Figure 73 Final rendering, 2nd Merchant ...... 111
Figure 74 Final rendering, Officers ...... 112
Figure 75 Final rendering, Dr. Pinch ...... 113
Figure 76 Production photo, Antipholus of Ephesus ...... 114
Figure 77 Production photo, Antipholus of Syracuse ...... 115
Figure 78 Production photo, Dromio of Ephesus ...... 116
Figure 79 Production photo, Dromio of Syracuse ...... 117
Figure 80 Production photo, Adrianna...... 118
Figure 81 Production photo, Luciana...... 119
Figure 82 Production photo, Egeon ...... 120
Figure 83 Production photo, Duke Solinus ...... 121
Figure 84 Production photo, Abbess ...... 122
Figure 85 Production photo, Courtesan ...... 123
Figure 86 Production photo, Balthazar ...... 124
viii Figure 87 Production photo, Angelo ...... 125
Figure 88 Production photo, 1st Merchant ...... 126
Figure 89 Production photo, 2nd Merchant ...... 127
Figure 90 Production photo, Officers ...... 128
Figure 91 Production photo, Dr. Pinch ...... 129
Figure 92 Production photo, group ...... 130
Figure 93 Production photo, group ...... 131
Figure 94 Production photo, group ...... 132
Figure 95 Production photo, group ...... 133
ix List of Tables
Table 1 Costume Plot (page 1) ...... 134
Table 2 Costume Plot (page 2) ...... 135
Table 3 Costume Plot (page 3) ...... 136
Table 4 Costume Plot (page 4) ...... 137
Table 5 Cumulative Fabrication Hours ...... 138
Table 6 Ledger ...... 139
x Glossary of Terms
Aristotelian style: This refers to the theatrical style wherein the action of a play takes
place in a single centralized location over a single day. A style popularized in the
16th century, based on Aristotle’s writing in Poetics.
Bodice: A Renaissance woman’s fitted garment, sometimes stiffened with boning,
covering the torso. Usually sleeveless and worn with an attached skirt.
Build: The act or process of constructing costumes.
Color wheel: A chart or diagram illustrating the spectrum of all visible colors. Used to
show the relationship or contrast between colors.
Corset: A Renaissance woman’s fitted undergarment stiffened with steel or plastic
boning intended to shape the body and provide structure for the gown worn over
it. Sleeveless, often strapless.
Cowl: A draped neckline on a woman’s garment. Also, often used to refer to the loose
hood on some religious garments.
Doublet: A Renaissance men’s fitted garment covering the torso. Sometimes sleeveless.
Drape: To loosely wrap fabric around or over the body. In pattern and costume
construction: the act of creating patterns by pinning and shaping the fabric against
the actor’s body.
Farthingale: A Renaissance woman’s underskirt stiffened with boning to create a wide
silhouette.
Fiber content: Refers to the makeup of a given fabric; what materials were used to
create the fabric.
xi Flat pattern: (v.) The process of creating or modifying patterns using geometric and
mathematical techniques based on an actor’s measurements.
Gender bend: To invert or distort traditional or given genders, often with the goal of
disrupting social norms regarding gender. In this context, to cast actors in roles
opposite of their gender.
Gender binarism: The classification of gender into the two distinct, and opposite, forms
of male and female.
Gorget: A piece of armor worn to protect the throat and collarbone.
Haute couture: High fashion; the most modern and trend-setting clothing created by
exclusive fashion houses.
Henrician: belonging to the time period of the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547)
Iambic pentameter: The pattern or rhythm of a line of verse or poetry, commonly used
by William Shakespeare. Popular in the 16th century.
Mock-up: The first version of a garment, constructing using inexpensive material, used
to fit on the actor and mark any pattern modifications needed.
Nejiri twists: A pattern modification and draping technique demonstrated by Tomoko
Nakamichi’s Pattern Magic books.
Outseam: The seam alone the outside edge of pants, running from the waist to the hem.
Partlet: A Renaissance sleeveless, short woman’s garment worn over the chest and
shoulders either over or under a bodice.
Pattern: (n.) Flat pieces of fabric or paper in the shapes needed to create a garment along
with a set of instructions for how to construct that garment. (v.) the act of creating
a pattern.
xii Pull: To acquire costume pieces from an existing storage.
Renaissance, or English renaissance: In this context, used to refer to the English
Elizabethan period defined by the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603).
Rendering: The full-color drawing used to show costume designs and fabric choices.
Seam: The line along which two pieces of fabric are sewn together.
Sisyphean: This refers to Sisyphus of Greek mythology; a task which appears to be
impossible to complete.
Sloper: A basic pattern based on an actor’s measurements with no modifications or
stylistic elements.
Toga: A Roman garment comprising of a semicircular length of cloth worn wrapped
around the body and draped over one shoulder.
Trunkhose: A Renaissance style of men’s pants that were worn short, well above the
knee, and stiffened or stuffed with padding to create a voluminous round shape.
Tunic: A Roman loose, sleeveless men’s or women’s garment, often knee-length
.
xiii Introduction & Script Analysis
William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is a play so well known in western
society that the phrase “a comedy of errors” is often used as an idiom to describe a series
of unfortunate events, or errors, even by those who have never read the script or seen the
play. In that idiomatic phrase, Shakespeare told his tale in four short words: The Comedy
of Errors. He tells the story of two sets of identical twins—the two Antipholus’, high
born boys, and the two Dromio’s, servants to the Antipholus twins and similar in age—
who were separated at birth and who found themselves ultimately reunited in adulthood
in the city of Ephesus. A young Antipholus of Syracuse, his servant Dromio of Syracuse,
and his father Egeon were separated from their family when their ship sank in a storm.
They were carried by the stormy seas to the neighboring city of Syracuse where the two
boys, Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse, grew up into adulthood. In the
aftermath of the same storm, Antipholus of Ephesus, Dromio of Ephesus, and their
mother, Emelia, were rescued by a passing fisherman and carried to Ephesus where they
established their own lives.
Shakespeare begins his tale when Egeon, Antipholus of Syracuse, and Dromio of
Syracuse have traveled to Ephesus in search of their long-lost family. In Ephesus, the
Syracusans are regularly mistaken for their Ephesian counterparts and chaos ensues in
this classic tale of mistaken identity. The two sets of twins bring havoc wherever they go as they are constantly mistaken and misidentified by those around them. Antipholus of
Ephesus intercepts his servant Dromio in the street to bid him to run an errand, not realizing that it is Dromio of Syracuse whom he has stopped. Soon after this encounter,
Dromio of Ephesus passes by and Antipholus of Ephesus finds himself giving
1 instructions to both Dromio’s, not knowing he is communicating with two different men, and is confused and frustrated when his instructions are, not surprisingly, bungled.
Dromio of Ephesus mistakenly bids Antipholus of Syracuse to go home to dinner with his wife Adrianna but, knowing that he has no wife, Antipholus of Syracuse refuses.
Adrianna, angered by Antipholus of Syracuse’s refusal, bars the doors to Antipholus of
Ephesus, her true husband, when he tries to return home to dinner. We, at last, find a bit of order in this confused world when the case of confusion is brought before Duke
Solinus and the Abbess, who reveals the identity of the two sets of twins. The Abbess is quick to understand the situation and she reveals herself to be Emelia, Egeon’s wife and mother to the Antipholus twins from whom she was separated in the storm. Thus,
Shakespeare wraps up his tale in a nice little bow of reunification.
The Comedy of Errors, though an historical play by contemporary standards, is a retelling of a play that was historical even by Shakespeare’s standards: the Roman play
Menaechmi, by Plautus, which told the story of twin boys separated at birth and later reunited after much confusion. Shakespeare closely followed Plautus’ storyline and used many of his stock characters but modernized the story with the addition of a second set of twins and by rewriting the story to follow the playwriting style du jour—iambic pentameter. In his Renaissance reimagining of a Roman story, Shakespeare also maintained the Aristotelian style wherein the action of the play takes place in a single centralized location over a single day. In its adherence to these Roman storytelling techniques, and in its use of the Roman names of Antipholus, Ephesus, and Syracuse, The
Comedy of Errors remains a play very much rooted in its Roman history.
