Class Year
2013
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Winter 12-2012
Department 1
Theatre Arts
Abstract
Actors are said to bring a play to life, but what about the garments that they wear? Like set production, light design, and direction, the role of the costume plays an important part in informing and enchanting the audience. However, this is not all that they do. This paper acts as an in-depth examination of the culture of costume creation and destruction at Gettysburg College, researching their roles as garments, as well as how the garments themselves "act" around others. Imbued with their own set of responsibilities, the costumes are expected to behave certain ways, perform specific functions, and put on a show of their own. Through 20 hours of ethnographic research, this paper seeks to show that the costumes are not just as single component of the theatrical experience, but instead an integral performer in the social construction of the story itself.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Lindholm, Emily M., "Behind the Seams: An Ethnographic Study of the Performative Nature of Theatrical Costumes" (2012). Student Publications. 80.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/80
Included in
Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Theatre and Performance Studies Commons
Comments
Winner of the 2013 Stock Writing Prize for Social Sciences