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Character Costume Figures in Style

Our individual styles in costume design are closely associated with our taste in fashion, art, theater, and life. As a costume designer, I seek the design style that coveys the most effective presentation. I have always tried to develop costume “character figures” with personality and expression rather than superficiality. I continue to seek new and unique ways to pursue my designs.

My focus involves developing character figures by inventing poses and body language expressions that bring to light the characters' roles and the style of the play. Styles are usually associated with a period. The play may be produced in its original style or reinterpreted. Plays can be interpreted in many ways: realistic, exaggerated, and so on. The style in which a play is produced depends on a collaboration between the directors and designers. Designers conceptualize and visualize the style and properly convey this to the production team.

The costume design translates the characters from a script to a stage production and brings them to life through their clothing, action, and personality. The action of the character should relate to the form, theme, and style of the play, while exposing the skeleton of the play's story, mood, and spectacle. An effective presentation correlates the costume design to the style of the play.

SKETCHES AND RENDERINGS

Figures created by hand contain soul and spirit. Use modern technology such as a computer or photocopier as tools and aids to enhance the design presentation and perhaps speed up the design process. Especially today, as everyone communicates through e-mails, design images are often posted on the computer (in a photo-sharing program or website, such as Photobucket) and shared with the production team. Copied or scanned images are necessary today.

I prefer painting over machine-copied sketches because: (a) I appreciate the black-and-white high-contrast sketching lines; (b) they can be easily changed if I make mistakes or if the director requests some changes.

Because I paint on copies, most of my sketches are done on inexpensive sketch paper (such as copy paper, sketch pads, or sometimes Bristol paper). Then the sketches are transferred to rendering-quality paper that is suitable for dry or wet media. I basically use watercolor paper for wet media, and any type of paper for dry media. However, smooth-textured paper is better for the printer ink penetration into the paper. The most important thing to keep in mind is that any type of paper you choose for the rendering must not be over 100 lb. paper, because that is usually the maximum copy machines or computer printers can take.

CONSTRUCTING CHARACTER COSTUME FIGURES IN MUSICAL PRODUCTIONS

A musical is a form of theatre combining music, dance, and spoken dialogue. All dances require movement. Costume design for musicals should emphasize movement by creating exaggerated poses of the body with force, rhythm, stance, tilt, twist, and flexibility.

Costume designers are like choreographers. The choreographer develops a dance routine in sync and rhythm to music; the costume designer then translates those dance movements into an illustration that communicates life and personality through attitude and body language.

Creating Character Costume Figures for the Musical The Most Happy Fella

The principle of costume character figure design composition is to position the figure(s) in an imaginative stage setting/picture frame and envision the character on stage. The costume designer—much like a choreographer or director—arranges the character(s) on the page in a preferred presentation, draws a single character or weaves a group of characters together, creates basic action forms with sketching lines, and unifies these lines together to illustrate the movement with rhythm. At the same time, you must balance the weight along with positive and negative space to achieve the ideal costume design.

CAPTURING DRAMATIC MOMENTS IN THE CHARACTER FIGURE POSE

Characters are portrayed with their speech and behavior in mind. When I begin reading the script, I pay close attention to the descriptions of each actor's initial appearances on stage, what accessories the actor may be holding and wearing, their monologues and dialogues, and so on, in order to help understand their personality and nature.

For example, in the musical The Most Happy Fella, by Frank Loesser, in Act I, Scene 1, the character of Cleo, a self-confident, loud, brassy waitress in her twenties, is working at the mediocre Golden Gate Restaurant. In her initial appearance, she is described as follows: “wearing one shoe and limps forward wearily. She is carrying a tray with the other shoe on it.” She sings (pp. 4–5):

 

Ooh my feet! My poor, poor feet!

Betcha your life a waitress earns her pay

I've been on my feet, my poor, poor feet

All day long today.

Ooh my toes! My poor, poor toes!

