2nd Fittings and Set developments.

Yesterday I sent out an email in the hope of recruiting some helpers for The Canterbury Tales. I was really pleased with the response and as a result the seating covers are now almost complete. As I was in fittings today Selina, my set assistant supervised this and it has meant, with it falling on a costume dye room day, that the bunting has been started also. I'm really pleased with this progress and I think it just illustrates that if you're prepared and need assistance there will be people there who want to help. This week I have been experimenting and working on the banners for the Knight's Tale (Arcita and Palamon- fighting scene). The first two pictures below show my 2nd banner. I chose to make it much bigger as the first one I did was way too small and I changed the shape as I didn't want the banners to match the bunting.

Below are my fitting photos for the day. I think the fittings went well. There are a lot of extras that need making and some alterations to be done to the hired garments.

Above is Chaucer's costume. I'm pleased with this, my only notes were that the belt should cover the seam at the waist and I would have prefered black shoes for him but these are ok.
Below shows Emilee/Constance/Pilgrim's costume. We had to change the neckline to a more rounded one as the square neck wasn't working, however I'm pleased with the braid. I think it's important to consider how the costume will be made when designing it and I think being there at the fittings has really helped me to get a better understanding of how costumes are interpreted. This can only benefit my design work.

 Below: Channel at the neckline with very subtle gathers, this will be covered with the braid I chose.

Squire: Katie created two sleeves for this costume, the one on the left is my design and the one on the right is a historically accurate one. I think that the sleeve I designed draped better and we cut it to fit his arm. As a designer I have realized I really like having lots of options as it helps to get an even better result. My supervisor hired a selection of garments for this purpose and although there isn't much that is not being used it helped having different things the actors could try and seeing what suited them (comfort and fit) as well as my design. Anything leftover could be used for front of house when the shows take place.

These are the outfits for the ASMs, I chose the garments for them to wear (in the first picture below) mainly because of hair colour and as both dresses fitted them well.

 Yeoman: Below with Don John's snood.

Below: This is the outfit we chose for the Yeoman. We had to change the hose and consequently the colour because this actor is doing a lot of fighting and therefore requires ease of movement, so these hose below were more comfortable for him.

 Monk: His snood is unfinished although I'm pleased with the fit of the gown.

Pilgrim Lady/Miller's Wife: This is a dress that we got from The National Hire and it fits really well, there just needs to be a panel added at the front and the tippets which I think will make an interesting and authentic addition.

 Reeve: This hired gown fitted really well, the additions of the cape and coife need to be made and added.

 Knight: I think this is looking really great, the fabric and the cut work really well together and smarter hose are arriving tomorrow.

 Wife of Bath.

I am pleased with how this costume is going and the colours work really well. I think it would benefit from having a real leather band as it would really give an authentic medieval feel.

Host: I am pleased with how this costume is progressing and I decided to go with the darker red hat below and the grey hat for the Nun's Priest (as the host uses this hat in a tale) as they suited the costumes more and they were the best fit and style of the ones we had found at the hire departments for these characters. I think that hats can be quite a difficult element of a costume as it is more subjective as to whether a hat suits someone. It also of course depends on the size, and how a hat is worn can really affect how a member of the audience interprets that character.

 Shipman. I really pleased with this costume and I think the fabric I chose is a very good colour and texture for this character.

 Nun's Priest: The grey hat fitted him well and tonally went with the rest of his outfit. The snood will be a different colour (grey/mauve) to tie in with the tones of the rest of his costume.

 

Alison/Pilgrim: This costume is a really good fit and I like the colour. I think looking at all the costumes together has helped me to see the colour palette for the play and I think it works really well altogether. They aren't too similar, but tonally they all work together and don't clash in any way. Some colours have changed due to the hired garments but we managed to get things that would complement with what was being made or sourced. I can also check this on Friday when we have our moving parade.

Prioress: I am really pleased with how this costume is looking as it is quite a complex make. We really thought about how the headgear looked and fitted and I feel confident that it will work really well.

Miller (with Warden's tartan): This costume works well for the Miller and the colours and textures have a good aesthetic.

Overall I am very pleased with how the fittings went, I think now it's just a case of completion along with the extra pieces required. I think I'm gaining more confidence in working around any issues or adjustments that have to be made to my designs, whilst still keeping to my vision for that character and the whole show. What was fashionable in the medieval period has different connotations in modern society. This particularly applies to the Squire's hat, which in the medieval period would have been quite big and extravagant but the mock up was not in keeping with the feel of the other hats and garments. Therefore I decided to make it much shorter so that it still had a young fashionable feel but would not be interpreted as a comedic element, although it is still authentic to that period.

Tavern Signs.

