TABLE OF CONTENTS :
 

THESIS STATEMENT : OPENING THE BAG
 

COSTUME DESIGN A TRADITIONAL "BOOK" APPROACH
 

COSTUME RESEARCH
 

SCRIPT ANALYSIS
 

HISTORICAL RESEARCH PERTINENT TO PRODUCTION
 

1^ST, 2^ND AND 3^RD DESIGN MEETINGS
 

RENTAL RESOURCES/PULLING FROM STOCK
 

BRINGING IN THE BUILD
 

FABRIC SHOPPING
 

ADAPTING PERIOD GARMENTS TO MODERN NEEDS
 

DRESS REHEARSALS
 

REVIEWS OR : WHO LET THIS WOMAN INTO A DRESS REHEARSAL?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Appendices :
 

appendix 1 - Directors' notes
 

appendix 2 - Script analysis
 

appendix 3 - Historical research sampling
 

appendix 4 - initial color palette
 

appendix 5 - 1^st design meeting
 

appendix 6 - Washington opera pull
 

appendix 7 - Stratford pull list
 

appendix 8 - pencils/renderings
 

appendix 9 - Washington rent list
 

appendix 10 - quick change plot
 

preliminary costume plot
 

rent/pull/buy/build lists
 

final rental list Stratford
 

cape/cloak time tracking
 

rehearsal notes
 

wardrobe plot
 

research bibliography
 

To fully appreciate costume design, it should be viewed in its' context as part of the collaborative process inherent in most theater production. This thesis purports to elaborate on that process, using the Fall 1996 CCM production of AMADEUS as a working example.
 

"Opening the bag" will first define costume design, and then explain the "mixed bag" process used to produce the costumes for AMADEUS.
 

Costume design is the production, through various means, of any garment worn in a performance, by a performer. A good costume will enhance the actors' intent and identify the character visually for an audience member.
 

The various means of production can be any or a combination of the following:

- applied to the body: makeup is a good example of a costume applied to the body.

- worn on the body: a mask, a piece of fabric or an actual garment that alters' the actors' appearance, worn either on the body, draped on the body or fastened in some way to the body. Makeups and costumes can be "built" or constructed, purchased, rented or created from existing stock, dependent on resources and production needs.
 

This thesis defines a "mixed bag" approach as one that combines building costumes from scratch with buying, renting, and puling garments from stock to achieve design goals. Built/scratch is defined as starting with a sketch, picture or other form of visual representation of the costume in question. This sketch is then analyzed for silhouette and line, draped or drafted into a pattern, cut from fabric and constructed. This "mixed bag" approach requires skill in combining elements that are often not all in the same area in the same time. The "mixed bag" places emphasis on communication through more than a costume rendering. Costume renderings describe the built costumes in differing degrees of detail, usually with style/cutting lines, indications of trim placement and closures, and a painted approximation of final color. Fabric/trim samples are attached when available. Purchased and rented costumes can be communicated through pictures or detailed descriptions of silhouette and color. Costumes pulled from stock can be kept on hand to reference all other choices against, fitting them into the design as other elements are pulled into place. The use of research materials and a complete understanding of directorial concept will help the designer achieve these goals.
 

Directorial concept explains the directors' ideas behind choosing a particular production and its' subsequent staging. The concept can make itself apparent in many different ways:

theoretical style (basing a style on previous writings, for example, THEATRE of the Absurd)

acting style (basing a style on a documented/undocumented acting style, for example, having all actors work in the Grotowski method)

design elements (having the "style" of the piece reflected primarily in design choices. This is used often in staging Shakespeare or opera)
 

The directorial concept for AMADEUS was addressed in the Director's Notes.⁽¹⁾ Adjectives to describe the way issues might be interpreted were used, and a direct quote from the script was used as its' theme: "Salieri's war with God, through his preferred creature-Mozart, in the waging of which, the creature has to be destroyed." (Salieri, Act 1, Scene 12, 1981 version)
 

The goal of an individual costume design is to assist in interpreting the directorial concept for the audience member, as applicable. AMADEUS used all the "mixed bag"methods described above as a way to produce the garments that created the costumes and subsequently, the characters in AMADEUS.
 
