What I learned about Costumes on Stage

On Saturday, the Friends of the Textile and Costume at the Royal Ontario Museum hosted an event called Costumes on Stage which featured co-director of Opera Atelier Marshall Pynkoski, freelance costume designer Martha Mann,  and costumer/cutter Rita Brown.  As the event photographer, I had only half an ear open to the presentation but I managed to scribble down a few notes nonetheless.

Detail from Costume designed by Martha Mann

Marshall Pynkoski, co-director of Opera Atelier, spoke with great enthusiasm about his love of the 18th century as inspiration for his productions. One of the challenges he expressed was how to bring forward the depths of emotion from the actors so that the production did not become "just a parade of gorgeous costumes". To show costumes in motion, four Opera Atelier dancers took to the stage.

Dancers from Opera Atelier

Martha Mann, who is designed Opera Atelier's costumes for the Marriage of Figaro including those shown above, talked about her process as a designer which encompassed:

1. Analysis: an initial analysis of the music and words to understand the period and setting of the production, the time of day, season of the year, social status of the characters
2. Concept Meeting with the Director: an effort to understand what the director is trying to say with this production and to clarify questions from her initial analysis
3. Research: a process which includes looking through picture files, paintings, books to identify motifs for the period, silhouettes and shapes of clothing, colour and styles of fabrics.
4. Rough drawings: development of initial pencil and watercolour sketches for costumes to establish shape, colour pallete for presentation and review with director, set designer and other parties
5. Final drawings: finalization of sketches as a communication tool for director. cutter, sewer, wig person, jewellery accessories, director and actor

Costume by Martha Mann for Opera Atelier, Marriage of Figaro

Although the sketches are "final", there still is much work to be done and that is when someone like Rita Brown steps in.  Before cutting can begin, the concept for the costume may have to be modified depending on the size of an actor. As well, the availability of fabrics can affect the desired result and must be considered. A cutter must work closely with the designer and the actor through the various fittings to help define the character in visual form.  According to Rita Brown, a "successful costume as one that is a blend of illusion and reality, clearly delineates the character, costs little, and wears forever".

Costumes from the Shaw Festival by Rita Brown

For both designer and cutter, two key challenges were identified. One was that the modern body is not corseted from a young age and that affects the creation of costumes with a defined period silhouette. Actors must be able to breathe and move freely and tight corsets are not comfortable on modern bodies. Another issue was the availability of fabrics for period productions. Since the stage never deals in reality, finding and choosing a fabric that meets budgetary constraints and which creates the illusion of belonging to a certain period is necessary.  In Martha Mann's words, "a costume will always reflect the aesthetic of now." 

Dr. Alexandra Palmer, Rita Brown, Marshall Pynkoski, Martha Mann

Costumes from Death in Venice by The Canadian Opera Company

The fall schedule of the Canadian Opera Company features a production of Death in Venice with period costumes designed by Richard Hudson.

Death in Venice is an opera based on German author Thomas Mann's novella. Mann was inspired by the true story of Goethe's love for 18-year-old Ulrike von Levetzow and wrote a fictional story about Gustav von Aschenbach, a famous author in his mid-fifties travels to Venice and encounters lost luggage, disease, longing, lust, confusion and degradation.

The Canadian Opera Company's production originally premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2007 and was Benjamin Britten's last opera. The opera will be sung in English and tickets are available now at the COC website or box office.

Note: All images were provided courtesy of Canadian Opera Company. Designs are the copyright of Richard Hudson 2007.

More Costumes on Stage

Feast your eyes on another beautiful costume design from Martha Mann, created for Opera Atelier's 2010 production of The Marriage of Figaro.  Created by Mozart and first performed in 1786, the opera features two female characters, The Countess Rosina and her maid Susanna, in a single day of madness in the Spanish court.

This lovely gown is for Susanna, the maid. Consider the lovely colour harmony in the choice of complementary coloured fabrics with peach tones for the Countess (see yesterday's post) and the lovely pale blue tones for Susanna.

Martha Mann will be speaking at Costumes on Stage event at the Royal Ontario Museum on Saturday, September 25, 2010 along with Marshall Pynkowski of Opera Atelier and Rita Brown of the Shaw Festival. Tickets are now available on the ROM website under events for September 25, 2010.

Opera Atelier Costume Designer wins Award

Photograph of Sleeve Detail of Countess Almaviva Costume by Ingrid Mida 2010

A few weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of photographing two of the Opera Atelier costumes from their recent production of The Marriage of Figaro. While handling these gowns during the shoot, I was struck by the exquisite detail and workmanship. Note the delicate sleeve detail with the ribbon roses in the photo above.

Photograph of Countess Almaviva Costume Petticoat Detail by Ingrid Mida 2010

I was compelled to photograph the beautiful petticoat peaking from underneath the overskirt of the gown worn by Countess Almaviva. This petticoat would not have been visible as it is otherwise completely hidden by the overskirt. Only a true artist would care what lies beneath. For this reason, it was not a surprise to me when I heard that costume designer Martha Mann won an award last night for her work on this production.

Martha Mann received her first Dora Mavor Moore Award yesterday for Outstanding Original Costume Design for Opera Atelier’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. The Dora Mavor Moore Awards recognize the outstanding achievements of Toronto’s performing arts industry annually in five categories: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Dance, Opera, and Theatre for Young Audiences.


“Working with Martha Mann on The Marriage of Figaro was a thrill for the entire creative team,” said Opera Atelier’s co-artistic director Marshall Pynkoski.  “We are delighted that her superb artistry has been celebrated in her debut production with Opera Atelier.”

Congratulations Martha!