Theatre has been around ever since humans walked the earth. Whether it was someone performing around fires for their family or a cast performing for a massive audience, people have enjoyed the theatre. And along with casting, many other things happen behind the scenes of shows, including costume design!
Costumes in theatre are, without a doubt, one of the key features of any show.
It is used to not only shape the character in their personality and origin but also show us the setting or style of the show. It can also be used to define certain characters from others. For example, in Heather’s: The Musical, the main cast have bold colours. These separate them from the ensemble and simultaneously reflect their character. Heather Chandler’s red colour scheme can show her confidence due to it being such a recognisable primary colour, Heather McNamara’s yellow shows her outgoing and bright personality, Veronica having blue can display her reserved nature, and Heather Duke’s green being a non-primary colour could show us how she isn’t as connected to Heather Chandler as the others. All these factors play into the characters personality and make the whole show nice to look at.
There are many jobs within costume design available such as the actual design side, wardrobe assistant or costume technician. One of the most interesting sides of this in my opinion is the technical side. These people can create, maintain and repair the costumes. They can also be responsible for things such as on-stage costume changes, like the green to red outfit in Heather’s. This job needs many requirements such as communication and leadership skills. However, having a good background on the technical side can help. Also having a history with theatre and design are what people tend to look for. Fashion is also a good course to take.
Like any theatre job, many pieces of equipment are used in costume design, these include;
TECHNICAL/MAKING OF COSTUME:
- Sewing supplies- Sewing Machine, Thread, Yarn, etc.
- Craft supplies- Fabric’s, Scissor’s, etc.
DESIGN STAGE:
- Art supplies- Paint, pencils, etc.
- Research/prompts- Ideas, concepts, etc.
Due to the importance of costume design in theatre, many famous designers have shown up, one of these people being Paul Tazewell. Most famous for his work on Hamilton and Wicked (The Movie), Paul Tazewell has been doing costume design for years with his first Broadway debut being in 1996 in ‘Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk’ in 1996. He later went on to receive a Tony for his costume design in Hamilton (2016) and Death Becomes Her: The Musical (2025). His work in Hamilton is exceptionally impressive due to its impactful originality and its historical accuracy!
Finally, let’s investigate the design choices of the costumes in The Lion King.
Costume designer Julie Taymor uses a mix of impressive costume and puppetry to portray traditional African artistry in the show. These respectful displays African culture whilst also making the show pleasing and interesting to watch.
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This costume not only interprets traditional African clothing but also uses a unique headpiece to represent Simba as a character, its design closely reassembling Mufasa whilst also being its own individual thing.
Also, the use of people as the scenery is a unique and important choice because it can include even more traditional designs! This is a brilliant musical that uses interesting puppetry and costumes to portray the story, and the costume design is just one part of the many other impressive things.
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I hope you enjoyed my article for the Drama Homework!
By Evelyn Halliday