2 Shakespeare’s “England” was ruled by social structure. That social structure was
dictated by the great chain of being, which is the concept that each person is born into
their rightful place in society as intended by god; The modern concept of social mobility
and the ability to change one’s station was not only unheard of, but verged on heresy.
This Renaissance awareness of the inevitable and unchangeable nature of the servant-
master relationship is clearly and deeply woven into the story of The Comedy of Errors.
Shakespeare highlighted this hierarchical society so boldly that, in the very act of
embedding it so strongly in the world of his characters, he called attention to its
absurdity. Antipholus of Ephesus expects complete obeyance from Dromio of Ephesus,
who is regularly referred to as “servant” or “slave” and expects his wife, Adrianna, to
maintain her proper place in the house. In doing so, Antipholus of Ephesus serves as a
perfect example of the near-biblical hierarchical relationships that were often touted as
ideal in Shakespeare’s England. Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse, however, serve as
foil to the Ephesians and they present a more empathetic and balanced version of the
servant-master relationship. As the Syracusans disrupt the world and relationship
conventions of Ephesus, they disrupt the Ephesians’ understanding of their place in their
hierarchical world. Thus, Shakespeare disrupted the societal norms and conventions of
Renaissance England by playing out these questions and confusions on the stage.
The practice of questioning or calling out societal norms has been rooted in every
era of history, yet this practice is still relevant in this modern age. In the twenty-first
century, we do not find ourselves questioning or pushing the hierarchical servant-master structure as Shakespeare did. Rather, we more often find ourselves questioning and pushing the societal boundaries of gender. Director Matthew R. Wilson chose to push the
3 boundaries of the modern social conventions surrounding the concept of gender by
“putting the ‘wrong’ bodies in the ‘right’ roles”.1 The female characters in The Comedy of Errors, though they are often loud-spoken, almost seem to exist solely to drive the story forward by commenting on the actions of the male characters. However, by casting male actors in these female roles Wilson gently, but undeniably, asked the audience to question their concept of gender and role in society. By casting female actors in both the servant and master male roles of the Antipholus twins and the Dromio twins, Wilson questioned the meaning of those genders in a way that was not unlike how the play questions the hierarchical society of Shakespeare’s England or Plautus’ Rome.
1 Department of Theatre & Dance, William Shakespeare's the Comedy of Errors (Washington, DC: Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, 2019). 4 Collaborative Process
In my first meeting with director Matthew R. Wilson he said, “you’re the designer, I want this to be your design, not mine. I want you to connect with this design, to be excited about it. So, propose something. I can come up with any old concept for this show, convince me to like the concept that you want to do.”2 Now, this was new to me!
In my previous design work at The George Washington University the directors had
come into our first meeting with an idea of their desired concept. At the very least, an
idea of time period and mood, as informed by the script. This is not to say that those
previous design experiences were lacking, only that my design process had often been
strongly guided or defined by the director’s concept right from the start. Wilson,
however, was aware of the extreme adaptability of Shakespeare’s work and intended to
entertain my personal design concepts rather than impressing his own concept upon me.
He challenged me to approach the initial design process with the idea of complete
creative freedom while remaining within reasonable parameters that fulfill the needs of
the script.
Despite Wilson’s insistence that this design be mine, I felt that would not be
wholly possible because I was not working alone on this show. Theater production is, by
desire and by necessity, a collaborative art and this collaboration is non-negotiable. The
world of the show is heavily informed by the costume designs, but it is just as heavily
informed by the scenic designs. Because my costume designs and the scenic design
would have to share a cohesive aesthetic and use color palettes that complimented and
2 Wilson, Matthew R. (Associate Professor of Theater), in discussion with the director. October, 2018 5 supported each other, immediate collaboration with the scenic designer, Pancharee
Sangkaeo, was imperative. In the end, Wilson was, understandably, unable to completely ignore his own preconceived ideas about how he wanted the show to look and feel. His
initial desire to remain neutral to encourage creative freedom amongst the design team
seemed to make Wilson unwilling to contribute direct ideas or requests to the design
process. However, as we moved through the process, Wilson’s consistent feedback
allowed him to become an active and integral part of the collaborative effort as we
worked to establish a collective and cohesive design concept for the show.
We—the director, the scenic designer, and I—were working collaboratively to
create a design that was ours but, to a certain extent, I wanted to make sure that the final
costume designs still felt like mine. This desire to maintain my aesthetic marker in the
final design concept challenged my ability to present and support my own concepts while
working collaboratively in a group of designers with such different aesthetics and
experiences. My area of expertise is in English Renaissance costuming and yet I have not
had the opportunity to design and build a fully period show. Naturally I saw The Comedy
of Errors as the perfect Shakespearean canvas that I had been waiting for. As much as I
desired a pure historical design, this concept would do nothing to satisfy the scenic
designer, who had a strong modern and abstract aesthetic. Moreover, it would do nothing
to satisfy the director, who did not want to lose the Roman elements of the story. I could
not have the pure historical show that I dreamed about, but the scenic designer and I
worked together to come up with a “Renaissance with modern twists” concept. When we
pitched this concept at the first design meeting, Wilson immediately declared that it was
both too Renaissance and not Roman enough. The second round of concept sketches
6 presented more Roman and fewer Renaissance elements, but they were still “not modern
enough”. The third round of concept sketches were labeled “not weird enough”. And so,
this process continued, through five rounds of concept sketches. It seemed that this initial
instruction to “convince me to like the concept that you want to do” would not be as
straight forward as I thought! I had to do more than just present a single idea. I had to
adapt that idea to the needs and ideas of the other designers. I had to accept the director’s
rebounding input and incorporate it into my evolving concept. I had to learn to think like
a designer.
Early in the design process I had found myself in an historical rut. I had such love
for, and knowledge of, English Renaissance costuming that my enthusiasm for a pure
historical design concept blinded me to other possibilities. Perhaps I was too stubborn,
too unwilling to give up on my idea of a design that was focused on pure historical
silhouettes. The knowledge I already had of that time period had allowed me to take
strong ownership of an historical design concept, but it quickly became a hindrance as it
drove my focus in that one direction. This made it progressively harder to pull my focus elsewhere to adjust to the input from the director and the other designers. In this proprietary approach to my early design concept, I was unable to truly work collaboratively despite my efforts to do so. It was not until I relinquished ownership of my design concepts, allowed my process to be inspired and supported by the creative team’s processes that I was able to immerse myself in the collaborative process.
During the retrospection of the design process for this show, I realized that the collaborative nature of theatrical design is rooted in the very language we use. We so often speak of our designs or the process of creating a show using the pronoun “we”
7 rather than “I” because, at the heart of it, theatrical design and production is so much
more than “I”. It is for this reason, a reason inherent in the collective language of the
industry, that this costume design could not be “mine”. It always had to be “ours”. It is in
this world of “ours” that I realized my role as a steward, rather than as an owner, of my
design. Now, I had to learn to be a steward of my own costume designs.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines stewardship as “the conduction,
supervising, or managing of something. Especially: the careful and responsible
management of something entrusted to one’s care”.3 I did not own my design concepts,
but I was responsible for them and for maintaining their integrity as they evolved during
the collaborative design process, a process that proved to be lengthy and involved. As
Wilson and I moved through design meetings, he worked to guide my designs in a
direction that would also achieve what he wanted. At each design meeting, and during
supplementary meetings in between, Wilson gave me consistent feedback and critique of
my designs. Wilson often said something as simple as “something about this isn’t
right…make it ‘funkier’”. Although this feedback was not particularly descriptive, it was often just as valuable to know what the director did not want as it was to know what he did want. Perhaps, in this situation, it worked to my advantage that Wilson’ feedback primarily focused on what he did not like as this allowed me more room to interpret his comments. With that room for interpretation, I worked through each redesign rather than simply redesigning to match a detail or shape that he suggested. Through my many design conversations with the director, and the many redesigns, I strove to strike the
3 Meriam Webster Dictionary, s.v. “stewardship”, accessed April 1, 2019, https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/stewardship 8 balance between making sure the designs were giving Wilson what he wanted,
aesthetically and practically, while maintaining the integrity of my history-inspired
aesthetic.
