California Costumes Men's William Shakespeare Adult Sized Costumes

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In 1576 the first theatre was built. Between four and six troupes of actors made their permanent home in London and competed for audiences. Actors would be signed up to a company, and would always perform with that company, unlike today. A company consisted of about 12 people – actors, workers and apprentices. The actors played the major roles, invested in the theatre and clothes and split the profits. Workers were paid to do odd jobs, and apprentices trained as actors, while playing the children’s and female roles. Don’t discount things because they seem big and impossible; there will always be some big and theatrical way of achieving your design. The role of Apprentice Costume Makeris aimed at someone with an interest in period costume and theatre, who is looking for hands-on costume experience in one of the most well-known theatre companies in the world.The two-year programme will work towards the successful completion of a Level 3 Garment Maker apprenticeship. There is a reconstruction of the Globe built not far from its original location in Southwark, London. The company usually owned some costumes and reused them as often as possible. Actors left each other clothes in their wills, some sound as if they were costumes. Thomas Platter, a Swiss visitor to England in 1599, said that important people often left clothes to servants in their wills. The servants were not allowed to wear expensive clothes, so they sold them to actors. If the company had to have something made, they went to a tailor.

In Shakespeare’s time all actors were male. Men and boys played all the female parts. As with the men, women’s costumes were usually ordinary clothes that reflected the social status of the character the actor was playing. They also wore wigs which, by their colour and styles, showed the age and status of their character. Our Archive Collection is cared for at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust home to the largest library and archive dedicated to Shakespeare. You can browse what is housed there on their online database from production photos, cast lists, programmes and posters of our productions since its foundation. Our archive collection also includes DVD recordings of our productions which you can explore online and then arrange to see in person by booking with Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.The film and its costumes still serve as a reference to fashion designers—and indeed creatives of all stripes—today. What has made it endure? To make the bags of blood, the actors would fill animal bladders with animal blood. If the scene was particularly gory they might also use pigs’ intestines to throw across the stage. Explore our archive and library through the Discover Shakespeare online catalogueor by visiting the Reading Roomservice at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon. We actually see a travelling acting troupe in one of Shakespeare’s plays – Hamlet . A group of ‘players’ appear at court and put on a play. Hamlet gets them to insert a new scene into it – one that mimics the way his uncle killed Hamlet’s father, so that the murder is revealed. Did you know? Now design your own poster for the play. Remember that your poster will need to be eye-catching and provide an idea of what happens in the play.

The Globe was an open-air theatre shaped like a doughnut. There were shelters over the seats and the stage, but the middle section was open to the sky. The sun was the only source of light – performances took place during the day, not at night like they do now. The building was made of wood and plaster, like most Tudor buildings, which meant it was vulnerable to fire. No candles! The Apprentice Costume Accessories Makerrole will be based in both the Millinery & Jewellery and Costume Props & Footwear teams. You will learn how to construct and adapt costume accessories including hats, armour, shoe decoration and jewellery. This will also lead to a Level 3 Garment Maker apprenticeship standard.

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Throughout renowned playwright William Shakespeare’s 38 plays clothing is an integral part of the text [1]. Over the past 400 years various performances of Shakespeare’s work globally have led to various interpretations of his texts and how they are presented to the audience. For example, I have seen an all-female Globe production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ which was set during the Elizabethan era, the late Ninagawa’s epic production of ‘Macbeth’ adorned in the native dress of Japan and a production of ‘Richard II’ which used everyday items such as a ketchup bottle and sponge to symbolise characters in a narrativised version of the play. In each of these examples costume becomes a “visualisation of someone other than the actor [or everyday appliance] who wears it, and the clothing is chosen or designed for this particular theatrical moment” [2]. It’s very impressive that it was your first job as a head costume designer. Did you ever feel nervous about embarking on such a bold and radical take on a story that’s so beloved? Shakespeare was an actor as well as a playwright. We think that he played quite minor roles in his own plays – like the ghost in Hamlet . You could design multiple costumes for one character, as it’s common for actors to change throughout the show. Good examples of this are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: you could contrast their costumes in Act 1 (before Duncan’s murder) with their looks in Act 5 (as the English army approaches).

Leave things open to interpretation – once you have an idea don’t tell people exactly what you are doing but hint at certain things and let people draw their own conclusions.One of our most recognisable paintings is The Weird Sisters: Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3 by Henry Fuseli, 1783. A painting which explores the supernatural world in which Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is set. It shows an opening scene, where three witches, or weird sisters, foretell the character Macbeth’s future as king. Live music always plays an important part in Globe productions. How was it done and how were the musicians used? You can choose how you would prefer to design and present your poster, either by hand or on a computer. As a volunteer on this project, my task is to update catalogue entries for The Trust’s collection of costume designs. This is a lot of fun as I get the chance to look at hundreds of individual designs for many RSC productions. I’ve found that these designs provide a (usually!) colourful and perhaps under-explored way into our understanding of the themes or ‘moods’ that are unique to a particular production. Use the guide below to write a review for the Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank production of Macbeth.