DIE TOTE STADT
unrealised costume design
Process
Composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Director | Polly Graham
Design Concept | The design for this opera was heavily inspired by the idea of staging the piece as a psychological thriller; while we kept the setting in 1890's Bruges, many of the costumes are highly stylised. We also chose to make the portrait of Marie into an actual character who steps out of her frame to interact with Paul. As the show progresses, Marie undergoes a transformation to becomre more decayed and decrepit, with a reveal of her final corpse form at the end of the show
Character Reference Boards
Costume Thumbnails
+Storyboarding
Reference sketches for ensemble characters and individual scene breakdowns
Costume Prop Construction
For this project I wanted to focus on two main areas: costume props and costume breakdown. I decided that the best costume to practice these skills would be Marie’s, as the version the director and I staged had Marie gradually become more decayed and broken down as the show progresses, having a final form as a corpse in Act 3. I began by creating two separate renderings for this costume, one for the dress that Marie would appear in as the portrait and the other as the final decayed version
Corset Construction
The corset was constructed to be worn underneath the garment so the rib bones could be attached. I added hook and eye closures so that both halves could be fully removed for ease of wear.
Plaster Cast Latex Mold
I used Newplast clay to sculpt the exact shape of the bone, then used those to make a studio mold of plaster. After the mold was cast, I applied thin layers of latex to it, allowing the latex to dry in between layers before painting them. It took several tries to achieve the rotten look that I was going for, and in the end I was able to use some the textural flaws of the paint to actually enhance the decayed look I was attempting
Newplast clay rib bones molded to the body
Latex bones removed from plaster mold
Plaster mold made from clay pieces