How can I give the service with the smile

When I'm on my toes, my poor, poor toes

Mile after mile after mile after mile after mile?

This little piggy's only broken

This little piggy's on the bum

This little piggy's in the middle

Consequently, absolutely numb.

This little piggy feels the weight of the plate

Though the freight's just an order of Melba toast

And this little piggy is the littlest little piggy

But the big son-of-bitch hurts the most!

 

Cleo's posture is constructed with the words of the song she sings in mind: “Ooh my toes! My poor, poor toes!” I captured the dramatic moment during which Cleo cries over her sore foot while holding it. Her body language expresses that she is loud and brassy, and conveys her attitude, emotions, and personality. Her facial expression correlates with her body language.

Another major character in this play is Tony, an older, big, warm, insecure, genuine, and exuberant Italian grape ranch owner. Tony falls in love with a young and confused waitress named Rosabella, whom he met at the Golden Gate Restaurant. He leaves a tie-pin and note on the menu at the table for Rosabella after he finishes dining. Joe, a foreman at Tony's Ranch, calls Tony “the foxy grandpa” when speaking to Rosabella in Act I, Scene 4 (page 41), because Tony is much older than her.

In Tony's note to Rosabella (pp. 8–9), he writes:

 

My dear Rosabella

I call you Rosabella

Because I don't know your name

And I am too ascared to ast you—

I cannot leave you money on the table.

You look too nice,

And so I leave you my genuine “Amotist” tie pin.

I don't know noting about you

Where you ever go,

Wat you ever done.

I don't know noting about you. I son wann-na

know. I don gotta know

Wat I see is kind of young lady,

I want to get marry!

 

Act I, Scene 2, in the streets of Napa, CA, the postman delivers mail and Tony receives a letter from Rosabella. He is very excited, and sings (pp. 13–14):

 

Hey, omma the most happy fella

In the whole Napa Valley,

In the whole Napa Valley,

The most happy man, that's me.

Look-a my Rosabella.

She was-a send me her photograph

And she was ask-a me for mine.

You wait and see she gonna marry me!

 

Two costume figures were designed for Tony. The first one captures the moment of “The most happy man, in the whole Napa Valley/The most happy man, that's me.” I chose to portray the moment Tony is holding Rosabella's letter delivered by the postman. His body is relaxed and his face is bursting with joy.

The second pose for Tony is from Act II, Scene 1. He was in a car accident, so Tony sits in a wheelchair in comfortable clothing with a cast on his left leg and an arm in splints.

The third example I want to discuss includes the three chefs—Pasquale, Giuseppe, and Ciccio—who work for Tony at his ranch and are preparing food for Tony's wedding banquet. These three chefs are cute, funny, goofy, cheerful, and talk and sing with Italian accents. I drew the three characters in a group as they are dancing around the banquet table checking details on the food list, proudly preparing to welcome Rosabella. Their body types are contrasted between fat and thin and tall and short in order to portray their gaiety and silliness. Their hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions all complement one another and together display their persona. Figures 7-1C through 7-1J show more examples of character figures from The Most Happy Fella.

Character Costume Figures for the Musical The Boy Friend

The Boy Friend, by Sandy Wilson, is a humorous and romantic musical of the 1920s. The plot of The Boy Friend is boy-meets-girl. The main characters, Polly and Tony, pretend to be poor so they can be sure they are loved for their charms and not their money. Tony is a handsome, charming, wealthy young man. His initial appearance is as a messenger boy in his uniform delivering a dress box to Polly. Polly, a pretty, romantic heiress, encounters this attractive messenger boy and soon convinces him that she is merely a poor secretary, and they fall in love. However, just before the Ball, Tony runs off and Polly suspects that Tony must be a thief. Later Tony shows up at the Ball and reveals that he is rich and in love with Polly. She also reveals her true identity and the two are happy together.

