Decisions. Decisions.

Originally I was doing the hair and make up for the performance on the night and in dress rehearsals and this was always the plan until we found out about our date change. The date change meant that we would not be able to get on LPAC stage the evening before our performance as there was another show the night before meaning all technical set up would have to be done in the day of our final performance which itself is a challenge due to the performance being so tech heavy. Rob Bull suggested someone who was able to provide a free service of hair and make up for the night of the show that he knew and would be prepared to do all hair and make up. At first I was apprehensive and did not think that this was needed but after seeing the schedule of the performance date it was mostly technical run throughs and since I was an actor I would be unable to be on stage and in the back preparing all make up and hair for actors. I then decided that it would be the best option for myself and for the rest of the theatre company to invite in help for hair and make up as I wanted all the cast to feel confident in their final appearance so they could completely be in character. Sarah, who did the hair and make up, came in early afternoon and did everyones make up during a spare 5-10 minutes we had or on a small lunch break and everyone was quickly topped up before we went on stage for the final performance. I stand by this decision as due to how little time we had on the day I would not have been able to do everyone’s make up to a standard I felt acceptable.

Hannah Smith.

My inspiration.

It is blatant when reading the final script that it is based on Angela Carter and her work. When reading The Bloody Chamber it is obvious that Angela Carter wanted to portray a feminist twist within her stories with a sexual fairy tale element. Her stories were just like fairy tales for adults when I read them and I was trying to figure out what each story was based on when comparing them to original fairy tales. Angela Carter inspired me through the images she created in her work as when I read her stories I had a clear image in my head of what everything looked like and what the characters facial expressions and their general character was. When reading The Bloody Chamber I got a very strong image of a castle that was almost timeless and in a very secluded place in the woods. It almost reminded me of the castle in Disney- Beauty and the Beast. Imagining this setting helped me to concentrate on what the characters would be like as the Count who lives there would be a well spoken man who holds a lot of power and I think the Countess would also be the same way as I imagined that he would pick a woman who was well brought up but not necessarily rich so he would be able to influence her with his wealth. I also imagined a small village outside the large woods this castle was in where there would be a small villages which are full of peasants. This fitted in with the Snow Child story as she appeared in the woods and I imagine she has walked from one of the far villages to try and find dry wood for a fire but it is quite impossible because of the snow. Due to the imagery throughout Angela Carters writing being so strong I feel this is what influenced me more than her actual style or writing as having such a strong image to follow in your head I was able to piece together how and why the characters acted as they did in this setting.

Hannah Smith.

Budget.

I managed to source a large amount of costume from the LPAC costume cupboard which was a great help in regards to the budget as I did not have a large amount of money (£50 only). The costumes I could not successfully get from the costume cupboard was mostly the Countess and the Snow Child along with small accessories such as masks and the feather duster. The whole outfit had to be bought for the Snow Child and Countess apart from the wedding dress. This was unfortunate, as half my budget had to go on buying the Countess’ skirt as it had to be large and elegant so it would reflect the Count and his wealth. Since half my budget went on the Countess I had to be careful from then on with other costume which meant always hunting around for the best deal. I managed to find most of the costume for reasonable price but unfortunately I had to ask for more budget due to last minute purchases. Luckily, set and props had at least £13 left over each so I was able to borrow some budget off them to be able to buy final costume. The main reason for borrowing budget from other departments of the theatre company was because the original corset for the Countess that was sourced for free did not fit as well as imagined so it was important to find an answer to this problem as soon as possible so a shirt was purchased to make the Countess look more elegant.

Even though I went over budget by £2.67 I felt I achieved good costume for each individual and they fitted their character perfectly. I also realised how important sourcing costume for free was as a large amount I got for free whether it be from myself or other cast members.

Hannah Smith.

Reasons why.

Each character has a specific reason to why they wear a certain costume as it relates to their personality and relate to each other. They all mostly revolve around the count and his costume but they all have individual links and reasons.

Count-

The Count Wears black throughout the performance to show that he is dark, mysterious and evil. He slowly takes his clothes off during the performance to show that he doesn’t care about his appearance or his wealth any more due to the snow child dying but also to show that he has shed some of his mystery and evil as he has fallen in love.

Countess-

The first scene the Countess wears her wedding dress to show her innocence as it is white and has not yet been influenced by the Count as she has not yet married him. As the second scene starts she wears black to be similar to the count as he has moulded her into what he wants during this scene as she has her transition and a sexual awakening where she realises she is able to have power over the count so she is slowly turning into him. She wears black for the rest of the performance to represent that she turns dark and evil towards the end of the play.

Piano tuner-

The Piano Tuner will wear scruffy clothes to show that he is a peasant from the village but it trying to be smart by wearing a shirt, trousers and a waistcoat to live up to the expectations of the count and his wealth. He also wears theses colours to show he is neutral to what is going on within the play. It is important to show that he is not dark in any way but it just a good person who is trying to help the Countess. He is the neutral person who brings out love in the Countess but she is unable to let go of her obsession with the Count and the mysteries surrounding her about the Bloody chamber.

Snow child-

The Snow Child wears white to show she is pure and innocent as she is a child and has done no wrong in the world. She wears white to show she is not linked to any bad that is in the performance and this also links with the Counts white shirt when he slowly takes his clothes off which links them both together. It is slightly see through so the count is attracted to her as she looks slightly seductive without it being purposeful or over the top.

Housekeeper-

The Housekeeper wears typical clothing you would expect a Housekeeper to wear. She wears a blue dress as this represents softness which she is towards people at the beginning of the performance, if not a little pushy. We see this softness and up beat character change at the end of the performance where she is evil and this is represented though the black shoes which have always been there but no one really notices them on stage. This is to show that the Housekeeper wears blue to mostly live in the fairytale world but also has the black to show she is also in the corrupt world of the count.

Ex wife-

The Ex wife wears red to show danger and warning as this is what she experiences throughout the performance. She is a warning to the Countess about the bloody chamber. Her dress is also ripped, undone and tattered as this shows she has lived in the woods for a while and has not cared for herself. She also has slightly red and black eyes as she use to be with the count so has previously been under his spell and knows what he is capable of so the black around the eyes also links with his black eyes to show she was with him.

Angel-

The Angel is in black to show she is a dark angel and not one that is kind. She also has her face painted silver to represent a statue and to also link with the angels on stage.

Ex wives in chamber-

The wives wear masks to represent that they are no longer alive and have been used by the count. They wear red as a sign of danger and black to show they belong to the count as he also wears black.

Tree-

The trees wear all black as I don’t want the audience to see them as people and so the leaves and twigs stand out more to the audience.

Hannah Smith.

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