top of page
IMG_0732_edited.jpg

About Me

Kate Wander

I am a Theatre Major with Minors in Arts Leadership and General Business at the University of Maryland at College Park. I have always been interested in all aspects of theatre, especially with design. Through this project, I have been able to learn more about the different theatrical practices and my own process as an artist.

Artist Statement

Costume design is the process of creating a cohesive style and appearance for a character in an entertainment format. In charge of dreaming up and bringing to life the worlds we see on stage or on the screen, costume designers aid in the establishment of worlds that might be set in time periods from the past, or even completely new and imaginary universes. They are also tasked with making sure an audience can recognize the characters not only, in terms of their social roles, but how they maybe be attempting to portray themselves.

​

However, the presentation of one’s own objectives and ideals through fashion, is truly controlled by the societal pressures to stay within the constructed “norm”. Rarely is an audience exposed to a character’s identity, reflecting the real-world consequences of being able to not being able to represent yourself in society where you are defined by a set of social constructions.

​

Audience & Impact

I believe that this project will allow everyone, even those who are not interested in costume design, to develop some sort of insight into their own lives and how they may look at others.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to everyone who has helped me during the research and development of this project. Without you, none of this would have been a reality.

​

Special thanks to my advisors Harold Burgess and Heather Bremenstuhl, my fellow Arts Scholars for their feedback, and my family for keeping me sane during this crazy time.

​

Issue

As a costume designer, one must be able to translate so much information of a character to an unknowing audience, while maintaining the integrity of the show, but expressing the personality and ideals of a specific individual. My goal for this project is to visualize the comparison between how one is described by society versus how they may describe themselves.

History

Like the origins of theatre, costume design has a long and extensive history that has been in development since Ancient Greece. At the beginning, the designs of costumes reflected the pieces worn in the time period the piece was written in. As time passed and plays evolved to reflect this change, so did the costumes. A costume acts as a guide for an audience to understand what life was like during this time.

Approach

Using the characters from Henrik Ibsen’s revolutionary play, A Doll’s House, I will design two separate costumes for each character; one that would clearly fit into the world of the play and one that introspectively defines the character. These two concepts will be reflected through detailed renderings of the costumes.

References

​

Ham, Derek A. “How Designers Play: The Ludic Modalities of the Creative Process.” Design Issues, vol. 32, no. 4, Oct. 2016, pp. 16-28.

​

Hann, Rachel. “Debating Critical Costume: Negotiating Ideologies of Appearance, Performance and Disciplinarily.” Studies in Theatre & Performance, vol. 39, no. 1, Mar. 2019, pp. 21-37.

​

Hishon, Kerry, and Hishon. “How Costumes Affect Your Character.” The Theatrefolk Blog, 2 Oct. 2017.

​

Kucharski, Joe. “Costume Design for Disney's Aladdin on Broadway!” Costume Design for Disney's Aladdin on Broadway! Tyranny of Style, 29 Aug. 2018.

bottom of page