Tony and Polly are placed together on the page. Their posture and body language is light, cheery, and romantic. Tony is in his full uniform and tap shoes while holding the dress box (to show his occupation), while Polly is in her 1920s summer dress, dancing with quick, light steps. Both of them gaze into each other's eyes passionately. See Figure 7-2A.

The other character costume figures for Tony and Polly are composed from Act III at the ball. In this scene, Polly is dressed as Pierrette and looks melancholy. As her Dad Percival says, “So she's come to the Ball after all. Poor child. How sad she looks.” Dubonnet also talks to Polly: “Polly, you look charming. You know you were wise to come to the Ball. When one is feeling sad, the only thing to do is to try and forget.” Polly answers, “I shall never forget.” Polly is upset because she suspects that Tony is a thief. Eventually, Tony appears at the ball dressed as Pierrot with a mask and invites Polly to dance. Polly replies, “I'm afraid I can't dance with a stranger.” I chose this line and this moment to develop their poses. Their feet are placed approximately at the same location, while their bodies propel outward and upward; Polly's facial expression displays uncertainty with disappointment. Their gentle dance position and movements are well balanced and coincide together, correlating with their mood at that moment. Tony wears a mask, but in order to reveal his facial expression I did not include it in the sketch—both Tony and Polly's facial expressions are subtle. See Figure 7-2B.

EXAGERATING CHARACTER DANCE FIGURES

Developing dance figures with exaggerated poses intensifies the liveliness and energy of the characters. The chorus characters in The Boy Friend dance and sing excitedly, so their poses should demonstrate this youthful spirit through energetic movements.

Let us use Polly's words in Act I as she sings: “We've got to have, we plot to have” (The Boy Friend, page 4). Exaggerated actions enhance the speed and drama in the illustration. A dance pose is a twist-pose in which the degree of twist is directly proportional to boosting or stunting an action. In other words, stretching the body to an extreme degree enhances the impression of the action, and vice versa.

Imagine the figure in action and make a series of rough outlines/scribbles that suggest the movement. In the beginning, pay less attention to details and more attention to balance, tilt, and body proportion. Draw a “line of action” through the three body masses (head, chest, and pelvis) to organize and gain perspective of the action. Twisting, tilting, and stretching convey and inspire dance positions powerfully and clarify the interpretation of mood, which all act to reinforce the story (see Figures 7-2C through 7-2R).

Character Costume Figures for the Musical Leader of The Pack

Almost all dance and musical numbers in Leader of the Pack involve chorus members. When designing their costumes, it is suitable to group them together on the page, displaying an overview of the costumes and characters and bringing unity to the design.

As I mentioned earlier, the role of a costume designer is much like a choreographer and director. Arrange the figures on the page the way you prefer. Composition in costume design is similar to other visual arts that organize visual elements on the page to create a work of art. How characters are organized affects pattern, balance, movement, emphasis, contrast, and proportions.

Character costume figure drawing compositions for Leader of the Pack are grouped in a variety of ways, including triangular, horizontal, symmetrical, and asymmetrical.

The triangular arrangement is used for Ellie and the Chorus Girls. Seven characters are laid out on the page in a triangle and Ellie is in the center. Her body is relatively and proportionally larger than the rest of the figures, therefore becoming the focal point. The rest of the chorus girls overlap and surround Ellie's periphery in an array of poses (see Figure 7-3A). This arrangement brings the observer towards the focal point and achieves a sense of fun, unity, and balance. Their gestures support their behaviors in the play.

The horizontal composition is applied while Ellie and the chorus girls are in wedding attire. Again, Ellie is the center focal point and her bridesmaids are standing to the sides, forming a symmetrically balanced composition. The bridesmaids' bodies mirror each other while they are leaning towards the center (see Figure 7-3B). This arrangement brings focus to the bride while unifying everyone in the illustration (see Figures 7-3B through 7-3F).

