Making Clockwork

Rules we decided today as a group, to use for the rest of the project:

1. Check in with each other regularly (days in class) to see if there are any problems the others can help with, or use the group chat during the week
2. Share useful information in class or on the group chat, e.g. fabric websites
3. Have meetings with Fiona together
4. Share notes from Fiona meetings ASAP if someone is ill/can't be there
5. Do inductions together, e.g. screen printing
6. Make executive decisions together, i.e. collaborating so that the costumes will look good together on stage
7. Do fittings together - taking notes or holding pins for each other
8. Help each other complete costumes if needed

Group notes:

• Can be really monochrome, i.e. optic white
• May spray faded 'candy colour' up from bottom hems on the finished garments, will see how they look purely monochrome
• Designs are very exaggerated silhouettes to highlight the difference between genders, can be very heightened features - boxy shoulders on my jacket, really structured hips on Harriette's dress - look at Melania Trump's inauguration dress
• Experiment in the print room maybe with flocking too, to add texture and depth
• The garments are going to be worn by other characters/actors in other scenes, so really needs to be plenty of room/ease

• Costume drawing has no tie- still making a tie
• Jacket and tie are still priority makes
• Bring leopard print colours (yellow/orange) into the lining
• Needs to look crisp, clean lines
• Modern suit jacket- neat short sleeves, well fitting. Maybe styled with turn up/rolled up to show some lining
• Looked at 19 fabric samples - not linen as creases too much; first choices are wool barathea and wool kova sateen from Whaleys (expensive so try to find other retailers/similar); not moleskin or velvet as too chunky, not 'clean' enough
• Looked at my moodboard of leopard prints- prefers the smaller scale prints, looks classier whereas the larger the print, the tackier the suit looks. Still experiment in the print room on Friday with a range of scales
• Suggested the flocking/some form of other texture could look good as a feature on the lapels only

Overview of the roles in the theatre:

(Holt, 1988, pp.13)

Holt, M., (1988). Costume and Make-up. London: Phaidon.

Both plays will begin their tours at the Desmond Tutu Theatre, at University of St. Mark & St. John and end at the Barbican Theatre, Plymouth.


King Lear is touring to the Cygnet Theatre, Exeter and Sterts Theatre, near Liskeard. This is a small space with just 100 seats in a few long raked rows.

Cygnet Theatre, Exeter 2

Next on Lear's tour is Sterts Theatre, near Liskeard. It is a covered outdoor venue, so does have some protection and electric lighting, but is more open to the weather than completely indoor venues. The semi-circular stage is not fully in the round but the audience are on 3/4 sides.

Inside Sterts (3)

Sterts (4)

Barbican Theatre in Plymouth is similar to the Desmond Tutu Theatre- a large stage area with raked seating. It is a smaller venue with 140 seats. It is the ending venue for both plays.

Barbican Theatre (5)

A Clockwork Orange is touring to Jacksons Lane, Highgate, London. It is another end-on stage with raked seating.

Jacksons Lane, London (6)

The Gate Arts Centre in Cardiff is a larger venue, with up to 350 seats. The thrust stage is surrounded by the audience on three sides, near on-level with the stage.

Gate Arts Centre, Cardiff (7)

Z-Arts in Manchester has 225 seats, a larger, steeply raked end-on stage.

Z-Arts (8)

Rondo Theatre in Bath is again an end-on stage, with 105 raked seats.

Rondo Theatre (9)

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1 Beale, C., (2017). Desmond Tutu Theatre, Marjon. Unpublished photographs. 
2 Won, L., (2012). Cygnet New Theatre, Exeter. [Online]. Available at: http://hopingformorethanslogans.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/exeters-burning-theatre-dreams.html [Accessed on 21st February 2017, at 17:17]. ^↩

3 Cornwall-lodges.co.uk, (2017). Inside Sterts. [Online]. Available at: http://www.cornwall-lodges.co.uk/tourist/Sterts-Theatre.html  [Accessed on 21st February 2017, at 17:17]. 
4 GB Theatre Company, (2016). Sterts. [Online]. Available at: http://www.gbtheatrecompany.com/sterts_theatre_cornwall.html [Accessed on 21st February 2017, at 17:17]. 
5 Visitsuttonharbour.co.uk, (2017). Barbican Theatre. [Online]. Available at: http://www.visitsuttonharbour.co.uk/places-to-visit/barbican-theatre/ [Accessed on 21st February 2017, at 17:17]. 
6 Rehearsal Space Finder, (2017). Jacksons Lane. [Online]. Available at: http://rehearsalspacefinder.com/listing/269a-archway-road-jacksons-lane-theatre/ [Accessed on 21st February 2017, at 17:17]. 
7 Capital Properties, (2012). Gate Arts Centre. [Online]. Available at: http://www.capitalpropertiescardiff.co.uk/blog/2012/10/11/arts-and-culture-in-roath-and-cathays [Accessed on 21st February 2017, at 17:17]. 

Group notes:

• All mostly monochrome with little pops of colour - Harriette - blue gloves, Ellie - pink gloves and lining, mine - yellow/orange lining
• Characters may end up with wigs, which will be sourced
• Shoes and accessories sourced by design assistants (Abi, stage manager from Marjon doing sourcing too)
• Let the design assistants know if think of something that needs sourcing, or find something hat could be useful
• Book into the print room ASAP - easier and more affordable to print, and will get the boldest design
• Collaborate so the prints look right together
• Experiment with scale of print
• Costumes may need to be overdressed (garments layered underneath e.g. polo necks) - leave plenty of room when fitting

My costume, notes from Fiona:

• Making: jacket, tie, maybe trousers and shirt
• Sourcing, ideally: white shirt, white or black trousers
• Make quite simple with clean tailoring rather than lots of fabric manipulation
• Waiting on final costume drawing from Fiona

On this new project, we are making for the Acting students at Marjon (University of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth) for 2 plays - King Lear and A Clockwork Orange.