Collaboration with Sangkaeo, the scenic designer, allowed me to flex my newly
developed steward muscles further as we worked together to find a balance between my
period aesthetic and her modern aesthetic. Her design path, influenced by her strong modern aesthetic, almost seemed to mirror mine. She swung back and forth on a path from our starting point of Renaissance with modern elements, to too modern, to too literal, to too Roman, and so forth. Sangkaeo and I were in close communication throughout the entire design process as we supported and helped guide each other. When she received feedback that she needed more Renaissance elements in her design, she would turn to me for assistance on furthering her Renaissance research and inclusion.
When I received feedback that my designs were too period and not modern enough, I turned to her for inspiration for how to modernize elements through abstraction. Her penchant for modern lines and abstract shapes helped me pull out of the Renaissance rut I was in. In return, my historical aesthetic helped her push her design to be period enough.
We were united in our mutual goal to decipher Wilson’s direction and to find a world wherein our designs could satisfy both our respective Renaissance and modern aesthetics.
9 Design Process & Research
The design process of The Comedy of Errors proved to be long and laborious,
albeit informative and developmental. Much more so than I had anticipated. I came to
think of this of this process in five stages:
1. the gender non-issue 2. an optimistic proposal 3. the Sisyphean redesigns 4. finding the abstract 5. finally, final!
1. The Gender Non-Issue
Before we even began the process, before proposing designs, and before doing
redesigns, Wilson opened the conversation at the first design meeting by stating “I have a surprise announcement and you can’t change my mind about it: all the roles are gender swapped.” My immediate assumption was that, as is often the case in collegiate theater,
more women auditioned than men. This made it difficult to cast a male-character heavy
show with so few male actors and to provide acting opportunities to so many female
actors. Wilson explained that this was a factor in his arrival at the decision to gender
swap, but there was much more to it than simple audition attendance. True, Wilson had
anticipated gender-blind casting, as necessitated by the turnout of male, female, and non-
binary actors. He approached auditions with the intention of looking at who would be
funny in which role, regardless of the gender of the actor or the character. This approach
resulted in a fully gender-swapped cast which, Wilson realized, would effectively support
the chaotic world Shakespeare created in The Comedy of Errors by further blurring the
lines of the status quo.
10 Shakespeare does his part to turn the status quo of the servant-master and
husband-wife relationship on its head within the structure of the script. Why should
Wilson not use this Shakespearean scaffold to disrupt the status quo of the gender binary?
This idea of challenging the social concept of gender binarism feels undeniably modern but the idea of challenging the status quo resonates back through all of history. Wilson’s myriad of motivating factors fit well within the potential world of this show we had only just begun to create together
This choice to gender bend the casting could have pushed the costume design in
several directions. It would have been all too easy to fall into the world of cross dressing,
where the male actors wore padded busts and exaggerated makeup and where the female
actors bound their chests and wore artificial facial hair, but I felt that would defeat the
purpose of Wilson’s intended commentary. Both Wilson and I agreed that addressing the
gender bent cast in such a way would cheapen the effect. Morphing the actors’ bodies to
fit the gender of their characters would defeat the purpose of gender bending the cast. If
Wilson’s social commentary could have been made by putting “feminine” bodies in
female roles and “masculine” bodies in male roles, he would have cast the actors
according to the gender of the characters. On the flipside, we could have chosen to swap the gender of the characters entirely. For example, we could have turned Adrianna,
Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife, into the male role of Adrian played by a male actor. Yet,
this swap would have undermined the gender driven social commentary layered within
the script. However, by gender swapping the cast and making no attempt to hide the
gender of the actors playing male or female roles, Wilson layered his own modern social
commentary on top of the distinctly Roman and Shakespearean commentary on the
11 servant-master and husband-wife social construct that was already inherent, and inherently challenged, within the script.
Based on this decision not to change the gender of the characters, Wilson felt that that this gender bent casting should not affect costuming choices. He felt that male characters should be dressed appropriately male, and vice versa. Further, we decided that we would neither deny nor augment the gender of the actors by allowing the gender of their character to influence or overshadow the gender of the actor. Simply put, the female actors would not bind their chests even though they were dressed as men and the male actors would not pad their chests even though they were dressed as women.
In terms of design, Wilson’s choice for the gentle social commentary of gender- swapping the cast affected the process and the final designs very little. Because we were not changing the gender of the characters at all, I did not need to alter my approach to the costumes for these characters. However, as the person who would also be responsible for the execution of the costumes, which includes patterning and building, this decision did affect my approach to my mental planning for the build process of each costume. Female actors dressed in men’s clothing that should look undeniably male without trying to hide the fact that the actors are female, and vice versa for male actors playing female characters, would require a slightly different hand in the execution of building these costumes. However, I strove to approach the design for each of these characters as purely male or purely female, as according to the gender of the character, in order to prevent the gender swapped casting from influencing the gender presented by each costume and I do believe that I was able to effectively keep the designs true to the gender of their intended characters.
12 2. An Optimistic Proposal
When presented with the opportunity to propose whatever concept that I wanted for The Comedy of Errors, my heart shouted “Shakespearean! Period! Corsets and farthingales, and doublets, oh my!” I initially felt that this could be a brilliant opportunity to dive into my favorite time period and to let my historical knowledge shine. And yet, in my brief interactions with Wilson prior, he struck me as a director who would likely be more inspired by the comedy, or the quirkiness of script, than by the historical accuracy.
Unwilling to fully give up my dream of an historically accurate design, I chose to focus on the historical integrity of the silhouette instead, and to try to consider allowing the rules to bend or loosen in other ways. This strong penchant for historical accuracy, specifically regarding overall silhouette, is most evident in my first designs for Dromio of
Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse (figures 26 & 27). At that point, I had already, I pulled modern elements into the design by proposing the use of modern men’s shirts in lieu of chemises and in the use of modern fabric where one would historically have used wool or silk. In these early designs, I enjoyed the quirky and vibrant interplay of both period and modern patterns and fiber contents in the choice of fabrics. In combining both historical and modern fabrics along with fun patterns I hoped to find elements of the comedy for which this play is named.
I played fast and loose with the rules of history, at least according to my early mindset, and greatly modernized Adrianna, Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife, by dressing her in a contemporary power suit pencil skirt and blouse layered with an historically housewife-esque loose gown (figure 28). In this combination of modern power stylings, the idea of an historically feminine shape, I hoped to strike the balance between
13 Adrianna’s strong will, and the unavoidable historical expectations of a Renaissance woman, without being so direct as to give her pants. Luciana, Adrianna’s sister, was similarly modernized, albeit more gently, by shortening the skirt of her gown into something more akin to a tea-length dress (figure 30). In a small play of bending the historical rules, I strayed from English stylings and looked to 16th century Italy for inspiration for Luciana’s sleeves. Though still contemporary, Luciana stayed much more feminine than her sister because her unmarried status and younger tendencies inspired a more delicate affectation. For both characters I also took an alternative approach to modernized Renaissance silhouettes by playing with the idea of sheer outer layers, specifically skirts that were layered over more a contemporary skirt or pants (figures 29
& 31). Though I enjoyed the idea of Adrianna wearing a sheer farthingale over slacks
(figure 29) in a lovely blending of historical and modern silhouettes, the practical limitations of our relatively small stage and Wilson’s desire for mobility pulled me away from such structured and voluminous shapes.
