Greek Costumes
Theatre Research Investigation
Laura Hall
Candidate Number: 000004-022
Word Count: 1,594
December 1, 2008
I am preparing the costumes for your upcoming theatrical production, Antigone, and hope what I have prepared is to your liking. As you appreciate, the costumes I will prepare for your production can add to the dramatic effect of the words spoken and the audience’s reaction to their role-playing. I understand the significance of my contribution to your play, and I promise to craft each piece, whether mask, robe or chalmy, with care and dedication. Although each plays a critical role in defining the player, their role, and their social class, I commit to dedicating the majority of my time and effort to the crafting of the principal’s masks, as these will be the centerpiece of the play.
I recognize that your play, just like those of Euripides and other Greek playwrights, has evolved from the Grecian festival to the god of wine and revelry, the revered and celebrated Dionysus. The atmosphere of celebration, drama and excess, remained in the words and spectacle surrounding the plays written, whether a tragedy or comedy, and need to be conveyed through the costumes.
The usual costumes, and the ones I will be making for your production, are typical of those that would be worn in Greek theatre. They will include long robes called “himation” and long sleeved, decorated tunics. Other robes that I propose crafting for the production will include a shorter cloak called a “chalmy”. For footwear the actors should wear thick soled laced boots, which we typically refer to as “cothurnus”. There are three types that were used, a cuffed boot which folds at the top, a loose boot that might include a tab at the top, and a laced boot which might include a tab at the top
[1]. These high-heeled boots can raise the stature of the actors, add to the drama, and help make them more visible from afar.
All the costumes are going to be colorful, with different and intricate patterns sewn on. Of course Creon and other royal characters are going to have more detailed costumes than others. I think that for the chorus everyone should be wearing simple, white, robes, in order to tell who they are and keep the audience aware that they are not actually playing a specific part in the production, but are there in the background, adding a unified voice as called for. The chorus is also very important because it enables the audience to know about things that happen in the play that the characters themselves could not perform, chorus needs to have a powerful voice because not all emotions can be shown because of the masks. Their simple dress will contrast with the drama surrounding the costumes of the principal roles, as these characters are clearly recognizable in their well-crafted finery.
The shorn masks show that the character is in mourning or captivity; the shorn maidens reflect having been unhappy for a very long time, Elektra as distinguished from Antigone. Both are young and unmarried, older and married women have half-shorn masks, as explained in Greek Theatre Production, by Webster. The book also includes information about other performances as well, including Tyro and Trojan Women. The length of hair of the mask provides a way of distinguishing female characters. This is an integral part of the costume because in plays during Greek times, and in order to make your play as authentic as possible, all actors were men. It was easier to distinguish male actors form one another, but the fact that men have to play women proposes a distinct problem and challenge. The length of the hair on the masks therefore is very helpful in order to tell which female character is which.
Antigone’s costume should be a little less intricate compared to the other characters. Even though she and Ismene are sisters, Antigone’s costume should look a little more worn and like she doesn’t put a lot of effort into her appearance. She and Ismene should have the exact same himation and chalmy, but Antigone’s should be more worn out. As said before, her mask should have shorter hair, and if possible it should be cut short around her head, with no onkos. An onkos is a towering amount of hair at the top of the head, usually shown to show stature
[2] and if used in this play would probably be better for the character of Eurydice, but even for her, if she did wear one, it would not be very tall and she would have shorter hair because she is a woman with sadness.
Because Creon is the ruler of Thebes, his costume should be made the best, with the most delicate stitching and best material. Because his character is more practical, however, his himation and chalmy shouldn’t be too detailed; it should be plain but nice looking with only little detailed sewing on the hems. His full costume should be of the same length as the first picture below. The details could just be different colored stripes on the hems of his costume, maybe in different thicknesses, like the second picture below. His mask should not be too detailed either, but have a high forehead to show that he is of higher status, and more solemn features, not too sad or tragic. His forehead could have worry lines and wrinkles as well, to show that he is preoccupied with what is happening and his situation in the play.
As you understand, the masks are the most important and integral part of the costume, for many reasons. To make them I think it would be best if we made them the way they were made initially, in the earliest of Greek times, in order to remind ourselves of the origin of our theatrical roots, and what a noble profession ours remains. Thespis first only used “white-lead”
[3] to cover his face, and then switched to plain linen masks. Aeschylus changed costume and footwear considerably, adding color and making masks scarier. From that point on the masks evolved and eventually were made out of cork and other materials.
The masks we should make for this production should probably be made of cork or lightweight wood, then covered and detailed with pieces of leather and linen. Once the form has been finalized, I will paint them with dramatic colors, red for the lips, and for the male characters, dark bushy eyebrows and wild hair will pour from the top. To make the mask as realistic as possible, I will use human or animal hair; very similar to what was used in Greek theatre. The eyes will be large and pronounced, in vivid brown or green, with small holes where the pupil would be in order for the actors to be able to see.
A well-crafted mask is critical to the success of the play, and I ask for your dispensation to spend what is necessary to make them special and as close to the original masks that were used in Greek times as possible. The masks I am going to be making are not going to be an exact replica but they will be very similar to those made famous in the pottery and sculpture of Greek times. A stunning mask must be large and bigger-than-life, so that it is easily visible from far away in the audience. This reason is not so important today or for your production because your stage and theatre isn’t as big as the theatres that were used in Greek times, but the masks still do help the audience understand and see better.
Because of how the masks are made, they will also help your actors project their voices, so they are clearly heard from afar. The mask helped the voice of the actor resonate across the stage and into the audience. The mouthpiece is a bit bigger than if it was a normal mask, so that it allows for the actor to speak without problems. The size of the mouthpiece also helps project the voice, so that technical speakers and microphones will not need to be used. As you can see from the picture below, the mouthpiece is a little bigger than it would normally be in a mask. This is because it helps the actor be heard. Because your play is only going to have three actors in it, in order to be as similar to an actual Greek production as possible, but many more characters, the mask is the essential part of differentiating each character. Different masks will be made for each specific character, so that when an actor needs to change roles, all he really has to do is change masks. For tragic roles, I draw long sad mouths, for comedies, grinning faces that convey happiness and joy.
To conclude, I commit to not only following the traditions of Greek theatre with my costume production, but because of the detail, trim, detail to each piece – whether chalmy, mask or simple chorus robe – each will be done to perfection so that this play lasts in the memory of the audience forever. I hope that the production and the costumes will be to your liking and a sufficient representation of traditional Greek theatre. Greek theatre is something that has lasted for hundreds of years; I only hope that what I will make is enough to give credit to the importance of Greek theatre.
Bibliography:
Websites:Englert, Walter. "Greek Theatre." Ancient Greek Theatre.
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Karayannakos, Elias. "Ancient Greek Theatre." Ancient Greek Theatre. .
Journals/Articles/Books:Wiles, David. Greek Theatre Performance : An Introduction. New York: Cambridge UP, 2000.
Arnott, Peter D. Public and Performance in the Greek Theatre. New York: Routledge, 1991.Easterling, P. E., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy. New York: Cambridge UP, 1997.
Webster, T. Greek Theatre Production. London: Neil and Co. LTD., 1956.
Bieber, Margarete. The History of the Greek and Roman Theater. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1961.
[1] Webster, T. Greek Theatre Production. London: Neil and Co. LTD., 1956.
[2] Webster, T. Greek Theatre Production. London: Neil and Co. LTD., 1956.
[3] Webster, T. Greek Theatre Production. London: Neil and Co. LTD., 1956.
