Testing something

From a Distance...

So here's my latest question...

Many of us are lucky enough to work in a resident capacity- with more or less the same people, in residence at the producing company, familiar surroundings as far as resources go.

But what happens when we are faced with a non-traditionally structured production process away from home?

Has anyone experienced this? The "you have to be in rehearsal to participate/know what's going on" situation when you live three hours away? It is already trying to be in this situation when the design/production/tech schedule is traditional in that people tend to have an "out of sight, out of loop" tendency (particularly for costume designers... hmmm), but what happens when they can't pay you to be present, or you can't due to other committments?

And don't say quit the job or don't take these... assume someone is irrevocably stuck...

Teaching Design Beyond the Rendering

So I alluded to it in a response to an earlier comment- but now I will ask everyone outright:

Who has some good ideas for lesson design that incorporates the post-rendering part of the design process?

A challenge I am noticing is that student designers without practical design experience seem to be lost when moving a design past the final rendering that is where usual projects end...

I recently tried to simulate the pre-rendering "real world" situation to disappointing results, but I think it was the genre of the plays assigned that ultimately made the plan fall short... the project was to pick a modern play (with ten characters, mind you- "GO FIND A UNICORN!") and develop three concept options to be presented before a small class. Then an option was chosen by vote, at which point the students were expected to "run with it" very much the way preliminary concept meetings with directors run... sorta.

Well, newbie designers are not ready to do this with modern plays that call for more subtle interpretations of "concept." Maybe it will work better with classics or musicals... Shakespeares... everybody messes with Shakespeare. I just have to put a moratorium on Nazi/Fascist Shakespeare...

Anyway, that really dealt with the pre-rendering phase, but what would be so nice to be able to work into paper projects is the implementation, or the detail selection and evaluative process that follows presentation of final renderings. Class discussion at presentation time kind of works... but not really. Plus, hopefully some of these exercises could prepare students for altered design process models which is really our ficus here isn't it?

Any ideas?

New Year- new modes!

So one of my New Years resolutions was to be better about this discussion.

So, a new topic emerges...

I'm looking for anecdotes about productions that have really blurred the edges between design disciplines as we know them- or as we are taught.

I'm as guilty as the next (wo)man of saying in a production meeting, "That's props!" or secretly plotting that a bad decision will be fixed with lighting... but is that spirit collaborative? What is the line between passing the buck and sharing the love?

What do you think people? Tell me your story...

Role of actors in design?

To piggyback on Jenny's question/comment from an earlier post- what about the role of the actor in the development of the design?

When the text itself is experimental or develops organically in the production process, how does that effect the role of the actor in the development and execution of the design?

This is always a sticky spot between actor and designer- how many of us have heard "This isn't what I thought I would be wearing..." or "I don't think I would wear these pants..." and other more direct refusals of designs. But what happens in a situation where the actor is author? How does this effect not just process, but the sharing of "creative license" as well?

Greetings!

Hello all! This blog was born from deliciously mixed elated frustration.



My Master's Thesis project was Hamletmachine. That should be sufficient information and provide just cause for opening this conversation.

Most of my resume pre-grad school and happily post has been comprised of pieces which were conceived, developed and produced by methods other than those we learned in Costume Design I- steps are jumped, skipped and rolled- some practices are even added to the overall process...

Although the beauty of this kind of theatre is that no two case studies are identical, I thought it might be a good idea to open a specific forum where questions, answers and general venting can be posted about the challenge of costuming experimental theatre projects.

We can do this a few different ways:
1. Commenting is open. Anyone can post comments, although I have secured approval to control spam and other nonsense (random inappropriate photos, cheesy adverts, etc).

2. Every so often, I will post a topic: "rehearsal garments: Binding promises of things to come?" and other hopefully helpful starter comments to stimulate sharing.

3. If you have a very specific question and want to create a topic, message me and we will try to get things going...

Please keep in mind, to ensure easy participation, this blog is OPEN which means what goes on in the "Union" is public knowledge! Candor is appreciated, but don't be shocked if you drop something sharp and it lands in your chair, if you know what I mean.

That being said, our first topic is:

The role of renderings in open production processes:
In design classes, the rendering is king, but what happens when the performances, costumes even text are created during the rehearsal process? How have you dealt with this challenge and what was your involvement in the development process?