We saw, in these original proposed sketches, that my Renaissance inspiration was strong. This historical inspiration was clear in the corseted bodice worn by Luciana
(figure 30), in the Henrician coat worn by Duke Solinus (figure 32), and in the wool trunkhose worn by Dr Pinch (figure 33). Despite my efforts to balance my strong historical aesthetic with modern touches, Wilson was quick to praise my proposal and just as quick to shoot it down. He explained that he wanted something that was
Renaissance, yes, but that was also Roman. In Wilson’s interpretation of The Comedy of
Errors, there is no denying that it is a Roman story, considering how fully Shakespeare had borrowed the story from the Roman playwright, Plautus. Despite the Roman
14 influences in the story, I had not yet applied them to my design process. Therefore, I
resolved to explore the possibilities that adding Roman influences would give my
designs.
I did not come away from that first design meeting entirely empty-handed, however. My proposed color concept remained true (figure 34). I as inspired by the visual depiction of a color wheel or a rainbow. I was struck with the desire to design the characters around the bold colors and clear distinctions and relationships between colors.
By using a wide range of colors that spanned the visible spectrum I could quite literally, incorporate the entire world of color into the world of the show. I wanted to bring the relationship and contrast between colors that the color wheel is intended to show into the color palette of my costumes. The interplay of fiber contents and the use of vibrant patterns in monochromatic, albeit brightly colored, fabrics for each character allowed for such creative possibility. By assigning each character to a color, my designs required
intentional and creative fabric choices to stay true to this boldly delineated color palette
without creating visually boring costumes. Quite frankly, this sounded like fun.
Although The Comedy of Errors tells a Roman story written within the context of
Elizabethan England, it is still a fantastical story, at its base level. We, as the designers,
the director, and the actors were creating a fantasy world wherein the audience might lose
themselves for a time. My idea to root these characters in a world boldly defined and
delineated by strong costume colors, with a use of color almost foreign to how we
contemporarily dress, set an undeniable fantastical vibe. I proposed that the use of these
clearly defined colors also defined relationships between characters. The three
Syracusans—Antipholus of Syracuse, Dromio of Syracuse, and Egeon—would be
15 dressed in greens and yellow; two colors seen nowhere else within the world of the set of
the other Ephesian, or local, characters. This delineation of color would prevent the three
Syracusans from feeling or looking at home in the world that the set designer and I
created on the stage. Adrianna and Luciana, sisters and each smitten with their own
Antipholus twin, would share shades of purple, with Adrianna being the darker, bolder,
stronger of the two. Adrianna and Antipholus of Ephesus, who were married, would wear
the adjacent colors of purple and blue to encourage the audience’s eye to naturally
associate these two characters with each other.
This choice of color palette required immediate discussion and collaboration with the scenic designer, Pancharee Sangkaeo, if we were to move forward with this concept
as it would directly impact and inform her choice of color. Fortunately, Sangkaeo had not
yet begun to consider color options for her scenic designs, and she liked my proposed
color scheme, so she was willing and eager to cater her scenic designs to work with these
costume colors. Perhaps the most dramatic and restricting effect of my proposed costume
color palette on the scenic design was my choice to use green and yellow to designate the
foreign, Syracusan characters. For this color conceit to work within the context of this
show, Sangkaeo could not use green or yellow anywhere on her Ephesian set. I was
willing to consider other color choices for the foreigners, in fact Wilson encouraged me
to do so., Had Sangkaeo expressed concern with my color choices or proposed an
alternative palette I would have happily considered the option. However, her willingness
to work with my color proposal strengthened my support for my chosen palette and made
me more eager to defend my color choices.
16 Throughout the design process to follow, I often found myself wondering how I might have approached that first design proposal differently in order to get a different result. Knowing that this primary concept proposal was just that, a proposal, made me hesitant to completely commit to this stage of the process. Though I was excited about my dominantly historical concept, I found myself unwilling to dive into doing full renderings for my design ideas. At first, I even found myself unwilling to commit to sketching every single character. Perhaps if I had presented a more complete design package with full renderings, I might have been able to sway Wilson towards my original design concept but I think part of me knew that this strongly historical concept would not satisfy Wilson and would inevitably be redesigned to suit our combined concepts.
Though I did not know it at the time, this first important, albeit disappointing, step was my first step away from design ownership and towards design stewardship. Armed with my color palette and a new focus on Roman research and inspiration to counter my
Renaissance penchant, I began work on a second round of design sketches.
3. The Sisyphean Redesigns
What makes a garment Roman? What elements or markers should a garment have to make it visually recognizable as Roman? The easy answer was a toga, but surely, there must be more to Roman clothing than the ubiquitous toga. My Roman research focused primarily on sculpture since it is in this three dimensional medium that one is most often able to see all, or most, of the subjects clothing. It could be argued that the Romans were experts in the art of turning a basic square or rectangle of fabric into an elegant garment with as few seams as possible. While this artful wrapping and draping was surely beautiful and able to create dramatic yet gentle layers and folds in the fabric (figure 1), it
17 leaned towards being shapeless. Furthermore, the styles worn by men and women were often remarkably similar (figures 2 & 3). Wilson also expressed concern for how such large swaths of billowing and wrapped fabric would potentially hinder the actor’s movement and had the potential to make some choreography unsafe. The physical comedy of this play was founded on English clowning technique, and the impact of the physical comedy would be lost if the audience could not see the movements of the actors clearly. Though I certainly like to use large swathes of fabric, as evidenced by my
Renaissance inspirations (figures 31 & 32), I wanted more shaping and structure in the designs for this show than is generally seen in Roman clothing. Instead, I chose to focus in on the use of draped fabric that permeates Roman clothing. I particularly liked the tendency to gather, or pull more fullness into the neckline of a garment, or to layer on another piece of fabric entirely, to create a dramatically draped neckline. I also liked the layering created by draping an additional length of fabric over the wearer’s arm or down the wearer’s back (figure 4). During this phase, I also pulled a great deal of inspiration for the officers from sculpture of Roman battle and hunting scenes (figure 5). The thigh- length, almost skirted, tunics paired with more fitted torso armor creates an image that is instantly identifiable as authoritative.
My initial approach to integrating Roman elements into the mostly Renaissance designs I already had, was to add elements of simple draping. I moved Adrianna,
Antipholus’ wife, into a split-front dress, preferring this high-necked Renaissance inspired style to create a sense of feminine strength. I also Romanized her look slightly by wrapping a draped swath of cloth across her torso to cascade down her skirt (figure
35). Luciana, Adrianna’s sister, was freed from her fitted Renaissance bodice and given a
18 folded-over draped neckline (figure 36). For Luciana, I also pulled inspiration from
Roman decorative styles by trimming her skirt in parallel rows of narrow bands of ribbon. I brought the short tunic, commonly seen in battle and hunting scenes, into my designs for the merchants (figure 37) and the Officers (figure 38). I paired this Roman style tunic with Renaissance silhouettes, in the Merchants doublet and the Officers gorget. I also used modern silhouettes, in the Officers fitted pants and helmet.
These newly Romanized designs were vetoed almost as quickly as my original
designs. Wilson did not give me specific guidance about what he did not like about this
round of designs, he only said that they just weren’t right. Though I have often said that it
is often just as valuable to know what the director does not want as it is to know what
they do want, this believe no longer held true. I knew that Wilson did not like this
currently round of designs, but I did not know what he did want. Not knowing the
direction in which he wanted me to move forward proved to be more frustrating than
helpful. Therefore, I experimented.
