A COSTUME DESIGN PROCESS FOR A PRODUCTION OF WILLIAM WYCHERLY'S THE COUNTRY WIFE A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts in The Grad uate School of The Ohio State University by Johnnie Ray Thomas, B. A. * * * * ~r The Ohio State University 1995 Master's Exami nation Committee: Approved by: Mark W. Shanda, M.F.A. ~-£'~ Dr.Joy Reilly, Ph. D. Adviser Dennis A. Parker, M.F.A. Department of Theatre NOTE A complete illustrated copy of this thesis is located in The Jerome A. Lawrence, Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute of The Ohio State University. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express sincere appreciation to Dennis A. Parker for his guidance and insight throughout my graduate school experience. Thanks go to the other members of my advisory committee, Mark W. Shanda and Dr. Joy Reilly for their suggestions and comments. Gratitude is expressed to Julia Weiss, costumer, for her support and encouragement. To Ian S. Haberman, I offer sincere thanks for his unshakable faith in me and his willingness to endure this process with me. iii VITA July 22, 1952 Born Huntsvi lie, Alabama 1967-1970 Belden High School Belden, Mississippi 1970-1975 B. A., Communication Miss. State University State College, MS FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Theatre iv 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTE ...•.•... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii VITA .....•. iv LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF PLATES viii INTRODUCTION CHAPTER PAGE I. THE PRODUCING SITUATION .. 3 II. THE COSTUME DESIGN CONCEPT 6 III. CHARACTER ANALYSIS 15 IV. THE PROCESS. 21 V. EVALUATION 27 SELECTED REFERENCES 30 APPENDICES . 32 A. TABLES 33 B. FIGURES 39 C. PLATES 44 v """'­ LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1- CHARACTER/BIRD INFERENCES . 9 2. ACTION PLOT - I TO IV,iii .••••.•••••.••••• 34 3. COSTUME BREAKDOWN - WOMEN ••..•.••.•.•.. 35 4. COSTUME BREAKDOWN - MEN . 36 5. BUDGET BREAKDOWN . 38 vi olOo.­ LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1­ SCALED PATTERN - Lady Fidget Gown 40 2. SCALED PATTERN - Horner Coat 41 3. COSTUME ACCESSORY - Fidget Headpiece 42 4. COSTUME ACCESSORY - Jaspar Walking Stick 43 vii ~ LIST OF PLATES PLATE PAGE I. PRE LIMINARY SKETCH: Color Scheme relations 45 II. PRELIMINARY SKETCH: AI ithea #1 .. 46 III. PRE LIMINARY SKETCH: Composite .. 47 Sparkish #1, Horner, Quack, Townsman IV. PRE LIMINARY SKETCH: Composite .. 48 Sparkish #2, Sparkish #3, Margery V. PRE LIMINARY SKETCH: Composite .. 49 Jaspar, Squeamish, AI ithea #2, Lucy VI. RENDERING: AI ithea #1 50 VII. RENDERING: Alithea #2 51 VIII. RENDERING: Boy .••• 52 IX. RENDERING: Dai nty Fi dget 53 X. RENDERING: Dorilant 54 XI. RENDERING: Harcourt 55 XII. RENDERING: Harcourt's Disguise 56 XIII. RENDERING: Horner .... 57 XIV. RENDERING: Jaspar Fidget 58 XV. RENDERING: Lucy . 59 XVI. RENDERING: Margery #1 60 XVII. RENDERING: Margery #2 61 XVIII. RENDERING: M'Lady Fidget 62 viii ..l LIST OF PLATES - Continued PLATE PAGE XIX. RENDERING: Pinchwife . 63 XX. RENDERING: Quack . 64 XXI. RENDERING: Sparkish #1 . 65 XXII. RENDERING: Sparkish #2 .•....•.••......•. 66 XXIII. RENDERING: Sparkish #3 .•..•...•.•.•..... 67 XXIV. RENDERING: Lady Squeamish . 68 XXV. PRODUCTION PHOTO: Final Scene ...••......•. 69 ix ...... INTRODUCTION The following documents the design and construction process for a production of The Country Wife by William Wycherly produced by The Ohio State University Department of Theatre. The production, guest­ directed by Stephen Hollis, was performed in Thurber Theatre from February 22 to March 2, 1995. Chapter I descri bes the produci ng situation. The theatre space, the costume studio facility, the staff size and skill level, the production schedule, and the production budget are detailed. Chapter II defi nes the costume desi gn concept and its relationshi p to the production concept of the director. Relationships to the scenic and lighting design concepts are also presented. Visual choices made to support the production concept are discussed. Chapter III presents an analyses of the characters and the director's desires pertaining to the production concept. Specific design choices relating to textual analysis, group relationships, and director choices are exami ned. l 2 Chapter IV details the design's evolution from preliminaries to final renderings, and the changes which occurred during the construction process. Practical considerations regarding fabric acquisitions, time, and budget are also presented. Chapter V evaluates the process and the final production. Di rectorial and critical feed back are discussed. A list of works consulted follows the final chapter. The appendi­ ces contai n the fi nal costume plot, an action chart, budget chart, composite renderings, color plates of the final renderings, production photos, and scaled patterns of selected costumes and accessories. All scri pt quotations are from The New Mermai ds ed ition of The Country Wife, edited by James Ogden and published in New York by W. W. Norton (1993). :'i ~ :i ;~ ~I CHAPTER I THE PRODUCING SITUATION The Country Wife was the fourth of six mainstage and two studio productions