 

An approach to costume in the theater should answer the following questions for the viewing audience member as they are applicable :

1. Who is the character
2. When does the action take place
3. How much time passes in the course of action

 

"Mozart contrived to wear an even more vulgar coat than ususal " (Salieri - pg. 40, 1981 version) is an example of text-based need. The cloak, mask and tricorne of grey, specifically styled in silhouette to represent the cover of the playscript is a text "I got me a cloak of grey. Yes, I got me a hat of grey…yes…and a mask of grey - Yes !" (Salieri - pg. 104, 1081 version) and a tradition-based need. This silhouette has been an established advertising motif for the play as well as for the subsequent film; it is an image immediately recognizable for many audience members. Careful attention to the concept established by the director can determine whether or not these types of details are necessary.
 

At an early point in the design process, the needs of the directorial concept and the more specific needs of the actor must be taken into account and accommodated into the costume design and construction. The director may have a concept choice that is radically different from the original action or settings of the script. The actor, especially one well established in a signature role, may place requirements on a costume that are different than the ideas create by the designer.

Historical research is usually done using primary, secondary and tertiary resources. A primary resource is one that is extant from the actual time period. This can be visual, such as a painting; textural, which would include books or documents from the time period describing events; or in the best of circumstances, an historical garment that could then be recreated. It would stand to reason that as the historical time period to be recreated becomes more remote, the actuality of finding extant garments becomes more difficult. Clothing, being subject to the wear and destruction brought about by use, laundering and reworking into other garments is more vulnerable than extant pieces of jewelry or furniture, making other resource options important. Lacking the actual garments, unretouched photos or patterns accurately drafted from the originals without adaptation could be used as primary source research material. (Insert photo here)
 
 

Secondary resource materials would be exampled by : paintings done within a generation of the original source; "recollections" written and/or recorded within that same generation by someone other than the recollectee or copies of an original garment, done in the style of the original designer. (A modern example of this would be Karl Langerfeld for the House of Chanel.)(Insert photo here)
 
 

Tertiary sources are the most widely available and the most suspect with regard to accuracy. Tertiary resources can be : a copy done long after the original or any interpretation of a historical time period that purports to accurately portray the time period in question. The art of costume design is a perfect example of a tertiary resource.(Insert photo here)
 
 

These distinctions in research material become very important when doing costume research in a historical time period, keeping in mind that "history" begins as each day passes. A full understanding of the time period in question cannot be underestimated when it is necessary to adapt it to the modern script, and the modern actor.
 
 

Script analysis is one of the first steps taken by any designer. Careful and thorough multiple readings of the text are expected. My personal rule is as follows : the first, for enjoyment. This first reading often sets the color or the mood of the piece. By enjoyment, I define that as a reading done just for the plot or story, without taking notes, forming opinions or otherwise interfering with letting the plot take shape visually in my imagination. This playscript, at first reading is a complex study of historical figures, presented in a dramatic and humorous manner The second reading should establish who, what, where and when, in outline form. This second reading established each character, what the course of events were, where they were and in what time period. An outline or chart is useful during the second reading (See Appendix) If the production has a directorial concept applied to it that would affect the design, a meeting between director and designer before any design is done assisted in keeping the production focused. This meeting will insure that all parties understand the directorial concept, when one has been established. (The concept could be called the 'why' of the script) A strong concept that derives radically from the written material will often be presented in a meeting before any script reading is done, to insure cohesiveness among design elements.
 