Working within the guidelines of “Renaissance but also Roman”, I revisited all
my designs to-date. I gave Adrianna’s bodice a one-shoulder Roman-inspired neckline
with a draped and gathered overlay that extended into a cape and flowing sleeve (figure
39) but I felt it was still not quite right. I relaxed the Dromio’s Renaissance doublets and
styled them to be worn open over Roman tunics that were made with modern shirting
fabrics (figures 40 & 41). I struggled with this stage of the design process. I found myself
stuck in a place of ownership over my heavily Renaissance concept and I had a difficult
time relaxing my focus and my hold enough to allow room for the Roman elements to
come in to my designs. Knowing how I had struggled to release my ownership of my
19 original concept and to embrace this new Roman influence, I was not surprised when
Wilson stated that these designs were still “too period”. At this stage, my design for the
Abbess (figure 42), sketched wearing an open robe heavily inspired by Roman women’s togas, was the design that Wilson liked best. He particularly liked the asymmetrical lines because they felt “funky” “modern”. Modern! This was a new buzzword from Wilson.
Looking at these most recent designs from the perspective of “but it’s a modern show, too”, I could see how the Renaissance and Roman influences were perhaps a bit too strong and how they drowned out the subtle modern elements. So, the pendulum swung in a new direction: away from history and into modern styles.
From the cultural references to the clothing styles, we are so immersed in
“modern” that it can easily become almost mundane and feel rather lacking as an inspirational style. However, Wilson’s explanation that, although this is a Renaissance retelling of a Roman story, we were performing this show in an undeniably modern theater for an undeniably modern audience, made sense. This thought to bring this story into the modern time in which it was performed was exactly what Shakespeare had done with his retelling of Plautus’ Menaechmi. Though I had felt somewhat disconnected from the Roman elements of the story and from my Roman research, this approach to modernity resonated more easily with me, perhaps because I felt that modern elements could be the key the unifying the Renaissance and Roman elements that I had been working with so far. In this context, Wilson used “modern” to describe something that was contemporary, clothing that would not feel out of place outside on the street today.
My original design concept included modern elements, particularly in my choice of fabric, so my mind was already open to the possibilities of modern elements and this
20 made the process of refocusing on modern inspirations easier than the previous
refocusing on Roman inspirations.
I turned to some of my original designs as starting points, particularly my design
for Dr. Pinch, the doddering witch doctor, (figure 33) wearing a Renaissance doublet and
trunkhose styled like a modern wool tweed suit. I also referred to Adrianna (figure 28)
layering a Renaissance over-gown over a decidedly modern pencil skirt and blouse. I
redesigned the Antipholus’ twins (figures 43 & 44) to wear modern pants with
Renaissance doublets styled like modern blazers along with Roman inspired wraps and
cowls. Duke Solinus, the ruler of Ephesus, (figure 45) got a similar contemporary
overhaul with slacks and a doublet styled as a modern vest. I updated his Henrician over
coat by pulling one side into an asymmetrical drape with clear Roman influence. Despite
the clear Renaissance elements in the cut of the doublet blazers with the strong Roman elements of the wraps and cowls, the overall looks for these characters now felt decidedly
more modern. It felt, dare I admit, too modern? Stepping back to analyze these new
sketches, I felt that I had over modernized, that I had lost a lot of the Renaissance
influence that I initially liked so much. When I presented these designs at the next
production meeting, Wilson surprisingly agreed with my assessment. I realized that I had progressed away from my original designs in my efforts to add both Roman and modern influences on my designs, but I had, perhaps, progressed to far.
As a pendulum is wont to do, this pendulum now swung back in the other direction. I had started at one too Renaissance pinnacle, I had swung through to the opposite too-modern pinnacle, and now came the backswing. As I reached back to recover the Renaissance heart that I had lost in my Roman and modern redesigns, I
21 overcompensated, much as I had done in the reach towards modernity. The result was a round of designs that I felt were again too Renaissance-y, yet that were somehow too
Renaissance-y in a different way than before. I lengthened Luciana’s skirt (figure 46) into something quite like a split-front Renaissance skirt, though I tried to ease this
Renaissance aesthetic by shortening her sleeves into a modern cap-length. I dressed Luce,
Adrianna’s kitchen maid, (figure 47) in pants, albeit pants cut so wide that they looked like a full skirt, and a perfectly period apron. I pushed to modernize Adrianna (figure 48) by giving her an asymmetrical drape to her bodice and a split-front skirt that was worn open to show contemporary shorts and leggings underneath, but I still put her in an oh-so-
Renaissance ruff and long sleeves with ruffed cuffs. I dressed the Courtesan (figure 49) in a daring asymmetrical sheer dress that was worn over perfectly historical Renaissance corset and bloomers. My most egregious slide back into Renaissance styles was realized in the Dromio twins (figure 50), who I still insisted on dressing in trunkhose because I both love trunkhose and appreciate the comedic value in the padded shape. Here I hit another moment of forced growth. If I wanted to be able to see past my historical blinders, I had to give up on the trunkhose. I still cannot say why the trunkhose, specifically, were such an impassable point for me, they were like a symbolic representation of my original Renaissance design, much of which I still, although largely subconsciously, clung to. Perhaps “gave up” is too strong a phrase. Rather, I had to loosen my hold on the idea enough to allow myself to see how the concept was sitting within the overall concept of the show; how it was sitting with the concepts of the director and the scenic design. What I saw was my struggle to maintain the purity of the
22 historical shapes not blending with the directors’ desire for a mashed-up, seamless
integration of the various time periods.
4. Finding the Abstract
In the design and re-design process up to this point, I was working with layers;
layering one time period over, or under another time period. As I struggled to find a
balance between what was now three different time periods incorporated into my designs,
layering seemed to be an efficient way to combine so many time periods into an
individual look for each character. I layered a Renaissance doublet over a Roman tunic
and paired them with modern shorts (figure 40). I layered Roman robes over a
Renaissance partlet and modern pants (figure 42). I layered Roman cowl drapes over
modern blazer styled like a Renaissance doublet (figure 44). It was at this point that
Wilson, in a later design meeting, stated that I “have too many whole pieces”. Meaning that I was focusing too much on complete garments; I was thinking about an entire doublet or an entire skirt as one single piece rather than a piece made up of several stylistic elements. Rather than layering whole pieces on top of whole pieces I needed to break those whole pieces down into their various parts and to use those parts, like puzzle piece, to creating one single cohesive whole. This was a moment of clarity for me. Woe, that this realization had not come sooner!
In an effort to control the swing of the pendulum this time, I chose a new approach to my modern research and design process. Instead of imaging the contemporary modern clothing that I might encounter any day on the street, I focused my modern research on haute couture fashion designers because they so often do what I had only just realized that I needed to do—they explode fashion. I was particularly drawn to
23 Alexander McQueen for his tendency to use a heavy historical hand in his work but to
break those historical silhouettes down in to their individual shapes and put those pieces
back together again in a new way. McQueen would build an historically full sleeve but
pleat it into the bodice in a new way (figure 6). He would use a very Roman technique of
draping a large piece of fabric to create a uniquely modern garment using clever tailoring
(figure 8) or combine contrasting fabrics in perfectly jarring men’s ensembles (figures 16
& 17). I also found myself drawn to Gareth Pugh for his penchant for using strong asymmetrical lines and fabric manipulation to create texture. Pugh would drape and twist billowing swaths of fabric around the body and then rein them in with fitted waists
(figure 14). He would quilt heavy fabric in horizontal rows, rather than the traditional shapes, to give the feeling of a more solid fabric than it is (figure 15). By rewriting the
rules of how to put clothing together, these two designers inspired me to look more
closely at the parts and pieces that make up a garment rather than just the overall
silhouette of a garment. Anything modern is inevitably influenced by history and
McQueen and Pugh helped me begin to learn how to embrace that history without falling
back in line with all the historical rules. By incorporating abstract lines and shapes, one
can embrace the historical past of a shape while giving it new life.
