Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MFA

College

College of Creative Arts

Department

Design and Technology

Committee Chair

Mary McClung

Committee Member

Tiffany Delligatti

Committee Member

Radhica Ganapathy

Abstract

Designing King Lear: How Costume Design for a Theatrical Production is Affected by a Transition to Film

Jacob Steven Currence

William Shakespeare’s King Lear was written in 1606, and it recounts the folktale of a king losing his power and sanity. Several hundred years later, in 2022, West Virginia Public Broadcasting aired the West Virginia University School of Theatre & Dance production of King Lear. As costume designer for the play, it was my task to depict King Lear’s decline through his wardrobe. My costume work needed to reflect his descent into madness and ultimate loss of power. Moreover, this production of King Lear was gender-swapped, meaning that Lear, Kent, and Gloucester were portrayed as women. This allowed for a unique design approach, in which I sought to display these characters’ power and eventual loss and/or gain of it through the use of female garb and costume. These characters’ costumes also had to reflect the power dynamics between parents and children. Goneril, Regan, Cordelia, Edmund, and Edgar’s wardrobe all symbolized their standing with their respective parents and in society. I first provide an analysis of the play itself. Next, I discuss the inspiration, research, and design process for the costumes. Finally, I outline in detail the development and execution of building and utilizing the designs for the production. Though the challenges associated with this environment were never-ending, the final product’s broadcasting proves the strength and survival of theatre arts in numerous forms.

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