A symmetrical balance is used for the Guys and Girls. Guys are choreographed as if they are driving motorcycles while Girls ride on the back. Four figures on one side of the page mirror the other side creating a symmetrical composition. Girls stand on top of the Guys' legs with their hands connected to form continuous, flowing movements that increase the characters' energy. Exaggerated movements and facial expressions set the mood of the play (see Figure 7-3G). The other symmetrical composition is of the paired dancers. The middle pair is intentionally taller than the other two to contrast their size. Their bodies exhibit full twist, tilt, and stretch, displaying an explosion of dance energy and passion (see Figure 7-3H).

In Figure 7-3J, the character costume figure composition is arranged asymmetrically and creates an aesthetically beautiful look. The asymmetrical composition provides value in contrasting poses, overlapping shapes and lines, displaying body forces, balancing positive and negative space, and brings attention to the focal point a man jumping in the center.

Costume designers should always experiment in a variety of compositional ways to achieve the best potential presentation of their work. Whether there's a single character or group of characters, pose planning is key in forming a beautiful picture frame. Keep in mind that extreme actions (such as stretching and twisting) utilize force and rhythm to enhance the impression and add excitement to each design.

Character Costume Figures for the Musicals Once on This Island and Pippin

Construction of characters for the musicals Once on This Island and Pippin were inspired by the Original Broadway Production Logos (see Figures 7-4A and 7-4B). The artwork in the logos represents the exact spirit, magic, and imagery of the plays and their characters. I wanted my drawings to reflect all those aspects and illuminate the mood and form of the plays.

Once on This Island takes place in Haiti. Dark-skinned peasants live on the left side of the island. The Grandes Hommes—lighter-skinned descendants of the original French planters and their slaves—live on the other end. The four Gods rule the island and the people worship them. The story reveals the island people's colorful life, deep pain, true love, great sorrow, and firm faith. The dances, drumbeats, and songs permeate the splendid Haitian culture and lifestyle, which was incorporated in each costume figure. The four Gods wore large headdresses to demonstrate their supernatural powers. The rest of the characters illustrated captured the spirit and rhythm of their dances.

Character Costume Figures for the Musical Pippin

Pippin begins with the Leading Player and his acting troupe performing a magic act as the story unfolds. Pippin, an extraordinary young prince, is seeking his meaningful purpose and looking for something to fulfill his life. The Leading Player guides Pippin through this journey to various life experiences full of wonders and confusions. He went to war but hated the killing; he became King but felt empty; he experimented with sex but was scared. He finally gave up hope and asked his grandmother what he should do. She told him to just live life to the fullest and to enjoy his youth because time goes by so fast. He ends up falling in love with a beautiful and kind widow.

The Broadway Pippin logo used for the Playbill (see Figure 7-4B), as designed with player figures, is cleverly put together and achieves both artistic and functional purposes. The abstract, stylized, and exaggerated character forms were rendered with colored pencil on black paper (similar to the logo) for a sharp contrast. Shoulders, chest, pelvis, arms, and legs move about in various rhythms. Character pose planning emphasized extreme actions to illuminate the characters' moods and reinforce the mystic, humorous, romantic, and entertaining nature of the story. My objective was to capture the most emotionally intense and action-packed moments of each character and translate that onto paper.

CHARACTER COSTUME FIGURES FOR A DRAMA/TRAGEDY

Drama and tragedy plays share many similarities and universal aspects. They lean toward more realistic forms, especially modern tragedies/dramas. They reflect life as it is, speaking in standard language and wearing common everyday clothing. In general, character costume figures for dramas and tragedies are constructed in close parallel with reality.

Character Figures for The Visit

The Visit took place in the central European town of Güllen during a great economic depression. The townspeople sank into poverty and hunger. The play opens as the town is preparing to celebrate the arrival of a former resident, Claire Zachanassian, who is visiting; in fact, her visit is intended for revenge and justice. When she was young, she was impregnated by her boyfriend Anton Schill, but Anton denied it and avoided the charges. He hid the truth and paid two drunks to testify that they had slept with Claire. Claire was driven out from her home town and forced into prostitution. Anton then became one of Güllen's most popular townspeople. When Claire became rich, she came back to visit her home town with money in exchange for Anton's life. She offered the town $1 billion if they killed Anton Schill, which the townspeople accepted. After Anton was killed, the doctor claimed Anton had a heart attack and Claire's revenge was fulfilled. The point of the play is that money can alter people's minds, leading them to selfishness, hate, and murder.