During this period of discovering the abstract, I also discovered the Pattern Magic
books by Tomoko Nakamichi. Nakamichi is an expert draper and drafter who excels in
drafting highly abstract geometric shapes into clothing. Nakamichi’s pattern manipulation
is simply inspiring and proved to be excellent fodder for my final passes at redesigning
these costumes. Not only was I inspired to incorporate Nakamichi’s style and shapes into
my designs, but I wanted to try my own hand at creating her magic. The “hide and seek”
24 flare concealed in a curve (figure 22)4 was an exciting way to add fullness to a skirt. The
use of serrated lines in place of traditional straight seams (figure 23)5 was a brilliant way
to take a simple seam from average to interesting.
Fueled by a stronger understanding, and willingness to bend the rules, of history
and to find the abstract, I felt that my designs were almost something that both the
director and I could like. In this redesign of Antipholus (figure 51) the influence from the
Pattern Magic books is strong as I include Nakamichi’s serrated seams technique (figure
23) at the shoulders and her nejiri twist (figure 25)6 technique in the pants. I love the
abstract (literal) twist that the nejiri technique adds to what would otherwise be a simple pair of high-waist pants. In Luciana (figure 53), I kept the Renaissance high neck and basic bodice shape that I love but I opened the neckline by exposing her shoulders. I skewed the Renaissance silhouette by tightening the lower half of the sleeves. I cinched up her skirt to create a dramatic asymmetrical drape. Duke Solinus (figure 54) got a rather dramatic redesign largely inspired by McQueen and Pugh’s use of strong lines for dramatic effect. Between this design and the last design for Duke Solinus I had attended the first read through for the script. Having watched the actress cast in the role, I felt that long, clean, determined lines would suit her affect in the role better than the billowing
Henrician great coat I had previously designed. The Abbess (figure 55) got a similar redesign for similar reasons. The actor cast in the role of the Abbess was extremely tall,
4 Nakamichi, Pattern Magic, 74 5 Nakamichi, Pattern Magic 3, 92 6 Nakamichi, Pattern Magic, 68 25 and I was inspired to accentuate his height and physical presence even further by
wrapping the Abbes in the long, structured, clean lines of a stiff cape.
5. Finally, final!
My final designs were entirely unlike what I had originally imagined, and yet they
still felt right; they still felt like mine. In retrospect, much of my struggle throughout much of the design and redesign process was rooted in my continuing insistence on ownership of my designs and my resistance to loosen my hold on that ownership for fear of losing my aesthetic. Both mentally and outwardly in design meetings, I was thinking and speaking within the context of “my” designs. The road to stewardship of my designs, to relinquishment of the control I hoped would keep the designs “mine”, but actually hindered progress, was long and strenuous in large part because I was not yet cognizant of how my mental approach to the underlying concept of design in a collaborative environment impacted my process and my results. The Sisyphean redesigns pushed me to a point where a mental realization, or a mental shift, was inevitable and that is exactly what happened. My “ah-ha moment” arrived unexpectedly during a late-night sketching session when, fueled by either exhaustion or a burst of mental acuity, the data set of concepts for these designs—Renaissance, but also Roman, while still modern, but also funky and weird—settled into place like the missing pieces of a puzzle.
To be poetic, the final design for Antipholus (figure 51) flowed from my pen. The
Renaissance influence in the full sleeves and high collars, the Roman draping influence that is creatively modernized using the nejiri twist, the modern cropped jackets; this
Antipholus is simultaneously of all three time periods and of none of them. This is not to say that the final stages of the design process were easy sailing from that moment on. In
26 fact, I went through a couple more redesigns for many of the characters between that “ah-
ha moment” and settling on final designs, but something had finally clicked. I was now at a place where I could realize final designs that would satisfy my design aesthetic, the directors desires for the show, and the world the design team and I were creating
together. The Dromio’s (figures 61 & 62) subtle Renaissance pants and modern shirts were abstracted with wrapped elements and pattern manipulation techniques. Adrianna
(figure 63) married Renaissance, Roman, and modern elements in her bodice alone that have likewise been abstracted with asymmetrical lines and fabric manipulation. Egeon
(figure 65) harkened back to Roman draping with modern quirkiness in his shirt and bent the rules of traditional pants with the slash below the knees and contrasting insert in the outseam. These finally final designs felt, for lack of a better word, right.
This design process thus far had been a month-long roller coaster, a pendulum
swinging back and forth and side to side between three warring time periods. However,
the relentless re-designs had forced me to consider approaches and ideas that I otherwise
would never have considered, they forced me to find a new flexibility in my work. I long-
struggled to maintain ownership over my Renaissance-heavy designs, not only because I
liked the concept for this show, but because I had such a love for the time period from my
prior experience as a costumer and historian. Yet it was when I relinquished my hold on
my original designs, when I let go of my stubborn hold on history, that I found a release
and a new freedom in the design process. I could still honor the history of the
Renaissance shapes I was using but, by incorporating fabric manipulation and non-
traditional techniques, I could pull my historically inspired shapes away from history and
into something new: a time in which history and modernity existed simultaneously.
27 Realization of Costumes
Final costume renderings are so much more than pretty pictures of costumes.
Final costume renderings are a contract, they are a commitment from the costume designer to realize these costumes as shown and as agreed upon by the production team.
In my prior experiences as a costume designer, I often found myself revisiting the costume designs with the director throughout the pull/shop, build, and fitting process and editing or modifying the designs based on what was available in costume storage, or on the practical or budgetary abilities of the costume shop, while still staying true to the characters. Though this modification process is common practice in costume design, I wanted to remain as true as possible to my final costume renderings for The Comedy of
Errors. This opportunity to put costumes on stage that matched the costume renderings as exactly as possible was unique and an opportunity that I wanted to take advantage of. In making this commitment to honor my designs as accurately as possible, I set a large task for the costume shop. This task was made even larger by the fact that we had only a month of work from the first day of the semester until dress rehearsal.
Broken down into its steps, the road from final designs to finished costumes traveled through fabric shopping, patterning, mock-ups, first fittings, initial construction, second fittings, final construction, final fittings, and finishing. For this process, patterning meant draping and drafting new patterns for each costume based on the actor’s measurements. Mock-ups were constructed from those drafted patterns and inexpensive cotton and acted as a proof of concept for each garment. These mock-ups were fitted on each actor at the first fitting; any changes to the fit or shape were pinned and marked on the mock-up and they and were then used as finalized patterns to begin construction of
28 the costumes. The initial construction involved cutting and stitching most of the costume
pieces in order to create a garment that was complete enough to fit. These partial garments were fit again at second fittings to make sure that no major changes needed to be made, this step was particularly important because it allowed for the correction of any small mistakes made by student stitchers and proved to be a valuable learning step for them. After second fittings, any modifications were made based on these fittings and the
construction was completed. The more intricate pieces, like Adrianna’s dress or the
Antipholus pants required a third fitting to refine the fit and construction methods before
the student’s building those pieces and I could comfortably move on to the finishing
steps. Finally, each costume was fitted a final time before the finishing steps of stitching
hems, making buttonholes and sewing on buttons, stitching in zippers, etc. were
completed and a costume was declared done.
Fabric shopping for this show was, to put it simply, fun. My design of modern and
mis-matched fabrics defined by the color palette allowed a lot of freedom when shopping
for fabric. I often found that the only limiting factor I encountered when fabric shopping
for these costumes was the rare instance when I would require a specific fiber content or
weave for a particular piece. For example, the pants for the Antipholus twins required a
stretch fabric in a medium-weight for the twist effect to translate well onto the fabric
without inhibiting the actors’ range of motion and, as it turns out, medium-to-dark green
medium-weight stretch fabric was in remarkably low supply. Blue non-stretch fabric in
quirky patterns for Dromio of Ephesus was, however, abundant and I found myself faced
with more options than I needed. Interestingly, dark purple fabric, in any fiber content or
weave, was remarkably hard to find. Because I could not find much dark purple fabric
29 that I liked at all, I deconstructed a few pieces from our costume stock to get Adrianna’s
fabric. By mixing so many different patterns on each monochromatic costume, I hoped to
imbue the costumes with a sense of quirky playfulness. Though each costume fit within a
small range of shades of a single color, the many mismatched patterns ensured that each
garment was visually stimulating and that each garment contributed to the comedic world
of the play. The exclamations of “I would never had thought to put these patterns
together, but I love it” and “these fabrics are so much fun together” made by my students
as they were working on the costumes served as proof of concept for my fabric and
pattern choices.