 

The third reading should be done after a design meeting between all elements has taken place. The production staff has read the play , discussed the concept and at this meeting, discussed the concept and how it impacts each department. The third reading adds the extra layer of why to the who, where and when. After this meeting, I like to incorporate the actor into the process with directorial permission. A thorough discussion of actor interpretation adds dimension to the design, and many actors want that "my hair, my nails" moment to assist in building their character development. The concept of AMADEUS lacked a specific definition at this design meeting. The director at first indicated an "otherworldly" feel, which was discarded in subsequent meetings. Using the "world of the play" indicated in the Director's Notes, I applied the adjectives listed to the costume ideas to try and create the production look the director had indicated. This particular director worked in an organic manner, and really did not arrive at a concept that was definable in descriptive terms until after the production was complete and staged. That process in itself became the concept for me. If the theme is a war, then the concept would be the staging of that war. How it would affect costumes was primarily through freedom of movement and showing the effects of the war on Mozart and Salieri. As costumer, the descriptive adjectives that described the world of the play became tools that I applied to the designs.
 

The fourth reading should be done after the designs are at least in pencil form, as an additional checklist. Did I forget that mention of yellow on page 40 ? Are the hats big enough to justify the dialogue joke? Whatever the script, unless the costume references are to be cut, they must be acknowledged in one form or another.
 

Script analysis should be done between the second and third reading, listing specific character traits to aid in designing the costume. The work done in this area is similar to the preparation done by any actor for their role. Characters need to be assigned descriptive adjectives to give them dimension. Rectilinear and curvilinear are often used as a starting point. Does the script give a description? Is the script based on a book or other written material that may give additional description? Is it based on real historical figures? In this production, I had definite historical figures to use for research purposes. Because colors are often associated with emotional states and psychological interpretations, assigning colors to a character may help in its' design development. At this point a chart listing the character traits is useful.⁽²⁾
 
 

APPLICATION TO THE MODEL : AMADEUS
 
 

AMADEUS took a primarily traditional approach to answering who, what, where and when. Because we were dealing with historical figures that have an almost "cult" status, historical accuracy became my starting point. This meant I could not step out of the established time period without serious justification. This parameter forced my designs to manipulate within the time periods established, which required a full understanding of character development throughout the play.
 

As indicated previously, historical accuracy served as a starting point. Collected research indicated that clothing in this time period contained many constricting elements not found in modern clothing. When these constricting elements were applied to the modern staging indicated in the script, the conclusion I drew showed adaptation of historical accuracy was necessary to achieve theatrical appropriateness. Examples of historical accuracy vs. theatrical appropriateness applied to AMADEUS follow:
 

HISTORICAL ACCURACY	APPLICATION TO AMADEUS
Female:
- Bodice of garment lacing up CB	- Bodice of garment having a "faked" lacing
- requires assistance in dressing/undressing	- H&E or fastener tape as closure
	- facilitates a quick change.
Male:
- Layering of garments	- Shirt "faked" using a dickey and cuffs
- use of garters, buckles and lacing	- Tights vs. stockings, elastic suspenders

 

Utilizing various theatrical "tricks" of this nature eliminated some and in certain cases all of the constricting elements, making garments lighter in weight and easier to dress/undress. This helped to serve the very physically oriented staging of the piece.
 

The action took place alternately in the late 1700's and 1823, in a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards. The place was Vienna, either in Salieri's home, the court of Emperor Franz Joseph II, Mozart's home, various salons of the time and street corners. Knowing months in advance what the set looked like was a great advantage, giving me ample time to search resources that would fit a color palette established between all the design elements and director.
 
 

SCRIPT ANALYSIS PERTINENT TO AMADEUS
 
 

Much of the costume-specific analysis that normally would be done by the designer was given to me by the director in a breakdown of character ages, height, weight, coloring and character traits.⁽³⁾ A list of major themes that I could focus on was also distributed. In analyzing the script for text references, I found many items that gave definition to the principal characters.⁽⁴⁾ As Narrarator, Salieri introduces each character with a highly developed sense of the visual, giving some characters a specific physical trait that could be developed into the costume : "I required only one quality in a domestic companion - lack of fire…I call my wife Signora Salieri. If I named her anything else, it would be La Statua. [italics orig. script] She's a very upright lady. " (Salieri - pgs. 20 & 56, 1981 version)
 

