CAPTURING A CLASSIC: THE COSTUME DESIGN FOR JANE EYRE
A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts
by
Sarah Russell
May 2009
Thesis written by
Sarah Russell
B.M., Bowling Green State University, 2005
M.F.A., Kent State University, 2009
Approved by
______, Advisor S.Q. Campbell
______, Director, School of Theatre and Dance Cynthia Stillings
______, Interim Dean, College of the Arts John R. Crawford
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... iii
LIST OF FIGURES ...... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... ix
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION AND PRODUCTION BACKGROUND ...... 1
II. CONCEPT STATEMENTS AND REACTION ...... 3
III. DESIGN STRATEGY AND EXECUTION ...... 7
IV. EVALUATION OF THE REALIZED DESIGN ...... 12
V. ENDNOTES...... 15
APPENDIXES
A. Concept Collages ...... 16
B. Working Sketches ...... 29
C. Final Renderings ...... 39
D. Spec Sheets ...... 49
E. Process Photographs ...... 61
F. Production Photographs ...... 68
WORKS CITED ...... 88
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Concept Collage #1- Jane ………………………………………………………...... 17
2. Concept Collage #2- Young Jane …………...……………..…………………….....18
3. Concept Collage #3- Lowood School .…………………………………………...... 19
4. Concept Collage #4- Mrs. Fairfax ...………………………….………………….....20
5. Concept Collage #5- Edward …………...……………………………………….....21
6. Concept Collage #6- Adele ……..……………………………………………….....22
7. Concept Collage #7- Blanche ………...………………………………………….....23
8. Concept Collage #8- Older Guests ...…………………………………………….....24
9. Concept Collage #9- Younger Guests ………..………………………………….....25
10. Concept Collage #10- Grace Poole ..…………………………………………….....26
11. Concept Collage #11- Bertha …...……………………………………………….....27
12. Concept Collage #12- St. John Rivers ……….……………………………………. 28
13. Working Sketch #1- Jane Look 1 (Governess) .…..………………………………..30
14. Working Sketch #2- Jane Look 2 (Formal Gown) .…..………...…………………..31
15. Working Sketch #3- Jane Look 3 (Wedding Gown) .…..…………………………..32
16. Working Sketch #4- Jane Look 4 (Finale Coat) ……………………………………33
17. Working Sketch #5- Edward Base …………………………………………………34
18. Working Sketch #6- Bertha Base …………………………………………………..35
19. Working Sketch #7- Blanche Look 1 (Formal Gown) ……………………………..36
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20. Working Sketch #8- Blanche Look 2 (Equestrian Dress) ………………………….37
21. Working Sketch #9- Ensemble Men ……………………………………………….38
22. Final Rendering #1- Jane …………………………………………………………...40
23. Final Rendering #2- Edward ……………………………………………………….41
24. Final Rendering #3- Gateshead Hall ……………………………………………….42
25. Final Rendering #4- Lowood School ………………………………………………43
26. Final Rendering #5- Thornfield Hall ……………………………………………….44
27. Final Rendering #6- Party Guests 1 (Younger Guests) …………………………….45
28. Final Rendering #7- Party Guests 2 (Older Guests) ………………………………..46
29. Final Rendering #8- Blanche Ingram ………………………………………………47
30. Final Rendering #9- Bertha ………………………………………………………...48
31. Spec Sheet #1- Jane Look 2 (Formal Gown) ………………………………………50
32. Spec Sheet #2- Jane Look 3 (Wedding Gown) …………………………………….51
33. Spec Sheet #3- Jane Look 4 (Finale Coat) …………………………………………52
34. Spec Sheet #4- Blanche Look 1 (Formal Gown) …………………………………..53
35. Spec Sheet #5- Blanche Look 2 (Equestrian Wear) ………………………………..54
36. Spec Sheet #6- Bertha ……………………………………………………………...55
37. Spec Sheet #7- Party Gown 1 (MCotton) ………………………………………….56
38. Spec Sheet #8- Party Gown 2 (EDiroll) ……………………………………………57
39. Spec Sheet #9- Party Gown 3 (DDumper) …………………………………………58
40. Spec Sheet #10- Party Gown 4 (JMader) …………………………………………..59
41. Spec Sheet #11- Party Gown 5 (RWolfe) ………………………………………….60
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42. Process Photo #1- Fitting with Amy Eshton Gown ……………………...………...62
43. Process Photo #2- Fitting with Mary Ingram Gown ……………………………….62
