Odessa American: Lifestyle: One of the most intriguing parts of the costumes at the Broadway play “A Soldier's Story” was something the audience likely never saw.
Each of the 12 actors wore uniforms carefully reflecting the attire of real soldiers in 1944. Their boots, too, were faithful replications. But around their necks were dog tags carefully etched with each character's name, age and religious affiliation.
2 comments:
I love how Ayite creates costumes not only for the audience and for the characters, but for the actors as well. Costumes can be a tool for actors to understand the world and their characters just as much as costumes are a tool for the audience too. It's like this wonderful inside joke or secret handshake every time the actor notices a small detail that links them closer to their character's psyche or to the world that they are inhabiting. I also love how for A Soldier's Play, Ayite gave the actors their boots early on in the rehearsal process in order to get the worn in/broken in look, instead of artificially aging them through costume crafts. This way, the wear and tear of the boots reflects how they are worn by the actors, and there's something really poetic about the boots wearing down through rehearsal, and being taken from new to beaten up by the show itself.
This was a really great article Dede Ayite is such an inspiring costume designer who is gaining more and more recognition for her work. I became familiar with her work after attending a seminar from the American Theatre Wing about deconolozing american theatre design. I found her comments of the design of the two shows she was nominated on to be fascinating. The detail about the dog tags is something so important. A costumes designer is creating the world of the play, but they are ultimately helping the character which is portrayed by the actors. Having this detail adds to their performance and you can tell the she has set out to make great play, not just great costumes. Designer William Ivey Long also does this, he puts objects in purses and pockets that the character would have that help the actor feel comfortable.- Evan Riley
Post a Comment