Interpreting a description such as the preceding requires a careful analysis of the character and an understanding of the effect certain visual line and texture combinations have on the audience. (See Appendix 3A- Aspects of Line) A combination of the terms would interpret "lack of fire" and "a very upright lady" as the following:
 
 

Signora Salieri:

Definition:	Example:
Path: straight	direction of pleating in skirt and underskirt
Width: Thin	no additional bustling
Continuity: unbroken	no trim-the small pattern on underskirt achieved through quilting
Sharpness: sharp	lines and seams clearly defined
Contour: smooth	fabric choices were smooth and simple
Consistency: solid	overall design
Length: long	eye moves over the area from top to bottom   decorative quilting pulls eyes downward.
Direction: vertical	emphasizes all other points

 

Contrast this with the character Katherina Cavaillieri : "She was later to become the best singer of her age. But, at that time she was mainly a bubbling student with bright merry eyes and a sweet eatable mouth…" and later: "Actually, she's a very innocent child. Silly in the way of young singers - but, you know, she's only twenty." (Salieri, pg. 10 and pg. 35, 1981 version)
 
 

Katherina Cavaillieri:

Definition:	Example:
Path: curved	bustle draping, turban headdress,
Width: thick	additional "swag" draping, striped pattern on pink dress. Wide bertha on orange dress.
Continuity: broken	trims, edging, many patterns and textures
Sharpness: fuzzy	laces, feathers
Contour: shaped	many patterns & textures
Consistency: solid	stripes, piping
Length: short	many broken areas
Direction: combination of all	combination of all elements

 
 
 

The show also made reference to specific garments, which then had to be found or produced to mimic the line spoken, as altering the text for a costume is not an option. The aforementioned "vulgar coat". Or the following : "You look like a toad…" (Mozart to Orsini-Rosenberg, pg. 46, 1981 version)
 

"You look like a toad". There are times when the most obvious choice carries the most weight visually. Mozart describes Orsini-Rosenberg as looking "like a toad" at the end of the first act, after Orsini-Rosenberg has appeared in five out of the eleven scenes in Act One. This comment, which referred to in this production about Orsini-Rosenberg's green waistcoat and breeches, had impact because of where the remark was placed in the action. Orsini-Rosenberg's first entrance was in the same costume, which had the same value and hue range as most of the court. It was not apparent until the antagonism between the two characters is set up that the remark becomes important. A toad is defined as "an amphibian" and like frogs, also amphibians, are usually depicted a greenish in color. Toad is also defined as " a contemptible person or thing,"⁽⁵⁾giving the comment humor first unpleasantness second

.
 

Then there is the aforementioned cloak, tricorne and mask ensemble. Not only was it necessary to find historical research that an original garment of this time was based on, it was important to track the production research as this image is the one most closely relate to the production.
 

Early on in the process the director established that the film version would be used as reference material for specific items. This is a practice that I honestly disapprove of as a research tool. Film is a highly manipulable medium and can only be an extremely suspect tertiary research source. I was instructed by the director to use the film as my design choice for Salieri as well as for the Emperor Franz Joseph II. Within the limits of the rental resources, the choice for Salieri mimicked the cut and silhouette, if not color and style, of the film costumes, while I used one of the build opportunities to construct the Emperor all other choices were allowed to proceed through a more standard process, to the satisfaction of director and designer. Standard process here is defined as one that does not dictate the costume design based on costumes already produced for a production, but a design that develops through working together to create something that has the personal "stamp" of the director and designer as its' creative basis.
 
 

After preliminary research for AMADEUS, the conclusion was made that clothing in the late 18^th century manipulated the form excessively, less than the period prior to and more than the period following with few exceptions. (Insert Williamsburg quote/visual here) (Insert Milia Davenport quote/visual here)
 

This would directly affect the movement that the director wanted to stage, and had to be incorporated into the earliest designs. I was warned that the staging would have excessive movement, sometimes violently excessive.
 

