My latest problem was on the other end. Since I both direct and "do" costumes, I am accustomed as a director to work closely with my costume designer, as I would hope a director would do with me. And I have worked with the same costume designer for most of my productions. At the beginning of the project, I sit down with her and discuss my overall vision of the show, my concept of the characters, for shows with costume changes my understanding of the moods of various scenes as well as the time and place etc. of those scenes; she talks with me to clarify what I have in mind and to suggest her ideas (having read the script of course), especially about materials and line. A few days later we get together with patterns and illustrations I've found and patterns and illustrations she's found, plus a script schedule showing where costume changes are necessary and how much time will be available to make those changes. And a few days later she gives me her working schedule and we approve all designs. Since I'm usually pitching in on the sewing, we are able to discuss revisions as the need arises. It's all really wonderful, and costumes are done by opening night (this is community theater-- most things are finished by first dress, but we're realists...), properly fitted and comfortable for the actors; all costumes involved in costume changes are done by first dress if not sooner.
BUT this past year I was scheduled to direct The Glass Menagerie, but my costumer had had a heart attack and wanted to scale back her role. Since the theater had been approached by someone with costuming experience who wanted to develop her portfolio so she could apply for graduate programs, we contacted her, and she said she very much wanted to design the show. My usual designer and I met with her for a long evening; I discussed my vision of the show, as usual. She had not yet read the play (although we had agreed to work together some three weeks previous)--she said she hadn't had time to get over to the theater to pick up a script and hadn't thought to go to her local library.... We should have read this as a danger signal, but she was very busy with her "day job" and we assumed that was the problem. She seemed enthusiastic about getting down to designing, and said she'd be doing some research and then would have sketches for me in a week or ten days. Three weeks went by (of course we were already in rehearsal and moving toward opening); my costumer lent her several books about 1930s clothing, and called her a number of times to see what was going on, but no sketches emerged. Came time for taking publicity photos, and nothing--so my old designer, who is costumes mistress for that community theater, pulled some things that we felt would "do," and at a vintage shop I bought a dress that I knew would work for Laura for photos for the gentleman-caller scenes and would be easily adaptable to use in the actual production should we have to fend for ourselves. I also found a dress that would work for Amanda's cotillion gown in the collection of the community theater where _I_ am costumes mistress--it was a little small, but pins and things held it together for photos, and we knew that if we wound up using it we had the personnel to do the alterations. We let the costumes person know that we were coping for the photo shoot but were looking forward to seeing her DESIGNS, which my usual costumer reminded her would be subject to director's approval. Three days later she showed up at a rehearsal and asked if she could pull Laura out of the rehearsal to try some things on her. Since the rehearsal was for the gentleman- caller scenes, I really couldn't spare Laura, but said we could stay late for the costume stuff. While I was giving notes to the g-c after the rehearsal, the costumes person whisked Laura off to the dressingroom. I got up there as soon as I could, to see her fussing with a plaid housedress. She assured me that the housedress would be "absolutely period" as soon as she cut the neckline squarer and deeper. I asked her if she had made or bought the dress or if it was from the theater's collection, and when she said it was from the collection I suggested that she clear any style alterations with the costumes mistress (this aside from the fact that I had told her from the beginning that I wanted all of Laura's clothing soft of hand and muted in color except for her g-c dress, and obviously I wouldn't be happy with a black-and-green plaid with bright green piping...). She asked me why I was making her answerable to someone else. Then I drove her home (she had no car, another problem I should have picked up on sooner), and I never heard from her again. She did not return my old costumer's calls. SO my old costumer, plus one of our loyal assistants and me, swung into action with very little time remaining before opening, worked out a costume sequence for the women characters that would accommodate the time constraints for the necessary changes, and got costumes on everyone by opening night that were comfortable, compatible with the show's vision and with the style of the set, and period-suggestive if not "absolutely period" on all counts. (Several days before we opened, while we were in the final frenzy of getting costumes done, the "designer" called the costumes mistress and left a message that she had quit the show!) Audiences raved about the show--acting, set, costumes, atmosphere, interpretation, all