Dressing The part

Seventeen actors took to the stage in the Hindi adaptation of Portuguese writer Jose Saramago's book,The Elephant's Journey ,in February this year.

What actors wear on the stage is of paramount importance for theater groups today,and they often have design professionals backing them up

Seventeen actors took to the stage in the Hindi adaptation of Portuguese writer Jose Saramago’s book,The Elephant’s Journey ,in February this year. Conceptualised by theater group Aasakta,the characters came alive in colourful glory of golden shirts and wide-rimmed hats,bandanas and aprons,white mundus and priestly robes,at the showcasing. Behind the pageantry of the elephant and the mahout,and the myriad other characters,was a 24-year old fashion designer. We started preparing in January. Usually a month is enough to plan for one play’s costumes,but for Gajab Kahani,we had to rush a bit in the end as I had got busy with some other work. I distributed the work of stitching up 100-110 costumes to some four-five master jis , recalls Rashmi Rode. She has been an integral part of Aasakta’s plays since the past three years,juggling tasks like researching on scripts,picking fabrics,customising designs and translating the vision onto the stage in the form of character-specific costumes. A few years earlier,what the characters wore on stage wasn’t of utmost importance. But now,theater directors have become extremely conscious of costuming right for a play. I believe appearances are essential,the actors need to look attractive to keep the audience engaged. I am often awestruck at the costume detailing that is seen at theater fests here and abroad, says Rode.

Characterisation was paramount in theatre a few years ago. But as storylines evolved and the narrative styles took on experimentative tones,music,make-up,costumes,et al,became more than just embellishments. Today,what the character wears on stage is just as important as what he says; the fabric and the colour tones of the dresses often carry the essence of the play within them. Comedy or serious drama,the form of costumes depends on the tone of the play, says Vinod Goswami of Lakshyaa Theater and Creative Arts in Koregaon Park. We have tuned a lot of our overall focus on the dresses,which we sit together and discuss as a group. It is essential to exchange ideas,because some amongst us are good at designing,some at planning for the fabrics. We spend a good amount of money on it all, he laughs.

Period plays,like period movies,often seem to work harder at their costumes. But urbane plays featuring yuppy teens and couples too invest just as much thought on the intricacies. Parna Pethe,a third-year student in Fergusson College,acts on a regular basis but doubles up as a director for college plays. And at the college-level,we don’t have any proper money to put in,so we borrow from friends and their mothers,and learn how to drape saris from them, laughs Pethe.

For the recent Marathi play that Pethe directed,Kashi Yatre (adapted from a Sudha Murthy story),the team scoured the Internet to understand the type,colour and style of the costumes to be worn by the main characters of an old woman and her grand-daughter. We had to bring forth the South India inspired dressing the baloon-shaped blouse and the pavaada (skirt) that the young girl would wear,and the longer sari for the granny, Pethe recalls.

And she feels such effort is indispensable. The dresses signify social class,geography of existence,and so much more of the characters. Shabbily-dressed actors can put off any audience. It’s about what impression you make on them,even if it’s a costly affair.

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