44. Process Photo #3- Student Draper Working on Mary Ingram Gown ………………63
45. Process Photo #4- Muslin Draped Pieces on Mary Ingram Gown …………………63
46. Process Photo #5- Student adding Trim to Amy Eshton Gown ……………………64
47. Process Photo #6- Student drafting Sleeve Pattern for Party Gowns ………………64
48. Process Photo #7- Fitting an Orphan Smock ……………………………………….65
49. Process Photo #8- Muslin Fitting for Jane’s Formal Gown ………………………..65
50. Process Photo #9- Discussing Adjustments during Muslin Fitting ………………...66
51. Process Photo #11- Fabric Fitting for Jane’s Formal Gown ……………………….66
52. Process Photo #12- Stuffing Sleeve on Jane’s Formal Gown ……………………...67
53. Process Photo #13- Muslin Fitting for Jane’s Wedding Gown …………………….67
54. Process Photo #14- Discussing Adjustments during Muslin Fitting ……………….68
55. Process Photo #15- Fabric Fitting for Jane’s Wedding Gown ……………………..68
56. Process Photo #17- Muslin Fitting for Jane’s Finale Coat …………………………69
57. Process Photo #18- Fabric Fitting for Jane’s Finale Coat ………………………….69
58. Process Photo #19- Muslin Fitting for Blanche’s Riding Jacket …………………...70
59. Process Photo #20- Fabric Fitting for Blanche’s Party Gown ……………………..70
60. Process Photo #21- Muslin Fitting for Bertha’s Nightgown ……………...………..71
61. Process Photo #22- Fabric Fitting for Bertha’s Nightgown ………………………..71
62. Process Photo #23- Styled Period Wig for Amy Eshton ..………………………….72
63. Process Photo #24- Styled Period Hairpiece for Mary Ingram …………………….72
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64. Production Photo #1- John Reed, Mrs. Reed and Young Jane ……………………..74
65. Production Photo #2- Brocklehurst at Lowood School …………………………….74
66. Production Photo #3- Orphans sing “Children of God” ……………………………75
67. Production Photo #4- Helen and Young Jane at Lowood School ………………….75
68. Production Photo #5- Jane and Ensemble sing “Sweet Liberty” …………………..76
69. Production Photo #6- Adele and Jane meet at Thornfield Hall …….………………76
70. Production Photo #7- Mrs. Fairfax …………………………………………………77
71. Production Photo #8- Edward and Jane meet in the “Icy Lane” …………………...77
72. Production Photo #9- Edward interrogates Jane …………………………………...78
73. Production Photo #10- Bertha ……………………………………………………...78
74. Production Photo #11- Guests arrive at Thornfield Hall …………………………...79
75. Production Photo #12- Blanche and Edward during “Finer Things” ………………79
76. Production Photo #13- Lord Eshton and Lady Ingram …………………………….80
77. Production Photo #14- The Waltz …………………….……………………………80
78. Production Photo #15- Jane and Edward during the Party …………………………81
79. Production Photo #16- Blanche sings “Light of the Virgin Morning” ……………..81
80. Production Photo #17- Young Women consult the Gypsy ………………………...82
81. Production Photo #18- Fairfax, Robert and Adele examine the Wedding Gown ….82
82. Production Photo #19- Ensemble act as Jane’s Voice at the Wedding …………….83
83. Production Photo #20- Edward and Jane at the Wedding ………………………….83
84. Production Photo #21- Ensemble reveals the Attic ………………………………...84
85. Production Photo #22- Edward introduces Bertha as Grace Poole watches ……….84
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86. Production Photo #23- Ensemble sings “Rain” as Jane Collapses …………………85
87. Production Photo #24- Jane and St. John on the Moors ……………………………85
88. Production Photo #25- Jane hears Edward’s Voice across the Moors …………...... 86
89. Production Photo #27- Jane and her New Family ………………………………….86
90. Production Photo #28- Finale ………………………………………………………87
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my advisor Suzy Q. Campbell, for her continual guidance and support. My thanks also goes to Robin Ruth, Marti Coles, Raynette Smith and the rest of the faculty and staff of the Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance for teaching me lifelong lessons I never dreamed of learning.
