Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Production Diary 6 | Richard II
Royal Shakespeare Company - YouTube: Alistair McArthur, our Head of Costume, shows the process of making costumes for Richard II.
'There aren't many things that we can't turn our hands to here,' he says. And the team prove it as they talk through design, fittings, sleeve adjustments, velvet breastplates and travel-crowns.
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5 comments:
This was a really neat video, and I saw some things that really caught my eye. One was a camera shot of a draper's packet. What was interesting about the packet was that there were not just square fabric swatches. Instead, they cut the swatches into the shape of the actual costume, so it looked like a mini version of the piece. I think this is a better idea than having the same-size squares because we would have a realistic image of the final project as opposed to bits and pieces of the costume. I also found the costume shop itself interesting because most of the workers were using unconventional materials (metal, etc). I am curious to know what special training they all had and if they had to work with other theatre departments (props) for this project. I would have thought that the crown was both a costume and prop piece since it is thrown around, but I'm starting to wonder if European theatre companies have different definitions of departmental jobs.
So that was really cool and great but what was really interesting to me is that he said they take the garment apart after the first fitting to then put it back together. Out of everything I found that to be the most interesting piece of the video. Other then that everything else looked pretty cool. It is nice to have spent time in the costume shop to at least have a small respect for what they do in that world of costumes. So hopefully the show went off with out a hitch.
I found it interesting how they divided the departments within their shop. It makes sense to me that armory and foot wear go together because of the materials they work with. I was a little surprised that they pair hat making with jewelry, but I guess they are both crafty and they are both accessories, so it's logical. He didn't mention a wig department. I only noticed this because I know it's something we are lacking. Maybe they have one and it's not under his purview. He mentioned that the designer is in every first fitting to discuss the design of the character with the performer. Does this mean they use only in house designers? Or that designers are present for the entire build?
It's very intriguing to see how things work in a professional costume shop, especially only having a little experience in educational settings. I thought it was interesting how even within the concentration of costumes, each person in the shop had an even more specific job. In terms of efficiency, it makes a lot of sense for each worker to be given a particular task to repeat, but at the same time I wonder if it feels restrictive to be doing the same thing over and over. The roles within the shop might not be as limiting as they first appear, since each costume is different and done under very different circumstances, but -- and I admittedly don't know much of how it really works -- I think it might be nice to change it up once in a while.
I've seen Richard II two times and I really dislike the show. But sometimes I find that if a production does a really amazing job with a show that I don't like very much it can change my view on the show. This happened to me last year when I saw As You Like It. From what I saw in this video the skill that is going in to making all the period costumes is going to make it a really powerful production. The costumes piece that stands out most to me is the breast plate that is covered in cloth. It's a really nice looking piece and it was inspired by something that they say in a museum. I think that this is the best sort of design. I also noticed that David Tennant is in the play, I'm sure that this will make the show amazing. The Royal Shakespeare Company has a very strong reputation and from what I've seen this show will hold that standard up.
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