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Costume Design and Production of An Enemy of the People

Fickling, Sarah

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Fine Arts, Ohio State University, Theatre.
The Ohio State University Department of Theatre’s main stage production of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen sheds a light on the egocentric lives we live in a polluted world. This production ran November 5, 2015 to November 15, 2015. With direction by Professor Lesley Ferris, scenic design by MFA Design candidate Joshua Quinlan, lighting design by MFA Design candidate Andy Baker, and sound design by undergraduate senior Michael Jake Lavender, we brought to life a unique telling of this layered story. This production of An Enemy of the People held a mirror to the audience and showed them that hypocrisy and self-serving natures still run rampant in 2015. In accordance with the director’s concept provided by Professor Ferris, I designed and executed costumes that would help the audience to subconsciously bridge the events within the play to similar events of pollution being dealt with in 2015. I accomplished this by incorporating contemporary fashion elements of 2015 into the Victorian styles and silhouettes of 1882. I used preconceived notions that the audience may have of the Victorian era to my advantage; I dressed the characters at the top of the socio-economic status in strictly period clothing and added more contemporary fashion elements to the middle and lower class characters based upon his or her status. During the design and production process, I encountered a few challenges including resolving the logistics of the added characters of the Chorus of Women and the Townspeople, sourcing fabric originally swatched in April (four months before production began), budget concerns, in addition to the last-minute redesign of a major character’s costume. Despite these challenges, I enjoyed the journey of finding answers and solutions. This production has aided in my growth as a designer that will stay with me throughout my career. The following thesis will discuss my design process, character analysis and production process from conception through production realization as well as performances. My final chapter contains a self-evaluation of my work.
Kristine Kearney (Advisor)
Lesley Ferris (Committee Member)
Beth Kattelman (Committee Member)
171 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Fickling, S. (2016). Costume Design and Production of An Enemy of the People [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461090962

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Fickling, Sarah. Costume Design and Production of An Enemy of the People. 2016. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461090962.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Fickling, Sarah. "Costume Design and Production of An Enemy of the People." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461090962

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)