Thank you to the undergraduate students who not only learned from me, but taught me lessons as well. Special thanks go out to Kirstyn and Mandy who left their imprints on this design project with their grace and maturity.
Thank you to the other graduate students, especially Jen and Rayna, who I learned with, cried with, laughed with and grew up with.
Thank you to my past educators, especially Margaret McCubbin who taught me to love costuming and Dr. William Skoog, who taught me to love life.
Finally, thank you to my family and close personal friends who’s support and love is unwavering.
This is in memory of my sister, who always had faith in me and for Bob who continually inspires me.
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Chapter I: Introduction and Production Background
Jane Eyre: the Musical, based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë with music and
lyrics by Paul Gordon and book by John Caird, was produced in the spring for Kent State
University’s 2008-2009 Season. The piece was directed by Professor Terri Kent and the
production team was Guest Artist Ben Needham as the scenic designer, graduate student
Rosie Cruz as the lighting designer, and I fulfilled the role of costume designer.
As the costume designer, my challenge was to develop period appropriate clothing that captured the gothic style of both the novel and the musical. Like Brontë’s novel, the musical is told through the narrative of Jane Eyre. The director felt that
Jane’s point of view would skew the reality of the production and would allow me to incorporate an expressionistic style of storytelling. This allowed for certain props and costumes to expand from a realistic world into one that was slightly altered by Jane’s memory. In terms of costuming, this allowed me to experiment with colors and shapes that would be somewhat exaggerated or more vivid than would normally be found in realistic period costuming.
The School of Theatre and Dance staged Jane Eyre in the E. Turner Stump
Theatre, a traditional proscenium stage with a seating capacity of 454 patrons. The closest audience member was approximately 12 feet away, with the farthest seat being
250 feet from the stage. This configuration means that small construction or trimming details and fabric prints appear solid or don’t read at all dependent on distance, size or scale of prints, shape and color of costumes. This required greater contrast in all design elements to read from such a large distance. 2
Even with the addition of a Guest Scenic Designer, I was very happy to discover that I had worked with every member of the design team on previous productions. This made our level of communication and trust very high. I understood Ben Needham’s design style beforehand, especially with his use of computer visualizations of the set pieces and the stage picture. Rosie Cruz and I had worked together on different projects for the past three years so a bridge of trust and comfort had already been built. These relationships made my work as a design collaborator even easier and more meaningful.
The practical assembly of this project was supported by my thesis advisor,
Associate Professor, S. Q. Campbell; the Kent State University Costume Shop, managed by Robin Ruth and Marti Coles; fall 2008 Intro to Costuming Lab students; spring 2009
Costume Technology students; and undergraduate and graduate costume practicum students. I had two assistant designers, Kirstyn Berry and Amanda Swing, who were undergraduates in costume design.
I began my initial research period in October of 2008. The production began design meetings late in November and the show opened in February of 2009. Due to the production taking place as part of an academic institution, the bulk of practical sewing work was left until the staff returned from winter break in January of 2009. My design preparation, some pulling and renting was done during this winter break.
The costume budget for this production was initially $3,400. When we returned from Winter Break the department suffered from budget cuts bringing my budget down to $3,000. This budget covered all of the costuming expenses for a large musical with a cast of 27 actors portraying over sixty characters. There were a total of 82 separate costumed looks in this production with a large number of built costumes including three 3 full women’s gowns, two women’s period coats with matching vests, one woman’s nightgown, three women’s capes, one woman’s period skirt and eight men’s stock collars.
Chapter II: Concept Statements and Reactions
Early in the design process, I found that the brevity of the text of Jane Eyre: the
Musical made it difficult to truly grasp the characters and overarching themes with as
much detail as I was accustomed too. While many of the lyrics were taken straight from
the text of Brontë’s novel, large sections of the book had been omitted or condensed in
order to make the musical fit the time limitations of a typical musical production.
Naturally, I found myself drawn to the novel Jane Eyre as a strong base for my historical
and evocative research. Brontë’s novel, as with most typical novels from the early
nineteenth century, spends a great deal of time describing each character and the settings
in vivid, brilliant detail. Many of my initial designs instinctively drew directly from these
passages.
