How do you dress for the 60's? Part 2 - A Note from the Costume Designer

Today we have 3 more costume charts to show you and a statement for the Costume Designer!



Our head Costumer and Costume Designer Margaret Caterisano recently took the time to set down a Design Statement about "Moonchildren" for us.

Jay, Rhett and I have talked about setting Furman’s production of Moonchildren in the late 1960’s early 1970’s. Although it may seem important to pin the date down, (which is it? 60’s or 70s?) for me the real effort is to carefully choose garments that represent the idea of the period without appearing to lock in a specific date. Due to the prevailing nostalgia for 60’s and 70’s fashion, there is a danger that many of the audience members will expect the stereotypes. But even though there are extremely funny moments, the play is primarily a relentlessly honest representation of college relationships; then and now.

So my primary costume goal for this production is to have the costumes look like clothing; not like costumes. I am looking for period garments in order to establish a lived-in look. And I hope to avoid the extremes. I wish the costumes will look more like life; less like art. I do hope that the costumes can reflect the current interest in 60’s and 70’s fashion as a nod to the universal aspect of the relationships between the college roommates, however. Although the friends in the play are part of the past; the issues explored in the play relate to the now. I intend to sneak in a few current items and hope that I can blend the old and new.

Another major challenge in the overall costume concept is the movement in color and pattern for the costumes from the beginning to the end of the play. It is a little hard to tell what exactly is going on in the lives and relationships of the central characters at the beginning of the play. The characters are busy and preoccupied with a multitude of issues; the apartment is full; characters come and go at random. By the end of the play the situation is easier to read; the apartment is empty; relationships are over. Hopefully, the costumes can mirror this change in a subtle way with an overall change in pattern and intensity.

Margaret Caterisano is Assistant Professor in the Furman University Theatre Department and holds a B.A., from Troy State University and a M.F.A.,The University of Alabama. Her costumes were last seen in "The Miser" at Furman Theatre. Some pictures of her costume designs can be found on the Furman Theatre Digital Image Database, under the designer search for Margaret Caterisano, Margaret Rose Caterisano and Margaret Rose Pyfrom.

Hopefully that gives you a more rounded view of the costumes and the play itself. Stay Tuned for Part 3!