The following is a research summary for the 18^th century: the French were currently held as a fashion ideal. Raw materials from India, Asia and England contributed not only textiles but patterns for design that were copied and incorporated into existing silhouettes. The predominant silhouette was derived from, and influenced by, attitudes in the class structure. In the world of salons and court intrigue, very specific ways of walking and bodily carriage marked the difference between upper and lower class. (Insert Williamsburg quotes 1-4 here) The textiles produced abroad or with imported raw material heightened and broadened the differences in classes; the upper class could afford the richer materials while the lower class had to wear second-hand clothing or using locally produced materials. The script of AMADEUS incorporates the court intrigues and the differences between classes very cleverly. It used Mozarts' own cyclical passage through these class structures as a contrast to the status quo of Salieri and the court of Joseph II.
 

This very modern script, with flash-forwards and back, presented another challenge to the design that needed to be addressed at the same time as historical research. The quick action of the script presents a unity of action in multiple settings, the multiple settings were agreed upon by design staff as easier achieved through costume rather than set changes. A "quick change" as it is referred to, must be co-ordinated carefully with director, actor, scenic designer and costumer for it to function correctly. When referenced back to the historical research, it became obvious that some historical accuracy in dress would have to be sacrificed to the necessities of "quick changes" while some time periods in historical costume provide easier quick change access than others, regretfully the late 18^th century would not be one of those.⁽⁶⁾
 
 

The body manipulation of corsetry and heavy brocades can be described as constrictive, due to the weight. For women, corsets confined the upper half of the body; paniers ( combination of padding, whalebone strapping and fabric) formed large 'buckets' over the hips and constricted the lower body with layers of skirt placed over them. Men's body constrictions were of weight as well. The heavy brocaded fabrics in fashion during this period made for extremely heavy garments. The coats had to be worn with the arms carried slightly up and turned in. This was due to the shaping of the sleeve and mimicked the way a woman carried her arms on the "tabletop" formed by the paniers or hip rolls. Add to this the weight of wigs which attained heights often measured in feet and there is created a visual that does not immediately say comfort or provide for ease of movement. The costumes of the period required attention to details in walking, sitting and standing. In addition to the period "styles" instruction the actors received in rehearsal, at costume fittings they rehearsed sitting, standing and manipulating their garments. In the cases of the characters Mozart and Constanze, they rehearsed running, falling and rolling in costume.
 
 

In addition to the 'clothes' worn by each character it was also necessary to research Masonic tradition of this period, due to the two scenes that took place in a Masonic Temple. In February of 1997, I was in the Washington D.C. area and visited the George Washington Memorial Temple and Museum. Not only is this facility a functioning Masonic temple, but it also has a museum and library attached for research purposes. Extant in the museum are artifacts dating from the era of George Washington and Lafayette, circa 1791. The prize research pieces were four actual Masonic Aprons worn buy both men. The nature of the museum precluded the taking of any pictures, so sketches were made with color and fabric descriptions included. In addition, I found a copy of a book entitled "The True Masonic Chart, or Hieroglyphic Monitor, containing All The Emblems Explained". This document, dating from 1819, was a great source of detailed drawings of the emblems used on the aprons in the museum, and photocopies were allowed.
 
 

1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Design Meetings
 

In "The Magic Garment-Principles of Costume Design" design meetings are defined as falling approximately within four different types:
 

• Director presents designer with a complete plan and specifics.
• Director speaks first in the abstract and develops specifics later.
• Director never gives specifics.
• Director is non-visual, i.e., cannot express visual ideas.

 
 

Design meetings are intended to develop the visual "look" or "feel" of a production. Meetings can be one-on-one with the director and the individual designer, or can include some or all of the design staff. AMADEUS contained a full complement of design staff:
 

The Director for this production can be described as a combination of descriptions two and four: although the Director had difficulty expressing herself visually, a concerted effort to develop specifics from abstract was ideas was communicated. This process I call "organic", as it seemed to develop as sections of the productions grew and became a whole.
 

