A Midsummer Night's Dream
By William ShakespeareCostumes by Julia van Broek
Artistic Concept
The fantastical world imagined by William Shakespeare that manifested itself in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is extraordinarily unique because there is so much open for one's own interpretation. Thousands of productions have been done of this play and each one is undoubtedly different from the others. The costume design opportunities are endless in a world with faeries, kings, queens, young lovers, and magical potions. The content of the piece is such that any designer can immediately understand who these characters are and still add multiple layers to their personalities with clothing, environment, props, lighting, etc. As the costume designer for this piece, I based my designs on a combination of influences, such as the natural flora and fauna of Greece, the relationships between the characters and their environment, and the manifestation of each character's persona through color.
The fantastical world imagined by William Shakespeare that manifested itself in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is extraordinarily unique because there is so much open for one's own interpretation. Thousands of productions have been done of this play and each one is undoubtedly different from the others. The costume design opportunities are endless in a world with faeries, kings, queens, young lovers, and magical potions. The content of the piece is such that any designer can immediately understand who these characters are and still add multiple layers to their personalities with clothing, environment, props, lighting, etc. As the costume designer for this piece, I based my designs on a combination of influences, such as the natural flora and fauna of Greece, the relationships between the characters and their environment, and the manifestation of each character's persona through color.
Human World
The characters that I designed for the human world are Theseus, Hippolyta, Lysander, Helena, and Bottom. Their costumes are primarily based on their social positions, economic standing, and personal goals.
The characters that I designed for the human world are Theseus, Hippolyta, Lysander, Helena, and Bottom. Their costumes are primarily based on their social positions, economic standing, and personal goals.
The time period of the world of my designs is the Directoire-Regency period. However, the world of the Faeries is inspired by the Ancient Greek Period. Since the Faerie world is intertwined with the human world, it makes visual sense that the Humans would be wearing current clothing that echoes what their ancient faerie neighbors wear. The Empire period is directly influenced by art, architecture, and artifacts from Ancient Greece that were being discovered during that time.
Theseus
Theseus is the King and he is going to marry Hippolyta (an Amazonian woman that he has conquered). His goal is to appear powerful, wealthy, and God-like to his subjects and his future bride. His costume is one of his casual, every day outfits, yet it is still extravagant and ornate. He never lets his guard down and even though he is jolly and excited about being married, he is always a soldier at heart so he is never without a plan. His costume includes a burgundy velvet M-collar tailcoat with exceptionally long tails, and an ermine-lined cape that falls to the floor. His entire ensemble is covered in gold, burgundy, and red detailing to create a more lavish appearance. The heavy detailing indicates that he can afford to pay highly skilled seamstresses to build clothing that takes a long time and requires costly materials. He is demonstrating his wealth.
Theseus is the King and he is going to marry Hippolyta (an Amazonian woman that he has conquered). His goal is to appear powerful, wealthy, and God-like to his subjects and his future bride. His costume is one of his casual, every day outfits, yet it is still extravagant and ornate. He never lets his guard down and even though he is jolly and excited about being married, he is always a soldier at heart so he is never without a plan. His costume includes a burgundy velvet M-collar tailcoat with exceptionally long tails, and an ermine-lined cape that falls to the floor. His entire ensemble is covered in gold, burgundy, and red detailing to create a more lavish appearance. The heavy detailing indicates that he can afford to pay highly skilled seamstresses to build clothing that takes a long time and requires costly materials. He is demonstrating his wealth.
Hippolyta
I used repetition, variation, and unity in Hippolyta’s costume by making it quite similar to Theseus’s. Her round gown with a long train includes some of the same fabrics as Theseus’s coat, as well as additional gold trimmings and sparkling emerald and pearl jewelry. Theseus chose these clothes for Hippolyta, and by dressing her similarly to himself, as well as in clothing that she would never have worn in her own country, Theseus demonstrates his control over his wife (an essentially unattainable creature) and furthermore his power over his kingdom.
I used repetition, variation, and unity in Hippolyta’s costume by making it quite similar to Theseus’s. Her round gown with a long train includes some of the same fabrics as Theseus’s coat, as well as additional gold trimmings and sparkling emerald and pearl jewelry. Theseus chose these clothes for Hippolyta, and by dressing her similarly to himself, as well as in clothing that she would never have worn in her own country, Theseus demonstrates his control over his wife (an essentially unattainable creature) and furthermore his power over his kingdom.
Bottom
Bottom’s costume does essentially the opposite of Theseus’s. He is the only character that is not of the upper class. He is a weaver and makes his own clothes. He is also an actor, which means he enjoys to perform and to draw attention. I wanted his clothing to be a reflection of his eccentricity and his flamboyancy. One could refer to him as a “dilapidated dandy.” He loves fashion, and when he makes his clothing he prefers to create things that most other people would be too shy to wear. He uses whatever fabrics are available to him, but when he can’t find good quality materials, he changes them into elaborate works of art so that their poor quality is disguised by the unusual design he has created. His waistcoat is a scruffy tweed with a lovely satin lining, and his breeches are made of a colorful striped material that is of a lesser quality that his coat. He has many tears and stains because he has kept and worn his favorite pieces for years and years. He is constantly repairing his clothing but something always seems to still be in need of attention. This is a great example of how I used texture to design a costume with a story that fit the character wearing it.