Today the changeover between Much Ado About Nothing and The Canterbury Tales began. I think the tavern signs have been a challenging part of my set and they have consequently given me an idea of how difficult it can be in an in the round performance to ensure there are no blind spots and the set runs smoothly and doesn't feel disjointed. Using the studio theatre to get an idea of how the sizes and images worked in the performance area helped us to come to a solution. The result is that my tutor had the idea that the shields that were free from set exchange could be painted with my designs and attached to the mezzanine where they can be lit momentarily when the next tale begins. This also means that no ASMs in costume will have to move across the mezzanine, as the director's concern today was that this created creaking and was noisy for the beginning of the tale. I'm pleased with this plan of action as the director liked the idea and I felt that the signs needed more development.

Much Ado About Nothing.

I saw Much Ado About Nothing on Saturday and it was a really great production. I chose to sit and watch on the mezzanine floor as I wanted to get an idea of how this would work for my production. It gave me a chance to interpret the space as an audience member and it made me really excited to envisage The Canterbury Tales there. It also helped me to understand how difficult lighting can be with an in the round performance as a lot of the time I could see that audience members were lit up. Seeing this production has helped me to consider my production from an audience's view even more.

Production Meeting and Set work.

On the 26th we had our 2nd production meeting since rehearsals began. It went well and I think the production is progressing well, it is just at the point where the set up and decoration of the set can begin and the costumes have mostly been decided and sourced. Alterations will have to be made to some of the hired garments although getting them a week earlier means that the cast can rehearse in the shoes they will be wearing for the performance. I think that this is a very interesting and yet challenging play to work on. Trying to create spontaneity whilst keeping the authenticity means that I have to consider every creative decision and give it an explanation, so that the themes of the play endure throughout. This will ensure that the play runs smoothly and the audience is carried along by the themes the cast portray.
The tavern signs have developed a lot during this project due to making developments in other elements of the play. This has meant the signs have changed and become more like coats of arms. I'm really pleased with them and look forward to working on them full size. I decided to change the Nun's Priest's sign as I felt the mirror did not fit with the other signs and the director was unsure of the reflective element. Below is a picture of the new nun's Priest's sign:

Below is a picture of the Jap Silk that we are lighting blue for the Sea in the Man of Law's tale. It has had to have some repair and I have used linens and silk noile for this and I have also neatened it. It was used for another AUCB production and it creates a good movement for waves in the sea. I wanted it to look as though it had been patched up by the host or one of his maids, as if it had previously been a grander table cloth and then a brawl had broken out and covered it in spots of blood as the taverns in the medieval period could be rough places.

I am pleased with how the made garments are going and I'm looking forward to seeing them at the next fittings. Below are some pictures of how the hats/head pieces for the Miller, Squire, Monk and Don John are developing.

Above is the Miller's hood. I really like the long tail, however it needs to have more of a point at the end.

This is the squire's hat. I like the fit on the head although it needs shortening.

Above shows snood that the monk will have. I decided to have the one for Don John half the length as he will have to put it on very quickly and easily.

The National, Fittings and Set Progression.

The trip to the National hire department went well and I think we have managed to source the gowns that we didn't have and also found lots of hats for all the characters. Some may need covering in different fabrics, particularly for the Knight as we have found a hat the right shape but not the right colour. It really helped having a list of things I felt we needed to find as it made it easier for me to chose things quickly and efficiently. I think that preparation is key as it ensures that nothing is forgotten or incorrect especially in a play such as The Canterbury Tales where there are so many characters to remember and actors/actresses are playing several characters. Today I had toile fittings for Alison/Pilgrim (Jessamine) and the Knight (Ethan), as in the initial fittings the measurements were incorrect. I think it went really well and I am very excited and pleased with how the costumes look. The fabric for the Knight is the most expensive in the play however it is perfect for the costume and great quality. The cut of the costume, along with quilting in sections which we decided to add at an initial fitting, will show off the richness of the fabric and therefore the class of the Knight. The Squire's fabric also has a rich muted colour and feel to it although it is not as rich as the Knight's, showing that they are the two wealthiest characters in the play but that the Knight being the Squire's father is still above him in rank.
Below: Knight before.

 Below- Showing the fabric on Ethan. I'm really pleased with this colour, the fabric has a good sheen.

 Alison/Pilgrim before.

 The Knight- after.

Alison/Pilgrim after. We made her costume a bit more fitted and added lacing on the inside of the arm so the sleeve could be fitted but comfortable. I think this would be more subtle than on the outside of the arm and would look good when she plays the recorder/raises her arm.

I helped out with the seat coverings today and it has helped me to think and plan (especially in terms of time and helpers) certain elements of my set and how those are going to be realised.