Costume in Performance: Materiality, Culture, and the Body

Product Description This beautifully illustrated book conveys the centrality of costume to live performance. Finding associations between contemporary practices and historical manifestations, costume is explored in six thematic chapters, examining the transformative ritual of costuming; choruses as reflective of society; the grotesque, transgressive costume; the female sublime as emancipation; costume as sculptural art in motion; and the here-and-now as history. Viewing the material costume as a crucial aspect in the preparation, presentation and reception of live performance, the book brings together costumed performances through history. These range from ancient Greece to modern experimental productions, from medieval theatre to modernist dance, from the 'fashion plays' to contemporary Shakespeare, marking developments in both culture and performance. Revealing the relationship between dress, the body and human existence, and acknowledging a global as well as an Anglo and Eurocentric perspective, this book shows costume's ability to cross both geographical and disciplinary borders. Through it, we come to question the extent to which the material costume actually co-authors the performance itself, speaking of embodied histories, states of being and never-before imagined futures, which come to life in the temporary space of the performance.With a contribution by Melissa Trimingham, University of Kent, UK Review “[A] richly illustrated, compelling analysis of historical and contemporary costume design. The book successfully provokes a scholarly conversation that makes a marked departure from the kind of how-to book or fashion history that tends to dominate the shelves ... [It] ... explores interdisciplinary theoretical territory and makes broader arguments about the function of costume within a variety of performance genres, time-periods, and sociopolitical contexts.” - Project Muse“Barbieri (London College of Fashion, UK) offers a refreshing look at costumes and their use throughout history in creation, use, and affect in the development of live performance. The author finds connections between contemporary work and historical costume in pageantry, theater, and dance. Six chapters take up a wide variety of topics, exploring for example the transformative ritual of costume, costuming of choruses, the grotesque “Other” body, flying technology and costume, and costume in the present representing the past. Chapter 5, contributed by Trimingham (drama and theater, Univ. of Kent, UK), offers a compelling look at the effective power of costume as art. This well-written, beautifully illustrated book brings to light the importance of costume to live performance in terms of its preparation and presentation. Drawing examples from ancient Greece as well as a wide variety of European theater, from medieval theater to more contemporary and experimental productions, this book is sure to become required reading for students and scholars of costume design and history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals, including students in technical programs.” - CHOICE About the Author Donatella Barbieri is Senior Research Fellow in Design for Performance at London College of Fashion, UK, and, previously, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, UK.With contributions from Melissa Trimingham, Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Kent, UK.