As you can see, it's a rather subdued palette. That's because most of the action of our next production, 'Now Is The Hour' by David Hall, takes place on a lifeboat in the middle of the sea after a torpedo attack on the ship 'Laconia' in 1942.
My challenge for this show is to age and 'break down' the costumes to show the wear and tear they would receive, cast adrift in the middle of the sea for 28 days. With no one leaving the stage to change! The actors will also have to show the affects of exposure, sunburn and dehydration. Again without leaving the stage.
To achieve this requires a great deal of planning and clear thought and a very large and detailed costume plot.
The costume plot is a way of recording all the relevant information I need about who is wearing what and when. It also shows how much time has passed in the play and how much actual time has passed which is important for costume changes as, in this play, there are about 6 actors playing multiple parts.
The action goes from Act 1 where everyone is at dinner on board the Laconia into Act 2 where some of the characters are on board the lifeboat. This means that what ever they are wearing as the ship goes down at dinner is what they will be wearing for the rest of the play adrift in the lifeboat.
This is where my headache will begin.................
More of this over the next few weeks. Layering, under dressing, break aways, Vaseline, potassium permanganate, fullers earth. All will be revealed!
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