When the London Community Players announced their 2016-2017 season, for the first time in more than forty years of LCP history, it included a play by William Shakespeare.
Six months ago, I met with the director, Kaitlyn Rietdyk, and was asked to design the costumes for Twelfth Night. Kaitlyn explained her overall concept for the show and it was clear that she wanted to put something fresh and innovative on the stage at The Palace Theatre. It was during our first meeting that I knew I had to be a part of this amazing journey.
We would create a sea-side town, loosely placed in a Victorian/Edwardian setting, with a light and airy palette of neutral beiges, smokey blues, soft greens and rosy pinks. The set would be minimal, with a beach, ship sails and some sand dunes; the lighting would compliment the costumes and create visual effects; live music with percussion and vocals by a Greek-style Chorus would provide the soundtrack; and finally, the costumes, though not historically accurate, would be rooted in a Victorian/Edwardian style, and would be the main technical focus for the show.
Without hesitation, I accepted Kaitlyn's invitation and immediately I knew Twelfth Night was going to be one of the biggest, most challenging and rewarding productions I have ever costumed. Let's just say, I wasn't wrong.
Over the next few days, I will be sharing my experience of costuming LCP's Twelfth Night, and I will feature each one of my sketches alongside photographs of the final costumes. I hope you will enjoy reading my posts, seeing my costumes, and learning about my process, my choices and the two (or three) things that had me in tears.
Whitney, I am so proud of every element of this whole production. Thank you for sharing the story behind what the audience sees - it's fascinating!
ReplyDeleteWhitney, you have really made the cast look stunning. It's been wonderful to have you looking after us. Building how a character feels also takes into account how a character looks. When we chorus members saw each other in costume for the first time, it suddenly crystallized our director's vision for us and reflected the nature of our role; we are a unit, but also individuals within that unit. Thanks for making us look beautiful. You totally rock.
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