Scenic

Lighting

Costume

Wigs/Makeup

Sound
 

Design meetings were held individually , in entirety and in small groups dependent on what area of the production was the topic of discussion. The first design meeting primarily reviewed the material submitted by the Director for design consideration, then went on to discuss specifics about the playing area of the stage and some preliminary color decisions.
 

This discussion emphasized themes in the play, (for the world we were attempting to create) and outlined a few ideas for costumes, wigs/makeup and props. The Director and I went through each item in the Director's Notes, discussing its' feasibility in terms of the show primarily thought of in the shop as a rental. As costume designer, my involvement was marginal in the discussions of set design. I felt it as important for the set design to set the tone of the production and for the costumes to give it movement. The lighting design would balance our contribution an add mood, while the sound design was defined as a character from the outset. As odd as this may sound, the idea of Mozart's music as an additional character made sense. I was able to see it as an additional antagonist set against Salieri, described in the following from Act 1, scene 5 of the 1981 version: " It started simply enough....(fill in quote here)
 
 

The color palette was decided upon using historical research based on photos of existing baroque/rococo palaces. The research showed primarily cream and gold gilt, to which the scenic designer added a Hapsburg blue accent. It was also decided at this time that scenic elements would mix the old and the new, incorporating both baroque and rococo to contrast the 'old' court with the 'new' Mozart.
 

With some success, I attempted to incorporate this idea into the costumes. Starting with the established color palette, I originally designed my color palette in a series of cool French greys to represent the court. It became necessary to change after the rental sources revealed little stock in that color range. This (the limited resources) became the primary subject of the second design meeting. What was available was cream. I then went back to the Director and to the lighting designer for an OK to make this change, as it would require a different approach on the part of the lighting designer. It would be necessary for the lighting to now separate the actors from the scenic elements, as there was a possibility of some costumes "blending" into the set. With everyone in agreement, I shifted colors accordingly.
 
 

The third design meeting took place with all the design team members and stage management present, although it was still informal. At this meeting the set model was presented and a costume color palette/historical research examples were shown. Wigs/makeup were given copies of the palette and research, and the lighting designer worked with the model. At this point, design decisions were in place and all elements were ready to produce their portion of the production.
 
 

RENTAL RESOURCES PULLING FROM STOCK
 
 

Now that a color palette had been agreed upon, my next task as designer was to begin pulling together the resources, starting with available stock. At CCM, stock in the 18^th century is limited, and the color palette limited my choices even further. It was apparent that I would have to utilize other resources I first started with the local theaters, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and ETC, neither of which had any stock. I then contacted Indiana University, hoping their opera department could help, However, they were preparing a production set in the late 18^th century as well, and were unable to provide any pieces.
 
 

When faced with larger rental productions in previous years, CCM has often used Malabar, a rental company in Toronto, Canada. To utilize this resource, it would have been necessary to have all pertinent design information by May 10, 1997. With the set only partially designed, I decided against rushing a decision and chose to pursue other venues.
 
 

The first visited was the Washington Opera.⁽⁷⁾ In February of 1996 I served an assistant design internship with the Baltimore Opera. This gave me access to the Washington Opera where I was able not only to look through their stock warehouse, but to also to see two productions, one of which Cosi Fan Tutti, ended up providing costumes for the characters of Salieri and Van Swieten. The Washington Opera is one of the larger rental resources for opera in the U.S.. After preliminary checking, TWO reassured me that their 18^th century stock was adequate for filling in "holes" in a production, although color limitations meant they might only provide two to three costumes, which they did provide.
 
 

The second rental resource contacted was the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA. Having worked in the rental facility, I knew they had a few items and could be counted upon in an emergency situation. The Old Globe Theatre has a fully staffed costume shop and warehouse, and while not a traditional rental facility, their stock is available for rental.
 
 

The Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada is also a fully equipped costume shop and rental warehouse, their productions present some of the best names in design working in theatre. Using their costumes and seeing their production quality was an education above and beyond the production of AMADEUS. It was The Stratford Festival that really provided the look of the show. I took a trip to the warehouse, where photos were forbidden, so accurate written descriptions with trims and colors recorded became my information sheet for pulling together the elements⁽⁸⁾.
 
