Dressing the Image: Costumes in Printed Theatrical Advertising

• Published in: Theatre symposium 2018, Vol.26 (1), p.72-87
• Main Author: Thompson, David S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 19th century; Advertisements; Advertising; Analysis; Audiences; Collaboration; Costume design; Costumes; Marketing; Photography; Print advertising; Production and direction; Semiotics; Text analysis; Theater; Theater production; Theatre; Theatre production; Theatrical production; Tone; Woodcuts
• ISSN: 1065-4917; 2166-9937; 2166-9937
• DOI: 10.1353/tsy.2018.0005

[...]the consulted texts provide a standard list of concepts related to textual analysis, artistic interpretation, theatrical collaboration, and the production of garments.1 While such a cursory literature review reveals many of the concepts that theatre professors might convey to their students, at least one concept emerges as conspicuous by its absence. The result necessitated a battle scene from Henry V or Peron in uniform alongside the iconic white gown from Evita built in five days or less.3 Such an anecdote may produce groans or knowing nods from prac- titioners.4 However, it nonetheless emphasizes a gap in the way we might otherwise consider the impact of costumes. Since marketing campaigns often involve creating an image in the mind of the consumer, a potential audience member in the case of a theatrical production, the question becomes one of consistency. [...]observations are far different from the how-the-production-looked assessment of nineteenth-century woodcuts. Since theatrical performance represents such a rich field of overlapping and interconnecting systems its analysis frequently becomes a semiotic field day, attaching multiple messages to the concept of a man tied to railroad tracks. [...]the intent here may relate more to mood and tone as audiences may not necessarily see a poster image during a performance, but may more likely react to a performance in a way that relates to the reaction to the poster.