For my major project I chose to design Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward, for theatre performance.
I chose to set the play in 1930’s, England. For this showcase I chose to show my favourite designs of some of the key characters. I wanted to portray Coward’s fictional world in my designs, while also showing the character’s personality and status in their costumes.
For Madame Arcati, I imagined her to have items from English shops and also items she collected while travelling in the east, with other cultures influencing her eccentric style. Ruth and Elvira are both very strong characters in this play and I wanted them to be very opposit to eachother, Ruth being very prim and proper with a slight stiffness to her, and Elvira more confident and daring, showcasing glamour. Charles is very proper and suave in what he wears. I wanted to showcase his wealth and status in his own narcissistic world.
I wanted each character to hold their own individual presence on stage as they are all very key characters to the story, the audience should be wanting to look at all characters and be entranced by them and sucked into their world throughout the play.
I’ve included two images of my costume toile for Madame Arcati, showing the key area of the costume.
I hope you enjoy my take on a classic Noel Coward play.