Thoughts: -30 second costume changes. -$300 costume budget for the whole show-12 actors. -Director's vision-often more artistic than historically accurate, so you try and compromise. -Lack of a crew to make everything you envision. Sometimes it just comes down to not enough time. You put someone in something close, just so they can go onstage in something other than their own clothes.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Carmen Beaudry Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 5:36 PM To: Historical Costume Subject: Re: [h-cost]Theatrer vs Historic (was:new Butterick pattern 5061) (snip about percieved insult to theatrical designers) > You didn't? Am I just being overly sensitive? I often feel like > historical re-enactors and reproducers of accurate historical costumes > look down their noses to a certain extent at theatrical costume designers > because the latter don't usually attempt complete authenticity. > > Sylrog I may be a bit optimistic, and I know that some historic costumers automatically discount anyone who designs for the stage, but I don't think this was the case here. I'm sure the original poster will correct me if I'm wrong. I do historic reenactment and recreation. Most of my customers want very historically accurate clothing for reenactment. That being said, I enjoy the different emphasis to costuming for the theater. I enjoy trying to realize the director's vision, to express the character through the costume and evoke the various moods. I do try to make that historically accurate whenever possible, but sometimes it's not. Whether that's the production of Hamlet that was done all in dull browns, greys and other muddy shades due to the director's ideas, or the production of The Misenthrope that we did in 1635 costumes rather than the 1670's that were actually appropriate, because we could borrow the one, and we would have had to make the others, and we had a $500 costume budget. Wasn't going to get done, and while it somewhat offended my sensibilities, for the most part the audience didn't know it wasn't meant to be. I'm actually developing a lecture for next year on why and when you would or would not want to be completely accurate with a costume. It's just in the ruminating stage right now, but I'd welcome any thoughts from y'all. Melusine _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