The costumes for The Comedy of Errors were unique and non-standard, which
meant that I would be able to pull a limited amount of items from costume stock and that
I would be able to use very few commercial pre-made patterns. And so, I committed not just to having almost the entire show built, but also to patterning almost every piece— what would prove to be a total of forty-one individual patterns. Each pattern began with a basic sloper that I draped on the actor and modified using mostly traditional flat pattern modification techniques. Going into this process I felt fairly comfortable with flat pattern modification but, through this whirlwind of patterning, I feel I became nigh on an expert as I became more comfortable and quicker with the techniques. Though this patterning process was demanding, particularly because of the tight turn around I was working within, I enjoyed the challenge. This fast-paced hands-on work let me really embrace the craft of costume design and be fully involved in the process of realizing costumes literally from the skin out. I was also able to explore my craft further by using pattern modification techniques from the Pattern Magic books, which teach a more critical and
30 abstract way of approaching pattern modification to create shapes and details that stray
from the norm.
I realized early on that time constraints would require that I pull or purchase what
pieces I was able. Given the abstract and quirky nature of the costume designs, I knew
that I would not be able to pull much, but every pair of pants pulled or purchased was one less piece that the costume shop and I would have to make. From the costume storage, I was able to pull the fabric for Adrianna’s entire costume, Luciana’s skirt, the Courtesan’s skirt, Angelo’s shirt, the 2nd Merchant’s vest, the base for Pinch’s hat, and about half of
the shoes. I purchased the Courtesan’s leggings, Balthazar’s pants, Angelo’s pants, the
2nd Merchant’s trench coat, the Officer’s pants and hoodies, and the remaining shoes.
Each of these pulled and purchased pieces were then modified to better suit the designs for each character.
Not only did this extensive patterning and build process further develop my skills
in patterning, it also gave me more experience in the management and education side of
costume shop work because, as both costume designer and graduate teaching assistant I
was able to take control of the costume shop rudder. The costume shop had one part-time
costume faculty and seven part-time federal work study student employees who would be
responsible for patterning and building this show with me. I challenged the most
advanced students each to tackle one character’s costume from start to finish and
assigned them Antipholus of Ephesus, Antipholus of Syracuse, Adrianna, and Luciana.
These students pushed themselves further in their skillsets than they realized possible as,
under my guidance, they practiced new patterning methods and new stitching techniques
to tackle a large project. Though pushing the costume shop staff to build such a large
31 show in a relatively short amount of time was endlessly stressful, it was also extremely rewarding.
I had a front row seat to watch the growth that overcame the costume shop during the build process of this show. I had the pleasure of teaching and guiding the student employees every day as they continuously improved their skills. I got to see one student proudly take a picture of the first pair of pants she had ever made. I got to watch a student grow from being constantly scared that she would sew something wrong, to building an entire gown using techniques she had not done before. I got to watch a student realize that, though she hadn’t been formally trained in pattern modification, she was far more capable than she had previously given herself credit for. This build process was truly collaborative as the costume shop staff, united under one cause, supported and taught each other as each student in that shop pushed their skills to a new level. Without student employees who were willing to push themselves and to learn new things, this show would never have been built. Also imperative to the build process were the professional over-hire stitchers we were able to hire for the final two weeks of build. Working with professional stitchers, professionals that were new to both this shop and this show, required that I be able to prepare the patterns and fabric clearly and accurately for their use. I also had to communicate the work that needed to be done clearly and effectively.
These outside professionals also demonstrated a willingness to work and to support this project and working with them was an invaluable experience.
I committed to honoring the contract delivered in my final costume renderings and, as a result, the costumes seen onstage are almost exactly as I rendered them. Unlike in previous build processes, I did not have to revisit my designs with the director in order
32 to adapt or redesign, I built every costume as true to the rendering as possible. Where we did see small differences between the final renderings and the production photos, however, was in the details. Adrianna never got her neck ruff or the ruffed trim on her dress, Duke Solinus did not have his coronet or chain of office, Balthazar was missing his belt & halberd covered in pouches. I chose to cut these accessories from the final costumes due to time and labor constraints. My unique designs would have required that these accessories also be built, or at least highly modified from pulled pieces, and the shop simply did not have the time or labor to complete these accessories on time amidst the rest of the build process. I considered pulling simpler versions of these pieces—a simple chain for Duke Solinus, a plain leather belt for Balthazar—but I, after discussing these options with Wilson, ultimately decided against that alternative because I felt such simple, obviously pulled pieces would compromise the integrity of my designs.
The build process for the costumes for The Comedy of Errors proved to be lengthy and demanding. Shop resources were stretched thin and many employees put in extra hours. Despite the stress and the struggle, however, this process was extremely rewarding. I was able to build my designs almost exactly as rendered, with only minimal cuts to the design, and every shop employee was able to step away from this process proud of their growth in their work. The satisfaction that comes after a time of such hard work is its own reward and I would not have been more satisfied with the final costumes.
33 Reflection
The process of designing and executing costumes for The Comedy of Errors was
evolutionary for me. I developed a new awareness of what it means to think like a costume designer and how to work effectively in a collaborative process. The new-to-me opportunity to propose my own design concept initially seemed like an amazing opportunity to exercise complete creative freedom as I advocated for my design concept, but I soon realized that this was not the best approach in a collaborative environment.
Though it was vital to advocate for the integrity of my design concept, my focus on ownership of the concept did not allow room for the contributions from the rest of the design team to inform my designs. If this were to be a successful collaborative process, I had to loosen my hold on my designs and to allow for input and influence by the director and other designers. Throughout the design process I was consistently faced with the need to adapt to new requests from the director and to incorporate those requests into my designs. It was through this process that I came to think of myself as a steward of my designs. I found myself responsible for protecting the integrity of my design aesthetic and the design elements I most wanted to retain in my costumes while adapting to the other elements that Wilson wanted to add to the design concept. This new awareness of the importance of stewardship, rather than ownership, of my designs in this collaborative process proved invaluable as I redirected my approach to the redesigns and found my way through the design process. This newfound goal to keep my designs “mine” while also making them “ours” was a new and unique way to approach the collaborative design process.
34 If I understood the importance of stewardship in order to successfully work collaboratively before I began work on The Comedy of Errors, I likely would have
approached the process differently. In retrospect, I think Wilson felt that the inclusion of multiple time periods and the need for weird or quirky elements was obvious in the script,
or at least in his interpretation of the script, so he did not feel the need to explain any of
it. Therefore, I approached the design process with only my own interpretation of the
script in mind. Having now learned from this process, I would have had a lengthier first
discussion with Wilson about any and all design elements he had floating around in his
mind and any key notes from the script that had stuck out to him. I would have asked more intentional clarifying questions in my meetings with Wilson to get a better understanding of what, exactly, he did or did not like about my designs, and why. By initiating these deeper conversations and by asking more questions, I could have, hopefully, encouraged Wilson to communicate more fully on his feelings about the concept of the show and his reactions to my designs. I could have worked to more carefully and intentionally guided the conversation about the costume designs for this evolving world we were creating. I could have exercised my stewardship more effectively.
Each theatrical production brings together a design team of unique individuals who embark on a journey to create a world together. The design team for The Comedy of
Errors consisted of me, a costume designer with a special interest in the Renaissance time period, Sangkaeo, a scenic designer with a special interest in a modern aesthetic, and
Wilson, a director with a special interest in quirky physical comedy. Through our
35 collective design process, we strove to strike a balance between our unique design needs and that process set me on my path to stewardship.