Throughout the novel, Brontë comments on the class system of the early
nineteenth century. Jane Eyre is often thrust into unique situations due to her ambiguous social class. While she begins as a penniless orphan, later a paid servant of low social standing, she is educated, well-mannered and relatively sophisticated. On one occasion
she cries out against the cage of her social class: “Do you think, because I am poor,
obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you, and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty, and
much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to 4 leave you.” 1 She is constantly held back by the class prejudices of her time and is only
truly free when she inherits a great deal of money from an unknown relative, Jane’s uncle
from her father’s side. In “Equality, Subversion and Religion in Jane Eyre,” John Peters
comments on the separation that is found between Jane and those of her own social class:
“From the beginning of the novel, Jane lives outside her prescribed social roles and, since
her attitudes and actions are often beyond what society sees as possibilities for someone
like her, nineteenth-century critics of the novel often found Jane to be threatening.”2 One
focus of my design was to clearly intensify this class distinction throughout the
production through the use of color, scale and detail. As the large group of party guests
arrives at Thornfield, Jane describes them as
eight; yet somehow as they flocked in, they gave the impression of a much larger number. Some of them were very tall, many were dressed in white, and all had a sweeping amplitude of array that seemed to magnify their persons as a mist magnifies the moon…They dispersed about the room; reminding me, by the lightness and buoyancy of their movements, of a flock of white plumy birds.3
As the costume designer, I soon realized that the audience needed to instantly recognize
the distinction between this group of guests and the members of the lower class, the
servants of Thornfield and Jane herself. My initial reaction was to separate the groups
with the use of color. The upper class women were dressed in mostly white with each
individual gown trimmed in an individual warm color. Consequently, Jane and the
servants were dressed in duller colors for the servants and deep blue for Jane. I used
smaller details and trims on Jane while using larger, exaggerated shapes and more
overstated trims on the upper class women. While the group of women would blend together as an imposing group of catty, elitist snobs, Jane would always stand out a sensitive and sensible individual. 5
I also continued the contrast of color temperature throughout the rest of my design. Characters that directly conflicted with Jane, like her malevolent Aunt Reed, wore colors that were warmer, while characters who treated Jane with kindness and generosity, such as Helen Burns, wore cooler colors that provided more harmony with
Jane herself. Edward Rochester was one of the few characters in the production whose colors changed over the course of the show. Rochester began the story as a hardened, misogynistic brute, declaring in the novel:
I am not a general philanthropist; but I bear a conscience…and, besides, I once had a kind of rude tenderness of heart… but fortune has knocked me about since; she has even kneaded me with her knuckles, and now I flatter myself I am hard and tough as an India-rubber ball; pervious, though, through a chink or two still, and with one sentient point in the middle of the lump.4
Rochester’s costumes started in warmer browns, deep plums and reds, demonstrating his
classicism and pride. Later, the accidental suicide of his maddened wife caused a terrible fire which changed Rochester both physically and morally, providing him with one last chance at salvation. At Jane’s return he sings about his transformation “The secret of the flame, is that there is no more to hide, it cures our blindness and our pride.”5 As
Rochester undertakes his final baptism through the fire, his costumes also transformed to
shapes that used simpler lines and cool colors of blue and gray.
While my use of intensified color and expanded scale was unrealistic in genuine
period clothing, it was certainly grounded in the world of the production. Just as Jane
exaggerates her memories in the novel, the audience saw the exaggerations onstage from
the heroine’s point of view.
Charlotte Brontë’s novel also includes strong feminist undertones. Jane’s unique
feminine attitude is rooted in her deeply seated anger from her youth. “The ‘active’ 6 character demonstrated through the protagonist’s frankness is due to her so-called
‘rebellious feminism’ which originates in the life-defining anger that Jane had been feeling since her days at Gateshead Hall and Lowood.”6 Throughout Jane’s story, she constantly fights for her individuality and identity in a male-dominated society. Each of the three most influential men in Jane’s life, Brocklehurst, Rochester and St. John, in his
own way tries to keep Jane in a position of subordination and submission. In each
relationship Jane reacts with strength and expresses her own thoughts and feelings freely,
breaking the stereotype of the historical time period. Eventually Jane escapes from
Brocklehurst, rejects St. John’s proposal for a loveless marriage and returns to Rochester
only when she realizes that the marriage will be between two equals. In both the novel
and musical, Jane herself describes her own modern beliefs on the equality between the
sexes: “For women feel as men do, we must engage our minds and souls. Let us like our
brothers have our worth define our roles. Breaking custom and convention, let tradition
give way.”7 Just as Jane’s moral beliefs focus on equality between the sexes, her
costumes also reflected these progressive attitudes. Each of Jane’s costumes was
designed with simplicity, purpose and sensibility. Even Jane’s wedding gown, while still
flattering and feminine, featured more streamlined masculine detailing with strong
straight lines, a more masculine pattern and bell shaped sleeves. When Jane finally
transcends her class status by inheriting her fortune, her chosen costume is slightly more
masculine, an overcoat with simple lines, strong flat trim and a more masculine green
color.