The concept of the costume design was to establish contrasts: rich and poor, bright and dark, true and false, crime and justice, morality and revenge, love and hate. The tone of the play is dark. Strong, bright colors and smooth textures were used for Claire, while dark colors and rough textures were used for the townspeople. Costume character figures for this play emphasized human nature's greed and selfishness.

A dark background behind character figures set the mood of the play and characters. The play opens with the town preparing to celebrate the arrival of Claire Zachanassian who arrives by train. This train will bring the dead town of Güllen to “life and hope,” so it must be included in the costume design. When I visualize the town atmosphere, I immediately see dark hovering clouds. I sketched a train on a railroad at the bottom left corner of all the pages for consistency of design. Thick smoke rises from the train chimney and drifts to the background. The characters are placed in the hazy and smoky environment, which alludes to the fact that money has blinded them from thinking clearly and ethically.

Each character portrays a unique posture and facial expression that defines their personality and role. I incorporate what I've learned from the script and researched on the side into each illustration. Mixed expressions are emphasized, such as amazement, confusion, greed, heartbreak, guilt, and so on. Details of each figure are clearly discernible, such as how their eyes open, the depth of their eye sockets, how wide their mouth opens, how their bodies turn, and their hand and leg gestures. All the characters should be full of life and attitude. Keep in mind that they display a more realistic style compared to character figures in musical productions. Character figures for dramas and tragedies are less exaggerated but still contain movements.

Costumes for the townspeople are appropriately dark, aged, and outdated—nothing outlandish. To allow them to appear less plain, I accentuated their stance. The media used for the renderings is watercolor on watercolor paper with wet-on-wet painting techniques. Subtle splashes of mud-like colors over the figures add texture and dimension. See Figures 7-6A through 7-6H.

Character Figures for Marisol

Costume character figures in Marisol are another example of characters created for a drama/tragedy. Marisol takes place in New York City. The play represents the spatial elements of social conditioning in the lower and middle classes endured by Marisol, June, Jenny, Golf Club, Scar Tissue, and others. This play portrays depression, absurdity, craziness, and confusion. Denim is the material of choice worn by most characters. There are three reasons denim was used: (1) it's affordable, which is important due to a recent budget cut; (2) the style was and always is in fashion; and (3) denim is versatile, worn by all different types of people and social classes. Therefore, denim garments were suitable and appropriate for the show.

Poses and facial expressions are constructed based on the information from the script. For instance: Man with Golf Club—a young white man in his twenties, a homeless man who lost his Guardian Angel and turned spiteful and malevolent, in filthy clothes; long matted hair hangs over blazing eyes. His shoes are rags and his mind is shot. His costume consists of layers of denim pieces—two pairs of jeans connect together as the head/neck cover, a filthy denim vest, ripped jeans, mismatched leg warmers, and argyle socks. He is crazy, dirty, and delirious, which his facial expression reveals. His pose, of course, is holding a golf club (see Figure 7-7A).

Lenny—June's brother, 34, a big “Teddy Bear”— is a bit slow, but very likable and sweet. He loves and hates to the fullest and goes through emotional extremes. In the script, he is described as having the mental capacity of a child. He has uncontrollable hair that makes him look a little crazy. He can stand very still for a very long time. He thinks he is an artist. He made a sculpture with screws of which he is very proud. The moment he is “holding his screw-sculpture” is the chosen pose for the rendering. His body language and facial expression show off his childish attitude. His costume includes a denim head wrap (made from two sleeves of a denim jacket), long denim scarf (made from different shades of jean leggings and sleeves), denim jeans and jacket with attached buttons, safety-pins, and denim strings as adornments to exhibit his artistic mind (see Figure 7-7B).