36 Bibliography
Biggar, Trisha. Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars. New York: Inside Editions, in association with Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 2005
Luke Leitch, “Alexander McQueen: Fall 2018 Menswear.” Vogue. January 19, 2018. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2018-menswear/alexander- mcqueen.
Luke Leitch, “Alexander McQueen: Spring 2018 Menswear.” Vogue. June 25, 2017. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2018- menswear/alexander-mcqueen.
Nakamichi, Tomoko. Pattern Magic. Translated by Andy Walker. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2010.
Nakamichi, Tomoko. Pattern Magic 3. Translated by Andy Walker. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd, 2016.
Sarah Mower, “Alexander McQueen: Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. February 28, 2008. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2008-ready-to- wear/alexander-mcqueen.
Sarah Mower, “Alexander McQueen: Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. March 8, 2010. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2010-ready-to- wear/alexander-mcqueen.
Sarah Mower, “Alexander McQueen: Pre-Fall 2018.” Vogue. May 10, 2018. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/pre-fall-2018/alexander-mcqueen.
Sarah Mower, “Alexander McQueen: Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. October 2, 2008. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2009-ready-to- wear/alexander-mcqueen.
Tim Blanks, “Alexander McQueen: Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. March 4, 2014. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2013-ready-to- wear/alexander-mcqueen.
Tim Blanks, “Alexander McQueen: Pre-Fall 2013.” Vogue. January 15, 2015. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/pre-fall-2013/alexander-mcqueen.
Tim Blanks, “Alexander McQueen: Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. October 1, 2010. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2013-ready-to- wear/alexander-mcqueen.
Tim Blanks, “Gareth Pugh: Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear,” Vogue. February 12, 2008. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2008-ready-to-wear/gareth- pugh. 37 Maya Singer, “Gareth Pugh: Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. February 25, 2015. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2014-ready-to-wear/gareth- pugh.
Tim Blanks, “Gareth Pugh: Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear.” Vogue. September 23, 2014. Accessed, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2015-ready-to- wear/gareth-pugh.
Department of Theatre & Dance. William Shakespeare's the Comedy of Errors. Washington, DC: Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, 2019.
38 Appendix A - Research Images
Figure 1 Roman research: Isis, 1st half of 2nd century AD, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria
39
Figure 2 Roman research: Sabine, wife of Emperor Hadrian, 136AD, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
40
Figure 3 Roman research: sculpture of an Emperor, 1st century AD, the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
41
Figure 4 Roman research: bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, 170-180AD, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria
42
Figure 5 Roman research: relief from a monument to Marcus Aurelius, 176-180AD, Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy
43
Figure 6 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, spring 2009
44
Figure 7 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, fall 2008
45
Figure 8 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, pre-fall 2013
46
Figure 9 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, spring 2013
47
Figure 10 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, pre-fall 2019
48
Figure 11 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, fall 2010
49
Figure 12 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, fall 2013
50
Figure 13 Modern research, Gareth Pugh, spring 2015
51
Figure 14 Modern research, Gareth Pugh, fall 2014
52
Figure 15 Modern research, Gareth Pugh, fall 2008
53
Figure 16 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, menswear fall 2018
54
Figure 17 Modern research, Alexander McQueen, menswear spring 2018
55
Figure 18 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 48
56
Figure 19 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 59
57
Figure 20 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 174
58
Figure 21 Modern research, Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars, pg. 103
59
Figure 22 Modern research, Pattern Magic
60
Figure 23 Modern research, Pattern Magic 3
61
Figure 24 Modern research, Pattern Magic 3
62
Figure 25 Modern research, Pattern Magic
63 Appendix B - Sketches
Figure 26 1st design round, Dromio of Ephesus
64
Figure 27 1st design round, Dromio of Syracuse
65
Figure 28 1st design round, Adrianna
66
Figure 29 1st design round, Adrianna alternate
67
Figure 30 1st design round, Luciana
68
Figure 31 1st design round, Luciana alternate
69
Figure 32 1st design round, Duke Solinus
70
Figure 33 1st design round, Dr. Pinch
71
Figure 34 Color palette
72
Figure 35 2nd design round, Adrianna
73
Figure 36 2nd design round, Luciana
74
Figure 37 2nd design round, Merchants
75
Figure 38 2nd design round, Officers
76
Figure 39 3rd design round, Adrianna
77
Figure 40 3rd design round, Dromio of Ephesus
78
Figure 41 3rd design round, Dromio of Syracuse
79
Figure 42 3rd design round, Abbess
80
Figure 43 3rd design round, Antipholus of Ephesus
81
Figure 44 3rd design round, Antipholus of Syracuse
82
Figure 45 3rd design round, Duke Solinus
83
Figure 46 3rd design round, Luciana
84
Figure 47 3rd design round, Luce
85
Figure 48 4th design round, Adrianna
86
Figure 49 5th design round, Courtesan
87
Figure 50 5th design round, Dromio’s
88
Figure 51 5th design round, Antipholus twins
89
Figure 52 5th design round, Adrianna
90
Figure 53 5th design round, Luciana
91
Figure 54 5th design round, Duke Solinus
92
Figure 55 5th design round Abbess
93
Figure 56 5th design round, Luce
94
Figure 57 5th design round, Officers
95
Figure 58 6th design round, Luce
96 Appendix C - Final Renderings
Antipholus of Ephesus
Figure 59 Final rendering, Antipholus of Ephesus
97 Antipholus of Syracuse
Figure 60 Final rendering, Antipholus of Syracuse
98 Dromio of Ehpesus
Figure 61 Final rendering, Dromio of Ephesus
99 Dromio of Syracuse
Figure 62 Final rendering, Dromio of Syracuse
100 Adrianna
Figure 63 Final rendering, Adrianna
101 Luciana
Figure 64 Final rendering, Luciana
102 Egeon
Figure 65 Final rendering, Egeon
103 Duke Solinus
Figure 66 Final rendering, Duke Solinus
104 Emelia
Figure 67 Final rendering, Emelia
105 Abbess
Figure 68 Final rendering, Abbess
106 Courtesan
Figure 69 Final rendering, Courtesan
107 Balthazar
Figure 70 Final rendering, Balthazar
108 Angelo
Figure 71 Final rendering, Angelo
109 1st Merchant
Figure 72 Final rendering, 1st Merchant
110 2nd Merchant
Figure 73 Final rendering, 2nd Merchant
111 Officers
Figure 74 Final rendering, Officers
112 Dr. Pinch
Figure 75 Final rendering, Dr. Pinch
113 Appendix D - Production Photos
Figure 76 Production photo, Antipholus of Ephesus
114
Figure 77 Production photo, Antipholus of Syracuse
115
Figure 78 Production photo, Dromio of Ephesus
116
Figure 79 Production photo, Dromio of Syracuse
117
Figure 80 Production photo, Adrianna
118
Figure 81 Production photo, Luciana
119
Figure 82 Production photo, Egeon
120
Figure 83 Production photo, Duke Solinus
121
Figure 84 Production photo, Abbess
122
Figure 85 Production photo, Courtesan
123
Figure 86 Production photo, Balthazar
124
Figure 87 Production photo, Angelo
125
Figure 88 Production photo, 1st Merchant
126
Figure 89 Production photo, 2nd Merchant
127
Figure 90 Production photo, Officers
128
Figure 91 Production photo, Dr. Pinch
129
Figure 92 Production photo, group
130
Figure 93 Production photo, group
131
Figure 94 Production photo, group
132
Figure 95 Production photo, group
133 Appendix E - Paperwork
Table 1 Costume Plot (page 1)
134 Table 2 Costume Plot (page 2)
135 Table 3 Costume Plot (page 3)
136 Table 4 Costume Plot (page 4)
137 Table 5 Cumulative Fabrication Hours
138 Table 6 Ledger
139