Contrastingly, Blanche’s actions and beliefs constantly reinforce the patriarchal
ideas of her time, and she consistently refers to herself as an item to be owned or gained 7 rather than an individual with her own ideas. In an expositional song she compares herself to each of Rochester’s material possessions and his opulent home. “These are the finer things that only beauty can supply. These are the finer things, and what’s more beautiful than I?... Soon you will see, of all your things the very finest thing is me!” 8 Just as a fine painting or sculpture is displayed, Blanche constantly displayed herself as a piece of art to be desired and owned, and her costuming reflected these ideas. In direct contrast to Jane, Blanche’s costume was opulently decorated and vast in the sheer amount of space it took up onstage. Her gowns were decorated with lace, beading, ribbons and rinestones; details that were meant to draw and hold attention. While Jane’s details evoked ideas of the masculine, Blanche was unabashedly feminine, flirty and curvy.
While Jane Eyre takes place in a historical time and society that is wholeheartedly male-driven, Charlotte Brontë refutes these strong stereotypes through the very words of her heroine, infusing Jane with her own feminist philosophy.
Women feel just as men feel… they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow- minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.9
Brontë’s creative expression of this philosophy informed not only my understanding of
the text, but also informed my costume design. Characters such as Jane, who embraced
these feminist ideals, wore costumes with more masculine lines and colors.
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Chapter III: Design Strategy and Execution
After my initial research period, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to
work with Jean Druesedow of the Kent State University Fashion Museum. With Jean’s
help, I was able to view and study actual clothing from the time period I had been
researching (the 1830s to the 1850s). Making detailed notes and taking study
photographs, I was able to fully inform my design choices dealing with appropriate style
lines, fabric choices and accessories. This study also directly led to one of my more
important design decisions. I had been considering using period outer ware for the upper
class women during the Garden scene in Act II. From my study of the text I had decided to use an Equestrian style for Blanche, who in the novel is an accomplished horsewoman, but was struggling with an appropriate garment for the other women. While working with
Jean, we realized that nearly all of the existing gowns in the Kent State collection
included a coordinating cape built off of a simple ½ or ¾ circle base. This provided an
excellent solution for my design and the final garments became a memorable part of the
whole stage picture.
Initially, I began pulling from Kent State University stock in order to determine
exactly what I had to work with and what I would need to rent or build. Originally due to
my very specific views on the garment, I thought I would need to build Jane’s governess
dress but I was surprised to find a gown in our stock that was practically identical to what
I had envisioned. I also found a small group of frock coats and pants for the men; skirts
and blouses for the ensemble and lower class women; and all of the shoes and basic
underwear we would need. I quickly determined that I would need to purchase quite a
large number of crinoline petticoats during the early stages of the process in order for the 9 women to work in these skirts for rehearsal purposes and to ensure proper undergarments for fittings. I quickly created a list of garments I would need to rent, including a large amount of menswear and women’s gowns. Soon I began my task of collecting the rental items. I began my search at Ohio State University and found approximately 8 men’s frock coats and a few women’s gowns. One gown in particular I rented knowing it would fit one of my larger actresses, but I also found it would need quite a lot of restyling. I made sure that these alterations would be all right with the staff at the Ohio State
University costume shop and we agreed. I was also sent a large amount of appropriate menswear from Oklahoma State University, which helped me round out the men’s costumes. I then found a small group of costumes from the costume stock of Great Lakes
Theatre Festival.
After our successful rental with Michigan State University during the previous semester, I contacted them again and was happy to find pictures showing a group of dresses in pastel colors with the appropriate style that I thought I would be able to use for the party scene. I also found a dress appropriate for Young Jane and was surprised to find the dresses shipped to me very quickly. Unfortunately, once they arrived I realized that the pictures they had sent made the dresses seem much lighter than they actually were and that they would not be appropriate for what I had intended and that I would need to find them somewhere else.
