Kat Turgoose

Scenography, Costume and Production

[katjturgoose]

The theatre royal in winchester

[yoursweetclementine]

Gorgeous venue

[katjturgoose]

I'm in love with the seats!

[katjturgoose]

The theatre royal in winchester

[katjturgoose]

The theatre royal in winchester

[katjturgoose]

Photos of my finished designs for the boyfriend last term

[katjturgoose]

Photos of my finished designs from the boyfriend and my fabric sample and inspiration book

[katjturgoose]

Tales from The Brothers Grimm

This is my initial idea map for the Brothers Grimm. When I think of the Tales from The Brothers Grimm I think of Dark colours, death and decay. I would like this to translate into my work through the use of texture within fabric and pattern as well as fabric manipulation.

[katjturgoose]

Major Project

So this term I am designing the costumes and sets for two shows, being performed at The Theatre Royal in Winchester. These two shows are: The Jungle Book and The Tales of the Brothers Grimm. They are to be performed by a cast of local youth theatre actors and I am SO excited to meet them! 

I am only in the early stages of research so have not got a solid concept as of yet but here are my initial mind maps for both performances separately.

I will also post some mood boards when I get a second!

[katjturgoose]

The Boyfriend

Last term I designed a theoretical set of costume designs for the musical, 'The Boyfriend' by Sandy Wilson. These costumes were based on colours taken from summer travel postcards and brochures and also the lines taken from Erte's illustrations.

Here are the end results!

[katjturgoose]

[katjturgoose]

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Mood Board for how my projections will look

[katjturgoose]

I really like this 3 person conversation seat and feel like the colours go well with the time period of the performance.

[katjturgoose]

Props and furniture to go in set box. I also wish to include a 3 person conversation seat in my final design but I would source this rather than have it made. I wish to include this as it is a good piece to show relationships between characters and also easy to adapt into other ideas with the help of the performers.

[katjturgoose]

Set Box without props

[katjturgoose]

Evaluation

Throughout this project my attitude was slightly negative, I found it difficult to get motivated in order to do the work. Although I did struggle with this project I also found it to be easy to find information and images I found inspirational as Regency is one of my favourite eras.

At the beginning at my research, looking back I realise I put too much focus into the clothing of the time, I wanted to have a broad range as I wasn’t working particularly closely with a costume designer so chose to design a set which could be used for  any costumes providing they were in the correct historical timeframe.

I think within this project I had the most problems when it came to building my set box. I really struggled in terms of building my books so that they looked realistic but also so that they were a shell rather than a block of wood as it would be cheaper to build and after it was discussed in my meeting with the director. I am very pleased with the outcome however and I feel it is an accurate representation of how I see it scaled up in the theatre space.

One regret I have from this project is not getting myself organised enough to work with an illustrator to draw up my projection images in order to show my director in time for the presentation. If I was to be chosen to produce my set next year I would put a large amount of time and work into ensuring the projections do the costumes and set construction justice.

Throughout this project I have tried my best to stick to my time plan but have found it quite difficult in the last week or so due to having to rectify any problems I have come across. In the past I have had a real problem with time management so during this project I tried to manage my time better but feel there is still some improvement needed.

My final set design is very minimalistic as I feel a lot of the emphasis will be placed on the monochrome projection and coloured costumes and props. I also could not decide on the props for my set, I decided the best option would be to create an example of furniture made of books, sourced furniture and of large books which can be used to create the scene, this way my director can choose which option he likes best to go with the set and costumes.

One of my goals for this project was to practice, improve and neaten my set box construction; I feel I have accomplished this as I used appropriate materials to create each element of my set. I am proud of the improvement in my set box construction skills since the last project but however feel that I could improve more with knowing which material will work best and by gaining experience in the workshop. If I chose set design as my path for next year I will work on these aspects as much as possible.

[katjturgoose]

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[katjturgoose]

Learning Agreement Review

 I will go through my Learning Agreement and evaluate how well and closely I have worked to this.

'I am designing the set for the AUB production of Vanity Fair. I am going to take inspiration from the novel by William Makepeace Thackery, script by Declan Donellan and also input from my director, Phillip Dart.'

I began this project by reading the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray and also the script written by Declan Donellan, I also watched two film adaptations of the novel in order to gain an understanding of the performance and characters and what would be required from my set design. I also attended two meetings with the director and worked from the notes I took from both of these sessions to ensure I included all the elements required from myself and my set design.

'I will also take inspiration from Thackery’s original illustrations and my own research into the period it is set to create a design which involves the director’s vision as well as my own.'

I researched into Thackeray's wood engravings and took inspiration from the style of these to create the idea for my projections for my design. I also did some research into the interiors, exteriors and clothing of the period as well as how this changed throughout the storyline. I chose my favourite elements from this research to include in my design, therefore incorporating my ideas with the directors visions. 

'I will create a set box to further materialise my set design ideas and portray elements better to my director. I will ensure, as I go along that the ideas I produce are practical and safe to create for a working stage environment in order to enable my designs to be made into a working design.'

I have created a 1:25 scale set box. Throughout the design process I have been considering the cost of elements of my set box to create as well as the practicality of my set design, including the 1m allowance around the edge of the room needed and the fire exits that are accessible.

'I have chosen to design the set for this production instead of the costumes as I feel my set box skills need a lot of improvement and I believe practice is the way forward in that respect.'

I feel that the set box and design I have created for this project is a lot neater and more professional than my last ones as I thought outside of the box when it came to materials and methods I would use to create it. If my original construction idea had worked as I expected it to I would have felt a lot more confident about this aspect of my skills but I still think I need to work on my choices for materials and methods in the first place.

'I have also lost a bit of my passion that I had for this side of the design process so I feel like partaking in the set design for this project will help to reignite my passion for it. I am also very excited by the idea of my designs being realised into a life size performance space and used for a purpose rather than being put into storage.'

I would say that this project has confirmed my decision to design the costumes rather than the set for productions. As much as I love coming up with concepts and designs for the set I feel like my skills within costume design the final product for the costumes is a lot better quality than that of my set designs as I feel my set box skills are not up to scratch of the industry. 

'I also feel the pressure of a more competitive environment will push me to try harder and hopefully achieve my best grade yet.'

I did feel the pressure with this project competing against other students within the course and not necessarily having someone to turn to and bounce ideas off. I also felt like it would have been better if I had worked more closely with a costume designer so that my set design was functional and designed around a specific set of costumes, however I feel the ambiguity of being a singular set designer meant that I needed to create a design that would work with nearly any costume of the correct era.