So in my earlier blog post,
I discussed my costume design binder that had Questions, Cast List, LOOK BOOK,
etc. in it. These were just the beginning of the essentials that I’ve been
collecting in there.
The rehearsal schedule is
critical to have printed out in my binder. There have been a few days shuffled
around and I was able to make quick notes about them with out having to use my
laptop or change my calendar on my phone while the director is still talking.
I also needed the working
script so that I could breakdown the scenes. This is one of the most important
processes of all. One must completely understand the play and its action to be
able to determine the type of clothing needed, and the number of costume
changes that are necessary.
I want to take a moment to
say that it is critical for the costume designer to be a most of the
rehearsals. Often the Director and the players are blocking scenes and may add
or cut from the existing work. The
costumer must be very familiar with the material to be able to help “guide” the
Director if, say, one knows that a scene that is being cut will dramatically
affect the main character’s ability to complete his costume change. That
decision could affect many characters that way. Another example would be if the
Director adds a scene. The costumer must be there to understand the new
dynamics and likely “add” a costume change to the actor’s gear. The costumer
has to know the action and timing of the play as well as the Director does to
be able to have all of the appropriate clothing, etc come out on time.
To breakdown the scenes, I
read through the entire script without stopping or noting anything. This helps
one to know the feel of the story and gain a sense of its timing. Having
“MacBETH” as my favorite Shakespearean play was both an advantage and a
disadvantage for me. The advantage came from my intimate knowledge of what the
“traditional” presentation of the play looks like which was vitally important
when conferring with the Director and the Producer – “I know whereof I speak…”
– and have the “internal clock” of the play ticking in my head. The
disadvantage is that knowing the play very well, I found myself anticipating –
action – movements – tones – instead of having a good clean reading of the
text. Regardless, I got through the first reading and moved on to note-taking.
The second reading of the
text, I held pencil in hand and made ready. Looking up each Act number and
Scene number, I noted the place within time, the location, and the characters
that all appeared. So for example:
Act I, Scene I:
A desert place.
(Three Weird Sisters)
Act I, Scene II:
A camp near Forres.
(King Duncan, Malcolm,
Donalbain, Lennox, Attendants, Sergeant, Rosse, Angus)
And so on through the whole
play. Of course, the importance of this is clear. 1) One must know where in the
play the action is happening; 2) One must know what environment the actors will
portray, and 3) One must know which characters will be in the scene. Here I add
an extra bit – 4) One must know which actors are NOT in the scene. This goes
back to timing. Knowing the play well, I know that Lady MacBETH does not appear
immediately in the play and that there will be necessary “Hair & Make-up”
time for her. Balance that with the other players going on and coming off of
the stage and the fact is clear: I need to know where EVERYONE is EVERY SECOND
of the play. I need every second of time I can get.
OK. It goes a little bit
farther now. Opening the script for the third time, I read it with one thought
in mind the entire time: what is the costume each character is wearing at this
moment. Reading through the text, I listed the three weird sisters’ costume
change #1, MacBETH’s costume change #1, Banquot’s costume change #1, and so on.
It got tricky though. There are multiple characters coming in and out of the
scene, so meticulous attention is required. As I moved on through the test, I
noted, MacBETH’s costume change #2, MacBETH’s costume change #3, and so on –
for each character in the play.
Here’s a screen grab of the
first two scenes of Act I:
By this time, I was feeling
like a Shakespearean scholar, but it doesn’t end there. I began the process of
matching the actors to their roles. Simple, right? Well, not so much. The words
are easy enough but learning the faces with the names is not. Plus this was
when I began requesting Sizes. By the time I actually got to touch the first piece of clothing, I was able to say to any character in the play, "I may know your character better than you do right now!" TRUTH!
Ah, but I’ll leave that for
my next post.