of it. Several weeks after the show closed, the costumer-errant called the costumes mistress to tell us all how unprofessional we had been and say that she had found us impossible to work with. She also said she'd leave the loaned books on her porch for the costumes mistress to pick up. This summer I'm directing The Tempest, and luckily my usual costumer (also referred to as costumes mistress in above scenario) is feeling well recovered and will be working with me as usual. So I'd say Yes, we do need some statement about the role of the costumes designer and the interaction between designer and director-- taking all participants into account: designer, actors, and director! (possibly with an appended checklist called "signs that your costumer/ actor/director may be insane"!) Oh, thanks for your patience in reading this--I hadn't put it together before, and it's been a good catharsis for me! --Ruth Anne Baumgartner scholar gypsy and amateur costumer On Apr 12, 2008, at 8:50 AM, LLOYD MITCHELL wrote: > Been there and done that. > > A worse scean is when the costumes get voted on by the Mother's > Aux. for the > production...and the Director accepts their critique as the > standard. Or the > whole cast gets to decide which costumes make the cut. > > Between the movies and the major two Costume companies, the visual > expectation is very limited for the Popular theater of a general > public. The > idea of style interpretation sometimes extends to matching colors, > prints, > assessories and such to the exact picture on the Pattern cover or > to a > particular garment from the film. Very frustrating. Making Cartoon > costumes > is not fun for one who may have a better view of the historical > aspects of > how the style (generic) clothes and compliments the character being > costumed. It took me several years to learn to "pick my battles" > and to try > to maintain an integrity of Design for a particular production. > > In working with some cast members, I fought for their trust by > reminding > them that my name Too would be on the program; if they didn't look > good or > the character was inappropriatly clothed, I would get the criticism > first. > > We spend a fair bit of time on this List with personal critiques > of the > movies and other productions re Costume; it is often pointed out that > directors and actors live in a kind of fantasy world and that Design > integrity is least in their expectation. > > For myself, in agreeing to do a production, I stressed > Interpretation as a > major starting point for the Design development. With some duds and a > larger number of successes, I managed to get my own share of > plaudits that > gave me courage to move forward for the "next" time. (And there > were many > times when in the company of tech staff it was said that I "saved the > show".) > > Guess one might remind the Director that theye can always Rent from a > 'professional' theater supply house , Cost and Style be @#$&^%. > Funny, when > paying the Rental company how few complaints are given re Desigh > and Fit! > > KSM > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "AVCHASE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "h-costume posts" <h-costume@mail.indra.com> > Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 10:46 PM > Subject: [h-cost] DESIGNER PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS > > >> Hi, All. The most recent show on which I worked opened last last >> Thursday. And over all its a good show. But some of the fallout >> has been >> very upsetting to me. >> The director invited me to do this show for her, her last show >> (she's said >> that for for the last three years), and I've done them. Each time >> some >> cast members have been down right vicious. This time was the worst. >> It occurred to me we expected different things as/from a designer. >> I'd >> just assumed they all understood that I only did these shows to >> practice >> my craft, keep my abilities in shape, and explore my ideas. Maybe her >> agenda was different? >> So I sent an email and asked what she had expected when she engaged a >> designer. She wrote back to me a very complimentary (damned by >> praise-forget faint) note about my design capabilities; but-said I >> was >> overbearing, didn't listen to the actress's ideas and was not >> willing to >> take suggestions form the actresses. The ideas and suggestions >> were put >> forth a few days before dress and production had gotten me no help >> for a >> small musical with 48 changes in it. Some very small; most changes >> are >> full costume though. I found I was being difficult when I said >> there just >> wasn't time. >> The worst part is that the changes weakened the visual dramatic >> impact but >> were more conventional. >> Now I want to write a little paper setting forth designer's >> professional >> standards. It isn't that I don't know what most are but I don't >> know if >> they are enumerated anywhere. Are they? Please help, both scholars >> and >> practitioners. Audy >> >> in the high boonies of Central Texas >> >> ________________________________________ >> PeoplePC Online >> A better way to Internet >> http://www.peoplepc.com >> _______________________________________________ >> h-costume mailing list >> h-costume@mail.indra.com >> http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > h-costume@mail.indra.com > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