As part of my initial planning I was encouraged by my thesis advisor to find creative ways to utilize both the students in the Intro to Costuming Lab and Costume
Technology courses. Each of these groups of students held very specific skill sets that I incorporated into my designs. 10
As the instructor of the Intro to Costuming Lab I wanted to find a way to use the final project from the course as part of the design for Jane Eyre. I needed to design a project that would include certain machine stitches and hand sewing skills to help evaluate my students. I decided the perfect project would be to create a costume for the group of orphans who attend Lowood School. Building from my research, I began with a set of rough sketches of possible smock-like shapes. I then spoke with Terri Kent about which garment would be most appropriate and I draped and created a pattern for the garment in an individual study project with my advisor. My students were then responsible for tracing and marking the pattern, cutting the project and then completing all of the stitching for their smock. This project ended up being highly successful as both a final project for the course as well as providing a large group of costumes that the shop would not need to be responsible for building.
Initially I had planned to rent the large group of ball gowns for the party scene, but it quickly became apparent that these would not be stock garments that I would be able to find. Eventually I developed a new strategy; I decided to find a mixture of wedding gowns that we would then restyle for the appropriate historical period. I found such a stock of gowns, mostly from the 1980s, and my advisor and I immediately realized that these would be perfect projects for the Costume Technology students. Each dress was assigned to a student, allowing them to learn basic pattern development and cutting skills as well as improving their stitching and self motivation. While I provided the students with historical research images, developed Spec Sheets for each dress and collected appropriate fabrics and trims for each one, I also allowed some leeway in each design for each students input. This turned the project into a small design assignment as 11 well, allowing more opportunity for learning. This project ended up providing a unique learning experience for each student and became an important part of their coursework for the semester.
Besides the pulled and rented costumes, we also built a large number of costume pieces. Early in the process we built eight men’s stock collars to supplement our collection in order to have one for every male cast member. We also built a large amount of women’s wear including three costumes for Jane, two for Blanche, and one for Bertha.
Knowing that I would be working under tight deadlines and with staff members with little experience in pattern making, I built my designs on garment characteristics, such as seam lines and skirt shapes that I knew I could find in contemporary commercial patterns. I happened to own four patterns from my personal collection appropriate for the time period on which we based Jane’s Wedding Gown, Jane’s finale Coat, Blanche’s Party
Gown and Blanche’s Riding Jacket. Each of the assigned staff members was then able to make appropriate changes to the already existing pattern in order to save time. Two projects were able to be draped completely from scratch; Jane’s Party Gown and Bertha’s
Nightgown. I knew in advance that I would be draping, cutting and stitching Bertha’s
Nightgown on my own and was able to plan accordingly. I was able to complete the muslin before we returned from break and finished the garment very quickly. I also finished the garment in time that the actress would be able to work in the costume to help facilitate her movements, especially during her death scene where she was dropped down through a trapdoor. The second garment, Jane’s blue Party Gown was draped and stitched by graduate student Jennifer Biehl. Working with Jen taught me how to work in a more professional relationship with an experienced technician as I would in a professional 12 theatre environment. This project was also new to Jennifer and provided her with more experience and showcased a variety of her technical skills. We also built a number of miscellaneous costume pieces including a set of three women’s capes and a gored skirt.
A final experience I encountered during the design process was working with wig artisans to capture historic hairstyles utilizing the actors’ natural hair, full wigs and miscellaneous hair pieces. I quickly realized that in order to create the necessary transitions for my ensemble women from low class to upper class, that one key element would be the hairstyles. The time period was characterized by topknots, rolls and cascading sausage curls. Early in the rehearsal process I determined which ensemble members would need hairpieces or wigs and matched their hair to the appropriate colors.
I also created a plot to explain to each actress how their natural hair was to be worn and how the hairpiece was to be added and touched up. I also worked closely with two wig artisans who set, styled and decorated each hairpiece piece and wig appropriately. This two-person team was also responsible for restyling a few of the pieces during tech week and for general upkeep during the run of the show. One of these technicians also worked during preshow in order to style Jane’s and Bertha’s natural hair.
Chapter IV: Evaluation of the Realized Design
Like typical productions, the first time a costume designer views the entire
production during tech week, initial reactions may not always be what they expected and
the designer’s job is to react to these changes and adjust the costume pieces accordingly.
