The design of a costume must be considered even more than its materials. A designer is an artist who uses fabric, color, and line to create an impression and to express an idea. He should study the play, and understand its dramatic ideas and moods. If he does this, his costumes will be as expressive, if properly worn, as the words of the actors.
Historic costumes reflect in a remarkable way the life, tastes, and feelings of an earlier time. But historic costumes also require an artist to reproduce them. The designer of an historic costume should know a great deal about the people who first wore this particular kind of costume and why they wore it. He will then choose suitable materials and colors, and will try to reproduce characteristic lines and silhouettes.
Last but not least comes the wearing of a costume. This requires two very important things: intelligence and imagination. The wearer, as well as the designer, should know the life, customs, and manners of the period which the costume represents. If he does not know them how can he move and gesture and assume the characteristic attitudes which the period demands and bring the costume into harmonious relation with the setting?
A mask requires but few properties. A throne, a chair, or a stool may be sufficient, if well designed and of the proper period. A rich, colorful hanging or rug against a neutral background will draw your stage picture together and add dignity to a scene.
The throne and stool shown in the photograph on page 178 were made from beaver board, after designs of Gothic furniture. The design was first drawn on the beaver board; to the design were then glued pieces of rope clothesline, while small rolls of papier-mâché were glued on for the lowest relief. The entire surface was then covered with pieces of unbleached muslin which had been soaked in whiting, glue, and warm water. When this was dry a coat of dark earth-brown oil paint was applied. Lastly a small amount of gold was rubbed over the design. The result resembled rich carved wood.
Much can be done with papier-mâché in the making of minor properties, such as croziers, maces, harps, lutes, jewel boxes, helmets, shields, sword handles, and scabbards. Properties should add to the beauty of a scene, never dominate it. They will be much more convincing when they suggest rather than minutely imitate the actual object. A background may be no more than a box hedge and still be most charming.
Everyone is familiar with the beauty of woodland settings. Masks of spring, summer, and the harvest time of Shakespearean plays almost demand some such setting.
Masks of winter bring us indoors. Possibly the best indoor background is the simple gray curtain of velvet, velveteen, monks’ cloth, outing flannel, or cambric. Against it costumes are seen to advantage and lights of all colors may be thrown against it successfully.
Since a mask is a highly conventionalized form of drama, it is possible to use a background painted with appropriate decorative or symbolic designs. An illustration of this is the symbolic pine tree painted on the wall of the temple courtyard for the Japanese No dramas. Screens of various kinds are full of possibilities. In the church or Sunday school, classroom, auditorium, library, or settlement, in the yard, playground, or park, ingenuity, imagination, and taste will always create a fitting background.
