TS: What type of research did you have to do on this show? You already mentioned the photographers, but is there any value in watching fi lms like An Education? DZ: Sure. Not necessarily An Education, but we watched This Sporting Life, the Richard Harris fi lm, which is great. It was a big touchstone for Sam and Andrew, the set designer, and it’s beautiful. Also Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. They’re all from a bit later like ’61, ’62, ’63. They are fi lms that were made in the wake of this play. I looked at several newsreels and tried to fi nd as many photographs as I could of people in the time. And I’ve looked at a lot of actual vintage clothes.
TS: Do you use period catalogues? DZ: I do, but I haven’t for this as much, because I’m trying to take that level of remove away from the research for this. I’m trying to just look at pictures of the clothes on regular people. I have used some fashion photos, both from the period and from today for Helena’s basic look.
TS: Will you talk about collaborating with actors? It always seems to me that you have the hardest job because it’s so intimate and actors are so self- aware of their bodies. DZ: It depends on the actor. I think I’m always interested in meeting them at least half way, just as a basic rule. I want to make something with them. As I said before, I really like going to a store and trying to fi gure out what a character would wear and choose. The kind of made-up psychology of putting myself in their shoes and trying to make their closet is really fun for me. It’s very satisfying, whether it’s a period play or a modern play. So it’s great when you see an actor recognize their character in what you’ve brought them, and it’s fun for me when you’re done with a fi tting and it really looks coherent – like someone’s closet. I feel like the actor could almost wear anything at any time from the closet we’ve created. If I’ve done the job right, on a show like Look Back in Anger, they could just go to their dressing room and say “oh I want to wear this shirt and these pants for this scene” and that would be fi ne because that’s who they are. With period things, I’m bringing what I know about history, and I always bring what I know about color and being an audience member to everything I do. I think I also bring a certain amount of taste and sense of proportion. I like to be able to build the closet or let them feel like they’re participating in selecting the garments. It’s harder to do in a Victorian piece, but this will be different. Jimmy doesn’t have a million costumes changes; he has a couple. We’ve been pondering whether we wanted to shop that or not and we might ultimately want to build it. But I think we’ll start with a bunch of period things so he can start to get a sense of what he looks like in those clothes and how he feels. If we don’t fi nd it there, we’ll make what we need. I want us both to have that feeling of “these pants are great” and to let him see what things look like on fi rst and go from there.
TS: Can you tell me about collaboration with directors and particularly Sam? What do you look for in a director? DZ: I look for anything they can give me: mood, emotion. I like to talk about the characters; I like to glean as much information as I can about the character. I’ve already designed a lot of things with Sam, so I do have a sense about who is he is as a director coming into this. I don’t have to learn anymore about the little things, like how literal he is when he says something. I know what scares him and I know what he’s not interested in seeing. I think it’s hard for anybody to talk too much until there’s a product in the room. I don’t generally like the director to come to fi rst fi ttings. I feel like that’s for me and the actor. Sometimes you come out of that with great things and sometimes not. I like to have that be the actor’s time to fi gure out what it is that we want to show. Sam, I think, trusts me to give him choices he’s going to be interested in. I want to give directors something to respond to, I think directors tend to work better when they’re looking at something. Then they can say yes or no.
TS: Usually they want to know what your color palette is. DZ: We don’t really have conversations like that. The conversations were about the vocabulary we are using when the stage is fi ve feet deep. What are transitions like? A good example is the dinner table scene. It brings up the question: What do you do when you have a small apartment and you have people over for dinner? You improvise. It’s those conversations like: what do they do? Just sit on the fl oor? Should somebody not sit on the fl oor? Do you care about the time of day and light from windows? How does it start? What does the air feel like? Conversations like that are all I need to know to get started.
TS: If a young person were to say to you that they would like to design for the theatre, what type of advice would you give to them? DZ: I think I would ask them what they mean. Like, what does that mean for them? I would be curious about what sort of event they’re interested in participating in. I think the way most people think about being a costume designer is not what I’m interested in. I would ask them what they like. What type of theatre excites them? It’s hard to know where to start. If I was going to turn that into a piece of advice I would say: saying you want to be a costume designer is too general, now that you’ve identifi ed your desire to design clothing for the theatre, try to fi gure out what you’re deeply passionate about. I am excited by people who have an overriding passion for something. I could give you all sorts of advice, but your passion needs to be like a disease. Otherwise, I think you’re not going to be great, and there’s too much bad theatre in the world, and the stakes are too law, and I don’t understand why people go to the theatre or make theatre unless they’re fearless. If you identify your passion, then you’re halfway there.
I really like going to a store and trying to figure out what a character would wear and choose. The kind of made-up psychology of putting myself in their shoes and trying to make their closet is really fun for me. DAVID ZINN
UPSTAGE LOOK BACK IN ANGER 15
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