View All Pages

Thinking Like A Costume Designer

Video Video Tips

Check out this video featuring the great, Tony-award winning costume designer William Ivey Long as he discusses his research, rendering, and swatching process for the Broadway productions of Beetlejuice and Tootsie.

How William Ivey Long Created the ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Tootsie’ Costumes Links to an external site.How William Ivey Long Created the ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Tootsie’ Costumes

(Length 9:35) from BroadwayDirect on YouTube

Think The Guiding Questions of a Costume Designer

  • What is this story about? What are the major themes, motifs, parallels, or symbolism that the playwright has woven into their writing?
  • Why are we (the theatre, the creative team, the playwright, etc.) telling this story?
  • What do you want the audience to take away from this story? To feel emotionally when they view it? Does that change over the course of the story?
  • What is the time period of the show? Are there specific references to a historical period? Is it modern? Or is the period more of an ambiance than a definitive year? Does it change?
  • Who are the characters in the play? What are their personalities? Ages? Nationalities? Gender or gender identities? Socio-economic statuses? Are there changes to any of those over the course of the show?

The answers or further questions they come up with from these self-questions can become a great starting point for their conversations with the director, playwright, and fellow designers.

Watch This Suggested Additional Viewing

Working In The Theatre: Costumes Links to an external site.Working In The Theatre: Costumes

(Length 33:02) from the American Theatre Wing on YouTube.

Featuring costume designers William Ivey Long, Emilio Sosa, and Willa Kim.