Man with Scar Tissue is a homeless man with burnt face and hands in horrific condition, in a wheelchair, dressed in rags; he has not lost his humanity and ability to hope and laugh. He is a philosopher and is friendly. The costume sketch for this character represents all the matters described. He wears a full head mask/prosthetic piece while sitting in a wheelchair. Ragged, mismatched socks are used as gloves (see Figure 7-7C).

Marisol is a young woman of Latin American origin from the Spanish community in the Bronx. She is both rooted in her middle-class community, and assimilated as a publishing professional in urban America. She is intelligent and somewhat naïve (see Figure 7-7D).

June is Marisol's co-worker, Irish American, wild hair, thirty-six years old, bright, edgy, and hyper. She is fashionable and appears as a vivid contrast to Marisol's Latin darkness (see Figure 7-7E).

For Angel, the playwright suggests a female African-American actor. She is an urban warrior, “a suffering, burnt-out soldier of some lost cause.” Angel wears regulation military fatigues, complete with face camouflage and medals. She looks like a soldier about to go into battle. She climbs a ladder on stage, so her pose is coordinated with the ladder (see Figure 7-7F). Figures 7-7G and 7-7H show other characters in Marisol.

COSTUME CHARACTER FIGURES FOR A COMEDY/FARCE

Playwrights create comedy/farce scripts via comical plots, witty expressions, and happy endings. Character costume figures for comedies feature elements of humor, joy, and laughter. Characters may portray a realistic style or an outlandish silly style. Their expressional appearances can be exaggerated and distorted to portray comedic elements such as absurdity, excitement, amusement, and so on.

Explore each character individually to help expose their humorous demeanors and create spirited costumes. Exaggerate distinctions between big and small, tall and short, and similar differences.

Character Figures for The Learned Ladies

The Learned Ladies by Moliere (1692) is about a struggle between a husband and wife (Chrysale and Philaminte) over who shall be their younger daughter's suitor/husband. The director set this particular production in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth centuries; the costumes will be fashioned with a realistic style. Hairstyles are more exaggerated for a comic appearance. Figures will be placed in pairs on the page based on their interactive dialogues and actions that take place.

Chrysale, the husband, is a well-to-do bourgeois. He is soft, meek, weak, and yields to his wife, Philaminte, who rules and governs the house. One day, he finally stands his ground. She reacts with a fussy, sharp tongue and bad temper. Placing husband and wife together on the page distinguishes their variation in height and size. The wife's taller and stronger figure is placed slightly in the foreground to portray her domineering personality, firmness, and arrogance. The husband's gesture and weak-kneed appearance portrays his uncertain, submissive mind. Angular, bold lines are used on the wife's facial features and body contour lines, while soft, curvy lines are used for the husband to further contrast their differences (see Figure 7-8A).

Henriette, Chrysale's youngest daughter, is 18 years old, beautiful, smart, and kind. Clitandre is Henriette's suitor, in his twenties, rich, and handsome. His father and Henriette's father are friends. Chrysale approves of Clitandre's marriage to his daughter. Their figures express a sweet young couple in love (see Figure 7-8B).

Bélise is Chrysale's sister and Herriette's aunt, in her late twenties, who believes that all men are wildly in love with her. She sides with her sister-in-law Philaminte on Henriette's suitors. Bélise is large, loud, and perhaps excessively dressed. Lépine is Philaminte's funny and clumsy house servant. His figure is holding a bench (it can be a chair) to identify his low status in the house. Placing Bélise and Lépine on the same page is based on the following moment when Bélise says (p. 35): “Look what you've done, fool. Surely you see the cause? It was by wrongly shifting what we call the center of gravity that you came to fall.” And Lépine replies, “I saw that when I hit the floor, alas” (see Figure 7-8C).