 

After this trip, I met with the director to give a fuller description of the costumes available and to make specific choices for certain characters. I then did pencil sketches and painted renderings⁽⁹⁾ . Copies were distributed to all design areas and to stage management for rehearsal purposes.
 
 

Because Stratford provided eighty percent of the show, I waited until this point to arrange the rental from the Washington Opera ⁽¹⁰⁾. A total of five items were rented from TWO, providing costumes for Salieri, Van Swieten, Constanze and some of Katerina. Each item , through a lucky happenstance, had all been originally designed for three Mozart operas: Th Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutti.
 
 
BRINGING IN THE BUILD
 
 

A total of four complete costumes and seven additional items were built for this production. The four complete costumes belonged to:
 

The Emperor Franz Joseph II

The Due Venticelli

Teresa Salieri
 

The additional items were a vest/breeches combination, 2 tricorne/mask combinations, two cloaks for the "ghost", and a greatcoat built to match a rental item for one of the Venticelli.
 

With more than one show in the shop, careful scheduling of labor was important to the build of AMADEUS. Roland Guidry was assigned as my assistant, and graduate students with technology requirements used the above-listed characters to fulfill course requirements. Lab students rounded out the staff. The first shop meeting was a design presentation, with all costume areas present. Resident Designer, Shop Manager, Crafts and all the graduate students. At that time, the renderings were presented and the shop manager divided the work according to course requirements and individual capabilities. The second shop meeting was more specific. I met with each of the other students who were cutting/constructing garments. By this time I had added fabric swatches to the renderings and mocku0ps could be started. The built costumes had to be finished as far ahead of schedule as possible, to allow for the rentals to be fitted and altered when they arrived. The Stratford Festival and The Old Globe were the most generous with time, sending items almost two weeks prior to tech week, one week prior to dress rehearsal is usually the norm in a rental situation.
 
 

Then there was the Washington Opera rental. At this point, a brief description of the rental process with regards to CCM should be explained. Rental contracts are requested by UC at least six weeks in advance. These contracts are sent through both the legal and business departments before they go to the vendor for payment and the costumes are shipped. In this case, the contracts, although received by the departments concerned a full two months before needed, were not reviewed until October 3^rd of the production period. Considering that I needed the costumes shipped to meet a deadline of October 20^th, alternate plans had to go into effect. I contacted Stratford and the Old Globe for backup items. As much as I planned against this possible crisis, the costumes did not arrive until the second dress rehearsal. The situation required extra effort on the part of all the costume shop personnel t make the pieces usable for the production.
 
 
 
FABRIC SHOPPING
 
 

After period research, I must admit that the process of taking two dimensional ideas and attempting to put them into three dimensional fabric is one of the most exciting parts of this process. While I utilized my historical research for fabric choices, it became clear early on due to financial requirements and the fact that fabrics are only an approximation of period fabrics, that the designs would not exactly reproduce ceratin choices. I chose to fabric shop primarily in Chicago, at Vogue Fabrics. This store met the university requirement of taking purchase orders and as large and varied enough to meet the range of needs. In addition to Vogue I mail-ordered uniform wool from a NYC supplier, MJ Cahn and bought some pieces locally. In keeping with the style of costumes I had rented, I tried to keep my fabric choices simple letting the silhouette of the period carry the message and not excessive trims or accessories.
 
 

Did I choose well? Conceptually, the choices worked. Practically, they left a little to be desired. The fabric chosen for the Venticelli (an upholstery brocade) had a plastic content in the fiber that made it difficult to work with and made the garments stiffer than I had seen. The uniform wool chosen for Franz Joseph, while the perfect color and weave, also had a polyester content that made the costume move stiffly as well. The most successful choices were the brocades used for Orsini-Rosenberg's vest/breeches combination, and the wools chosen for the ghost cloaks and the Venticelli greatcoat. The vest was cut from a damask brocade and the breeches from bengaline, the latter which was dyed to match the vest fabric. The wool blend chosen for the greatcoat met every requirement necessary, and under the lights, matched the rental closely.
 