during The Ohio State University's Department of Theatre 1994-1995 season. Production dates were from February 22 through March 4, 1995 in the Thurber Theatre of Drake Union. This theatre is a proscenium venue with continental seating for 624 persons. The proscenium opening is 36 feet wide by 22 feet high and has an apron that extends 11 feet in front of the plaster line. Formal production meeti n ss began October 4 with the director's concept statement, which was transmitted to the design team via fax by guest-director, Stephen Hollis of New York City. One telephone conference call including the scenic, costume, and lighting designers provided collaboration between the director and design team. Meetings between the scenic and lighting designer with the director took place in Cincinnati where the director had meetings regarding another project. The costume designer could not attend due to other projects. This Cincinnati meeting was dedicated to the refinement of the various scenic 3 4 design elements. The audition weekend, (November 18-19) provided opportunity for private meetings with the costume designer individually, and in conference with the other members of the design team. Final costume renderings and design concept were presented on January 3, 1995 without the director p resent. Construction of the costumes for the production began on January 17, with a scheduled build of five weeks. First dress rehearsal was set for February 17. Three more dress rehearsals were sched uled prior to the February 22 opening. The studio facility available for the construction process was above average. studio equipment included five Sernina 1006 domestic sewing machines, three industrial sewing machines, two domestic overlock machines, and two industrial steam irons. The cutting spaces consisted of three 45" by 72" tables with pin-receptive surfaces, providing ample spaces for patterning, layout, and cutting. A variety of male and female dress forms were available for draping and trial assemblies. A selection of bulk materials and notions, some lining fabrics, stock fashion fabrics, and a collection of trims were also at the designers disposal. The studio also contained a dye/laundry area with two sets of domestic washers and dryers and an industrial dye vat. A considerable stock of fabric dyes and modification supplies were available along with bulk craft and millinery supplies. 5 Existing wardrobe stock was a source of numerous garments for modification and provided entire costumes, in some instances. An assortment of period patterns served as a source for the needed pattern alterations. Rental and exchange policies with a variety of schools and theatres provided an additional source for selected items and some footwear needed to fulfi II the requi rements not accommodated by the costume inventory. The studio staff consisted of a full-time Studio Supervisor, two half-time Graduate Teaching Associates, one full-time professional stitcher, hired for a three-week period, two part-time work study stitchers and several undergraduate practicum students. The Graduate Teaching Associates and the two part-time work study stitchers were responsible for twenty hours of work per week. The practicum students worked an average of four hours per week. Tasks were distributed among the staff members according to their skill level and opportunities were made available to those desiring more of a challenge. The costume production budget was set at $3,000. This provided for fashion fabrics, linings, trims, accessories, footwear, wigs, and the post-production dry cleaning. This figure did not include the salaries of any of the staff members nor the cost of bulk supplies and notions. I l CHAPTER II THE COSTUME DESIGN CONCEPT In his director's concept statement, Stephen Hollis stated: "In the Restoration period, therefore, the theatre became almost exclusively a rendezvous of the fashionable class and their hangers on, the rakes, bullies, ladies of pleasure, and the young inns of court men whose principal reason for going to the theatre was to while away an afternoon, display one's new suit or arrange an assignation with one of the 'ladies of the town.' For this type of aud ience, a special ized type of drama was needed and very soon dramatists were offering plays which reflected the tastes and interests of this audience of courtiers, thus assuring at least some attention from the crowd....Wycherly has recorded the spurious good fellowship of those dandies whose greatest pleasure lay in bettering each other's epigrams and whose love affairs were conducted mainly for the sake of having experiences and conquests to brag about....Fine clothes covering stinking bodies, wigs and makeup covering ugliness and disease are a perfect meta­ phor for the plays of this period, in which sparkling wit and superficial behavior mask corruption and immorality. The 'comedy of manners' explores the conflict between the way people 'feel' and the way they 'behave.':" The presentational style of Restoration theatre, exhibited through the asides delivered to the audience and the obvious playing of the text as "theatre," allowed for the presentational desi gn choices used to 'Stephen Hollis.