Trissotin, a wit, is a philosopher in his twenties who often writes sonnets and knows Latin, which makes him, in Philaminte's view, the more-learned man. Philaminte wants Trissotin to marry her younger daughter Henriette, but Chrysale is against it. Trissotin seeks marriage for money, not for love. His figure displays his foppish and flamboyant demeanor (see Figure 7-8D).

Vadius is a twenty-five-year-old scholar. He was introduced as knowing more Greek than any man in France by his friend Trissotin. Trissotin often invites Vadius to Philaminte's house where they discuss poems. Vadius criticized Trissotin's sonnet as dull and flat. They quarreled in the house. Vadius thinks that he challenges Trissotin in verse, prose, Latin, and Greek. He wrote a letter to warn Philaminte against Trissotin for his interest is only for their wealth. Julien, Vadius's valet, delivers this letter to the house. Handling the letter moment is used as character poses for the master and his valet (see Figure 7-8E).

Armande is Henriette's older sister, in her twenties, beautiful, arrogant, and a learned lady. She once rejected Clitandre, who now resents his attentions to Henriette. The Notary Man offers a notarized marriage license to Henriette. Armande and the Notary Man are placed on the same page because Philaminte talked about sending Armande to get a notary for the marriage of Henritte and Trissotin (see Figure 7-8F).

Martine is Philaminte's house maid and in her twenties. She is good at what she does. Philaminte drove Martine out of her house because she thinks Martine lacks grammar-book knowledge. Martine seeks Chrysale for help, because Chrysale and Philaminte disagree with each other. Martine supports the husband. Ariste is Chrysale's brother, a wise man in his forties. He stands by his brother's side and supports Henriette. These two characters are completely different, but one thing they share is that they both support Chrysale (see Figure 7-8G).

The following figures—Figures 7-8H to 7-8M—are samples of painting sketches with markers and colored pencils. These are the author's ideal comedy colors for this character.

CHARACTER COSTUME FIGURES FOR CHILDREN'S PLAYS

In general, children's plays involve children's stories and child characters. They may include animals, fairies, puppets, or animated characters. Children's plays can be performed by child actors or adults portraying children. The key for successful character figure construction in a children's play is to understand how a child's body is proportioned, and study behavior of children and animals.

Character Costume Figures for Just So

Just So is a musical by George Stiles, book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe, based on the stories by Rudyard Kipling. There are about twenty-five characters in the play, most of whom are animals. The costumes are symbolic. All the animal characters wear unitards, wraps, abstract headdresses, and tails to represent an exterior animal appearance.

If possible, watch rehearsals and learn about the dance choreography to aid in constructing animal characters. If you are unable to attend rehearsals, study and research animal behavior. Make sure animal character figures are believable. The overall demeanor of each character is illustrated as if they were behaving like the animal. Tip-toe movements can mimic animal-like walking. Animal and human actions are integrated into one.

The costume character figure drawings for a children's play are shown in Figures 7-9A through 7-9R.

Character Costume Figures for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a well-known timeless children's play dramatized by Joseph Robinette from the story by C. S. Lewis, was staged at the Orlando Repertory Theatre in spring 2008. The director requested that the two Beavers in the play be puppets operated by two puppet players. They are inspired and modeled after the Timon Puppet from the Broadway show The Lion King, designed and directed by Julie Taymor. Headdresses (most of them were made of 1” thick foam) are extensively used in the play. Contrasting colors in the costumes distinguished the characters. The White Witch and her army wore cool colors like whites/blues/purples to correspond to the icy, cold, lifeless winter in Narnia; warm colors are used for Aslan (the Lion) and his army to symbolize their love, bravery, and fight for justice. Exaggerated angular and bold lines used for characters of Narnia suggest their harsh and malicious nature. The lion is a guardian and savior of Narnia, so rounded curved lines, especially on facial features, were used for him and his followers to signify the contrast between the good and evil. Samples of these character figures for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are shown in Figures 7-10A through 7-10S.