Bottom’s costume does essentially the opposite of Theseus’s. He is the only character that is not of the upper class. He is a weaver and makes his own clothes. He is also an actor, which means he enjoys to perform and to draw attention. I wanted his clothing to be a reflection of his eccentricity and his flamboyancy. One could refer to him as a “dilapidated dandy.” He loves fashion, and when he makes his clothing he prefers to create things that most other people would be too shy to wear. He uses whatever fabrics are available to him, but when he can’t find good quality materials, he changes them into elaborate works of art so that their poor quality is disguised by the unusual design he has created. His waistcoat is a scruffy tweed with a lovely satin lining, and his breeches are made of a colorful striped material that is of a lesser quality that his coat. He has many tears and stains because he has kept and worn his favorite pieces for years and years. He is constantly repairing his clothing but something always seems to still be in need of attention. This is a great example of how I used texture to design a costume with a story that fit the character wearing it.
Helena
Helena is a delicate and beautiful young woman who is desperately in love with Demetrius -- a man that hardly pays her any attention. The slate blue color of her ensemble is pretty but subtle and might go unnoticed (much like Helena herself). She wears a round gown with an empire waist and short sleeves, a ribbed organza petticoat, and a chiffon overskirt with a rectangle motif (suggestive of ancient greek textiles). The bodice is satin with a blue texture stripe and slate-blue chiffon gathered at the neckline. Light grey escarpins, a satin fillet, and white silk hose complete the look.
The Faerie World Shakespeare's Faeries are timeless, and in this production they don’t age. They are thousands of years old, and although they may once have dressed like humans in Ancient Greece, they now wear incredible garments, made from their natural surroundings, that mimic the shape and style of Ancient Greek dress.
Puck
The element of position was very important in several of these costumes. For Puck, I placed a snake around his waist to indicate that it is not only a pet of sorts, but also it is acting as his belt. He is wearing a white chiffon Ionic chiton with gold fibulae and two different types of animal skins hung at his waist. On his feet, he is sporting leather buskins. Since he is an extremely social and curious boy, Puck has made friends with all the creatures that inhabit the forest and the nearby beaches. These animals accompany him wherever he goes. Barnacles, sea urchins, and a starfish have attached themselves to his legs and snails crawl up his arms. The snake is his favorite companion.
The element of position was very important in several of these costumes. For Puck, I placed a snake around his waist to indicate that it is not only a pet of sorts, but also it is acting as his belt. He is wearing a white chiffon Ionic chiton with gold fibulae and two different types of animal skins hung at his waist. On his feet, he is sporting leather buskins. Since he is an extremely social and curious boy, Puck has made friends with all the creatures that inhabit the forest and the nearby beaches. These animals accompany him wherever he goes. Barnacles, sea urchins, and a starfish have attached themselves to his legs and snails crawl up his arms. The snake is his favorite companion.
Oberon
I used the design element of mass when I designed Oberon’s costume. Oberon, the king of the faeries, is larger than life. He is a king above kings, and knows it. Theseus shows his power by dressing elaborately and displaying his conquered bride, whereas Oberon’s power is obvious without his effort. His long kiton is made of many different green fabrics that create the look of weeds growing all over him. He is also covered in grape vines that are growing out of him. Several birds accompany him wherever he goes and act as fibulae, holding up his clothing in whatever style he prefers for that day. He is at one with nature and his birds even use him as a tree. There is a bird’s nest in his hair where three eggs are being tended to by one of the birds. Mass is created with the heaviness of the fabrics, and the variety of textures, all layered upon one another. He appears huge and imposing.
Titania
Titania’s costume is an example of balance and shape. The shape of the fabric on her dress would be of hundreds of butterflies. This translates into the visual image of a dress made of a gathering of butterflies all around her. The formation of the butterflies is asymmetrical, so I created balance in several ways. First of all, the front of the skirt portion of the butterflies falls mostly on her left side. I extended the heavy train of butterflies around her back so that quite a bit of it appears on her right side behind her leg. I also added light fluttery green crinkle chiffon on all the areas not covered by butterflies. This helped to make the costume less revealing, but it also helped balance out the areas with nothing on them, and the green color was a great contrast to intense colors of the butterflies.
Titania’s costume is an example of balance and shape. The shape of the fabric on her dress would be of hundreds of butterflies. This translates into the visual image of a dress made of a gathering of butterflies all around her. The formation of the butterflies is asymmetrical, so I created balance in several ways. First of all, the front of the skirt portion of the butterflies falls mostly on her left side. I extended the heavy train of butterflies around her back so that quite a bit of it appears on her right side behind her leg. I also added light fluttery green crinkle chiffon on all the areas not covered by butterflies. This helped to make the costume less revealing, but it also helped balance out the areas with nothing on them, and the green color was a great contrast to intense colors of the butterflies.
Research