My design for Jane Eyre had not only these conventional issues during tech week, but some more elaborate ones as well. Due to the large amount of built, restyled and trimmed costume pieces there was still a substantial amount of finishing work to be done during 13 tech week itself. This included finishing hems, sleeves and adding trim to the group of party dresses which became more extravagant and exaggerated with each dress rehearsal.
Each of these dresses had its own personality and was unique in its visual and stitching characteristics and the group was finally completed for final dress rehearsal.
One of the more unusual situations I encountered involved a younger cast member who played the part of John Reed, Jane’s childhood cousin. This actor and his parents had been told numerous times of the importance of cutting his hair. The parents refused and the situation escalated until Terri took control of the issue and asked the actor to leave the production. We recast the part with another actor who was originally in the ensemble but this required a few significant changes to his costume. The original actor was quite small and required me to have a period frock coat made for him; this coat was one of my more expensive purchases. Unfortunately, his replacement was no where near his size so the coat was not able to be used in the production. I also had a very short amount of time to adjust the color of the character’s base costume so that it was closer to my original design for the character. Though I wasn’t able to use the lovely coat we had built, I was able to match the overall impression of my original design in the short amount of time I had left.
We also encountered a situation with Jane’s overcoat and vest set which she wore in the final moments of the show. At this point in the plot Jane had inherited a great deal of money and I wanted to design a garment that would represent her transcendence and escape from her original social class. This coat allowed her to truly express her freedom and was a very important garment to my design. During final dress, Terri approached me and mentioned that she wasn’t sure how she felt about the jacket. She understood that the 14 piece was important to me and that we had put an immense amount of time and work into the coat, but that she felt she was unsure about the message it sent to the audience. She wanted to make sure that it didn’t mean that Jane’s morals or beliefs had changed, only her financial status. After some further discussion she reveled that she in fact had no problem with the piece itself, but that the actress had mentioned that the coat was uncomfortable. We agreed on a compromise, that we would keep the jacket which only closed loosely at the neckline but we would remove the close-fitting vest piece to allow for some more movement. This agreement allowed the actress more comfort and also kept the integrity of my design.
Overall I found that my design for Jane Eyre was quite successful. I believe I was able to form a truly cohesive and visually exciting production even while working with costumes from multiple organizations and theatre stocks. My design also encapsulated the important themes and perspectives that are prevalent in Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel. The project also turned out to be not only an important learning experience for me as the costume designer, but also for those students enrolled in the courses implemented and shop technicians involved. The process encouraged me to not only step out of the box and think creatively but also challenged me to find an economical way to capture a specific historical and visual time period. Finally, the project further solidified one of my personal goals during my graduate studies; to think of myself more as an artist. Jane Eyre has been a true expression of my art. 15
ENDNOTES
1 Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (New York: New American Library, 1997), 257.
2 John G. Peters, “‘We Stood at God’s Feet, Equal’: Equality, Subversion and Religion in Jane Eyre,” Brontë Studies 29, no.1 (2004): 55.
3 Brontë, 173.
4 Ibid., 134.
5 Paul Gordon, Jane Eyre: the Musical, book by John Caird (New York: Alfred Publishing, 2002), 132.
6 Sandro Jung, “Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: The Female Detective and the ‘Crime’ of Female Selfhood,” Brontë Studies 32, no.1 (2007): 22.