 

ADAPTING PERIOD GARMENTS TO MODERN NEEDS
 
 

AMADEUS takes place in the 18^th century, as established earlier, using modern staging conventions, requiring the placement of numerous "quick changes", all of which had to be incorporated into the garments as well as the staging⁽¹¹⁾. The costumes that the CCM shop built for the production could have the necessary requirements (velcro©, snaps or other closures) built into the costume as it was constructed. With eighty percent of the show as a rental, careful planning and stitching was necessary to re-work the rentals for easy access.
 
 

A good example of this process is the striped pannier dress rented from Stratford and used by the character of Constanze. As originally built, the bodice laced up the front and back, then the stomacher fastened with tiny hooks and eyes. The overskirt was attached to the back while the underskirt was a separate piece that was dressed under this garment and over a quilted petticoat with built in padding and hip rolls. As part of the staging, it was necessary for this character to undress on stage. Not completely, but enough that there was the suggestion of uncovered breasts. This effect was partly the Director's original blocking and was very necessary to the action. To achieve this effect, it required that the back of the bodice stay laced, while the front simulated lacing. Velcro© was used underneath the faux lacing, and the stomacher hook and eyes were enlarged to facilitate easier dressing and undressing⁽¹²⁾. In addition to the elaborate reworking of this costume, many other costumes had false sleeves and other "tricks" added to give the illusion of the many layers of clothing that would actually be worn at this time.
 
 
 Insert Illustration here.
 
 And here
 
 
DRESS REHEARSALS
 

The dress rehearsals for AMADEUS went quite smoothly. I The rehearsals did start with one garment missing-the greatcoat copy for one of the Venticelli. Due to time constraints brought about by the Washington Opera rental arriving so late, this garment was constructed last. The actress generously agreed to use a cloak to simulate the greatcoat until the last dress rehearsal, at which time her costume had ben constructed and was ready for use on stage.
 

When running a rehearsal, it is often necessary to stop the action and re-run changes until the actor and the dresser feel comfortable. The instances where the action needed to stop were few, and the dressers made changes with a minimum of correction. The rest of the dress rehearsal time was taken up with the process of "notes' either design notes that I needed to address or physical"fix-it" notes, such as a costume losing a hem or button, which the shop would fix the next day.
 
 

CLOSING THE BAG/REVIEWS
 
 

For the most part, reviews focused on the acting in the piece and the intention of the author. One review, that of the Cincinnati Enquirer, was written after a dress rehearsal, critiquing the costume design specifically. When reading the review by Ms. DeMaine, have only one question for her : "How could I show Salieri's descent into further madness when he never left the stage?" I would like to refer back to the film version of AMADEUS. While it is risky to assume that the reviewer of the stge play saw the film, it was extremely popular and for many people, is a portrait of Mozart. Why I mention this at all has to do with my previous assertion of the manipulability of film and its' ability to deceive the audience member visually-the parallel here is with reference to Salieri. Salieri's descent into madness in the film s a well-done combination of makeup and acting skill, done with stopping and starting to apply various makeups as the madness progresses. A live theatrical production is unable to reproduce makeups of this complexity without also stopping and starting. In this production age was indicated through the use of a wig and further enhanced by gestures and carriage of the actor. Madness was indicated entirely through acting. Was Ms. DeMaine requesting stopping the production?

1. See Appendix 1-Director's Notes

2. See Appendix 1, Director's Notes

3. See Appendix 1, Director's Notes

4. See Appendix 2, Script Analysis

5. Websters', blah, blah.

6. See Appendix 3 - "Historical Research Sampling"

7. See Appendix 6 Washington Opera Pull

8. See Appendix 7, Stratford Pull List

9. See Appendix 8, pencils/renderings

10. See Appendix 9, Washington Opera Pull List

11. See Appendix 10 Quick Change Plot

12. See Illustration 3, Constanze Quick Change Onstage