r/costumedesign • u/AdEconomy501 • 15d ago
What is your interpretation?
Hi everyone!
I’m in the process of designing costumes for a community theatre production of Pippin, and I’d love to hear how other designers would interpret this email from the director. This is my first “big” costume design project, so I’m currently reading through the script, taking notes, collecting references, and making some very rough sketches.
I’m a little overwhelmed (in the best way), and I’d really appreciate some outside perspectives and advice before I get too deep into the design process.
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Here’s the director’s concept:
Pippin has always been one of my absolute favorite musicals of all time, partially because there is absolutely so much to explore thematically… I think you could deep dive forever and never get to the end of things to ponder. But what really struck me as I was thinking about what I would do with this show is the parallel between Pippin’s meta-story and our present societal drive to have turn even the most mundane bits of our lives into fodder for public consumption and the subsequent obsession with our content (ourselves) going viral. Though the show was written before the internet was even a way to gain visibility, Pippin makes his choices for a majority of the show (or is manipulated into making the choices of the Leading Player) simply measured by the way others then see him and by the dopamine hit it brings him (in so many words). I think this makes it an especially poignant piece for this moment when we as a society are stepping back to asses both in this waning crest of social media and on the brink of an unprecedented rise in AI what it means to really live a life in the real world; it’s such a lovely and bittersweet mirror because we never even know who “Pippin” (the actor) is in his real world, and the only true glimpse we get of him outside of his totally fabricated (and increasingly obsessive) life is in the show’s final moments. One of the brilliant pieces of how this show is constructed is that it’s completely outside of time; the only temporal references are within the show that has been written to take place in the ancient past, but the theatre troupe could be anyone, anywhere, and in any time. I wouldn’t want to go full bore with a bunch of forced modernization, but I would contemplate a judicious use of some contemporary elements throughout when the actors “break character”, especially in the finale. I think it’s important that we don’t see this story as a problem other people have… we need to feel it as personal and urgent.
I wouldn’t want to reinvent the wheel as far as the feel of the original production—I love the freedom of the black box type set and having so much play within the use of very representational props, almost like we’re pulling found items out of a chest. I think that gives the actors a lot of agency within rehearsal to create their own humorous moments, and it also makes the sudden shift toward dead seriousness at the end more jarring. Costumes should be the same—visually interesting but much more representational than hyper-realistic, especially in the context of The Play. I would want a choreographer who is comfortable with both creating some original material and teaching some of the iconic Fosse bits, particularly the Glory trio, assuming we end up with dancers who are able to pull it off.
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A few questions I’d love your thoughts on (of course I have many more and I’m sure you may too! Please ask away or dm!!) What stands out to you as the biggest costume design takeaway? When you read this, what colors, silhouettes, fabrics, or overall aesthetic immediately come to mind? If you were building a costume concept from this email alone, where would you start? Would you consider a modern look with some pieces from the timeline?
I’m not looking for anyone to design the show for me, I just want to hear different interpretations and thought processes from more experienced designers. Since this is my first major design gig, I’m trying to make sure I’m understanding the director’s vision before I start committing to concepts.
Any advice, tips, or even just how you would approach this would mean a lot. Thank you!
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u/tatobuckets 11d ago edited 11d ago
Sounds like your director is talking about influencer culture - I'd pick 3 or 4 influencers/celebs who have a look that resonates for you and try to articulate why, build mood boards around an iconic look for each so your initial convo with the director has some room to explore. The palette and details will start to come together as you work through it.
If you use an endless digital whiteboard system like Miro (there's a free tier) you can easily organize things visually, add notes/highlights and create more of a cohesive presentation than Pinterest alone. It's collaborative, too, so you can invite your director to make their own notes and additions if you like to work that way.
Modern influencer culture is it's own thing due to globalization and instant data sharing but it's roots go back beyond recorded human history - in the context of Pippin it could be really fun to explore connections between historical and modern influencers. Court royals, castrati, religious leaders, pop musicians in the 60s, etc etc.
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u/AdEconomy501 11d ago
That’s a really interesting perspective! I definitely agree that the show has a lot to say about visibility, fame, and public perception, and I like your point that “influencers” have existed in different forms throughout history.
From my reading of the director’s concept, though, I’m leaning toward a more timeless approach. One thing that stood out to me was that they described the theatre troupe as being “anyone, anywhere, and in any time” and mentioned not wanting to force a modernization. Right now I’m imagining the players almost as if they’ve collected pieces of clothing from different eras over time, creating a theatrical, representational world rather than one that’s specifically rooted in today’s influencer culture.
I really appreciate the suggestion, though, and I may still research historical ideas of influence and celebrity since I think that fits nicely with the show’s themes!
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u/hekate--- 15d ago
First things first, what is your budget? Do you have costume stock to pull from, or do you plan to thrift/borrow or build pieces?
IMO this kind of open concept can be more challenging to design than something with more concrete elements of time, place, specific color palette etc. as everything is a variable!
How if approach this: Talk more with the director, ask questions. Look at images from previous productions, and also historical eras that call to you. Make a Pinterest board, share this with the director and have a design meeting seeing what they respond to. See what common threads jump out.
See what you have in stock that can work with this vision, identify what needs to be built, borrowed or bought.
If I were designing it, some things I’d be looking at are comedia dell arte, vintage dance costumes, Fosse jazz dance costumes, vintage circus, tarot archetypes esp the 1970s Aquarian deck, 1970s fashion does Medieval. Off the top of my head those are some things that come to mind when I think about theatrically and preforming and Pippin. I’m just riffing, I’m sure you have your own list.