Date of Graduation

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MFA

College

College of Creative Arts

Department

Dance

Committee Chair

Mary McClung

Committee Co-Chair

Bryce Britton

Committee Member

Alan McEwen

Committee Member

Steven Neuenschwander

Abstract

Kiss Me Kate provides an interesting challenge for costume designers in that it is set in 1940s Baltimore but stages a production of Taming of the Shrew within the musical. During the spring and fall of 2015 I was given the opportunity to design Kiss Me, Kate for my graduate costume design thesis project. I worked in collaboration with Professor Bryce Britton, director, Professor Robert Klingelhoefer, scenic designer, and Professor Alan McEwen, lighting designer. Professor Britton expressed his desire to create a "Technicolor dreamland" for our Elizabethan Renaissance show within a show, and Professor Klingelhoefer discussed the need for a duality between the two halves of the show. I aimed to portray a realistic 1940s era backstage while also designing a big and bold theatrical production of Taming of the Shrew. As costume designer my challenge was to manage a production that contained multiple eras requiring costume and character changes.;To accomplish this I researched thoroughly both Elizabethan Renaissance and 1940s Eras and engaged in a close reading of both Kiss Me Kat e and Taming of the Shrew in order make design choices that reflected the characters in each show. These design choices were refined though a series of sketches with final design choices made in collaboration with Professor Britton. From this point on I was responsible for overseeing the transition of my designs from paper to reality by building a schedule for costume production, pulling and renting costumes, and organizing fittings for twenty six actors.;One of the most significant lessons I take away from this production is the importance of getting and staying organized. I accomplished this through detailed documentation of my vision and how it applied to each character and costume. I also learned the importance of staff management and asserting myself as a designer so that my design ideas are reflected in the finished costumes.

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