7 Gordon, 23.
8 Ibid., 66.
9 Brontë, 88.
16
APPEDIX A CONCEPT COLLAGES
17
Concept Collage #1-Jane
18
Concept Collage #2-Young Jane
19
Concept Collage #3-Lowood School
20
Concept Collage #4-Mrs. Fairfax
21
Concept Collage #5-Edward
22
Concept Collage #6-Adele
23
Concept Collage #7-Blanche
24
Concept Collage #8-Older Guests
25
Concept Collage #9-Younger Guests
26
Concept Collage #10-Grace Poole
27
Concept Collage #11-Bertha
28
Concept Collage #12-St. John Rivers
29
APPENDIX B WORKING SKETCHES
30
Working Sketch #1-Jane Look 1 (Governess)
31
Working Sketch #2-Jane Look 2 (Formal Gown)
32
Working Sketch 3-Jane Look 3 (Wedding Gown)
33
Working Sketch #4-Jane Look 4 (Finale Coat)
34
Working Sketch #5-Edward Base
35
Working Sketch #6-Bertha Base
36
Working Sketch #7-Blanche Look 1 (Formal Gown)
37
Working Sketch #8-Blanche Look 2 (Equestrian Dress)
38
Working Sketch #9-Ensemble Men
39
APPENDIX C FINAL RENDERINGS
40
Final Rendering #1-Jane
41
Final Rendering #2-Edward
42
Final Rendering #3-Gateshead Hall
43
Final Rendering #4-Lowood School
44
Final Rendering #5-Thornfield Hall
45
Final Rendering #6-Party Guests 1 (Younger Guests)
46
Final Rendering #7-Party Guests 2 (Older Guests)
47
Final Rendering #8-Blanche Ingram
48
Final Rendering #9-Bertha
49
APPENDIX D SPEC SHEETS
50
Spec Sheet #1-Jane Look 2 (Formal Gown)
51
Spec Sheet #2-Jane Look 3 (Wedding Gown)
52
Spec Sheet #3-Jane Look 4 (Finale Coat)
53
Spec Sheet #4-Blanche Look 1 (Formal Gown)
54
Spec Sheet #5-Blanche Look 2 (Equestrian Wear)
55
Spec Sheet #6-Bertha
56
Spec Sheet #7-Party Gown 1 (MCotton)
57
Spec Sheet #8-Party Gown 2 (EDiroll)
58
Spec Sheet #9-Party Gown 3 (DDumper)
59
Spec Sheet #10-Party Gown 4 (JMader)
60
Spec Sheet #11-Party Gown 5 (RWolfe)
61
APPENDIX E PROCESS PHOTOGRAPHS
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Fitting with Amy Eshton Party Gown
Fitting with Mary Ingram Party Gown
63
Student Draper Working on Mary Ingram Party Gown
Muslin Draped Pieces on Mary Ingram Party Gown
64
Student Adding Trim to Amy Eshton Party Gown
Student Drafting Sleeve Pattern for Party Gowns
65
Fitting an Orphan Smock
Muslin Fitting for Jane’s Formal Gown
66
Discussing Adjustments during Muslin Fitting
Fabric Fitting for Jane’s Formal Gown
67
Stuffing Sleeve in Jane’s Formal Gown
Muslin Fitting for Jane’s Wedding Gown
68
Discussing Adjustments during Muslin Fitting
Fabric Fitting for Jane’s Wedding Gown
69
Muslin Fitting for Jane’s Finale Coat
Fabric Fitting on Jane’s Finale Coat
70
Muslin Fitting on Blanche’s Riding Jacket
Fabric Fitting on Blanche’s Party Gown
71
Muslin Fitting on Bertha’s Nightgown
Fabric Fitting on Bertha’s Nightgown
72
Styled Period Wig for Amy Eshton
Styled Period Hairpiece for Mary Ingram
73
APPENDIX F PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS
74
John Reed, Mrs. Reed and Young Jane
Brocklehurst at Lowood School
75
Orphans sing “Children of God”
Helen and Young Jane at Lowood School
76
Jane and Ensemble sing “Sweet Liberty”
Adele and Jane meet at Thornfield Hall
77
Mrs. Fairfax
Edward and Jane meet in the “Icy Lane”
78
Edward interrogates Jane
Bertha
79
Guests arrive at Thornfield Hall
Blanche and Edward during “Finer Things”
80
Lord Eshton and Lady Ingram
The Waltz
81
Jane and Edward during the Party
Blanche sings “Light of the Virgin Morning”
82
Young Women consult the Gypsy
Adele, Fairfax and Robert examine the Wedding Gown
83
Ensemble act as Jane’s Voice at the Wedding
Edward and Jane at the Wedding
84
Ensemble reveals the Attic
Edward introduces Bertha as Grace Poole watches
85
Ensemble sings “Rain” as Jane Collapses
Jane and St. John on the Moors
86
Jane hears Edward’s Voice across the Moors
Jane and her New Family
87
88
WORKS CITED
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: New American Library, 1997.
Gordon, Paul. Jane Eyre: the Musical. Book by John Caird, New York: Alfred Publishing, 2002.
Jung, Sandro. “Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: The Female Detective and the ‘Crime’ of Female Selfhood.” Brontë Studies 32. no.1 (2007): 21-30.
Peters, John G. “’We Stood at God’s Feet, Equal’: Equality, Subversion and Religion in Jane Eyre.” Brontë Studies 29. no.1 (2004): 54-64.