Costume Design History PDF

# Costume Design ## History of Costume Design Costume design has a very long history. The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived in the 5th century B.C. created specific costumes for actors to wear when performing his tragedies. ## When Did Costumes Become Important? - In the Middle Ages...

# Costume Design ## History of Costume Design Costume design has a very long history. The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived in the 5th century B.C. created specific costumes for actors to wear when performing his tragedies. ## When Did Costumes Become Important? - In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, scenery and costumes became increasingly important elements of stage plays. - They helped capture a mood, create an exciting colorful event, and entertained audiences. - But there wasn't one cohesive idea of what costume had to be. ## Shakespeare's Time In Shakespeare's time, people performed in contemporary dress. In his own company, Shakespeare's performers provided their own costumes ## 16th Century - In the 16th century, some traveling theatrical troops performed a style of theater called commedia dell'arte. - It had costumes that represented stock characters such as the serving girl, the doctor, and the harlequin. - Everyone in the audience understood what these characters stood for by looking at their costumes. ## 1770s - 1870s - From the 1770s through the 1870s, a desire for greater accuracy in costume design began to take hold due to an increase in stage performances and traveling theatrical troupes. - The increased popularity of stage performances also contributed to the popularity of costume design, since more people became familiar with costumes of cultures around the world. ## Painting by Albert Kretschmer Albert Kretschmer, painter and costumer to the Royal Court Theatre (1700's) ## Basic Requirements of a Theatrical Costume - Depict the personality, occupation, time period, tone and mood of the character. - Color, texture and silhouette of the costume are extremely important. - Aid the performer in their characterization - Provide a "general effect"! - When the audience sees the costume it should convey a message to the viewer. (Should the audience: clap, exclaim, laugh, cry or feel angry?