The latest addition to our series of ELA and Theatre Glossaries, we've created this comprehensive glossary of costume terminology – perfect for your next technical theatre lesson...
A character is one of the roles that an actor plays.
Color theory is one of the tools that a designer uses to communicate with an audience, focusing on the meanings and perceptions of specific colors and color combinations.
The clothing that a character wears for a specific production.
Croquis is a quick sketch of a figure with a loose representation of their costume or clothing.
Design is the creation of a costume that supports the director's vision and the world of the play.
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Spotlight On: The Production Team introduces key roles involved in making theatre. Check out our episode on costume design (and find out more here)... |
The basic idea of a specific design, including the use of fabric, color, texture, and silhouette.
The design process of making clothing or costumes appear worn, torn, or ragged.
Dramaturgy is the research necessary to make sure the elements of the play are historically correct, or that all of the elements of the play are unified within the world of the specific production.
Fabric is cloth or other woven fibre material used in creating costumes.
Genre is the category that tells the style of a play, or stands for the particular form of the play, such as a comedy or tragedy.
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Dive into theatrical genres with the Unlocked: Genre series, offering short, accessible e-learning videos and written resources on comedy and tragedy. |
Naturalism is the attempt to show life and society as they actually are in 'real life'.
Off stage is the area of the stage that is out of sight of the audience.
A quick change is a rapid change from one costume to another. This could take place off stage, or in full view of the audience.
In costume, rigging is the use of snaps, velcro, zippers, and other fasteners in order for a costume to be easily removed or put on.
The script is the printed text of a play, for the actors and other crew members to follow.
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Check out Technical Theatre Essentials, our free 4-hour professional development course that shares insights, tips, and expert advice on six technical theatre craft areas! |
A silhouette is the way that clothing sits on the body. A silhouette may emphasize or change the shape of an actor's body.
Stock characters are stereotypical characters in a play that represent a generic, simplified type of personality. Some examples include:
In costume, stylized design is an exaggeration of the structure of the body.
A costume that implies greater meaning for the character (and/or the play) than just the clothing worn.
Texture includes types of fabrics that have a tactile surface, either 3D or 2D, fabric pattern, or the process of layering a variety of fabrics.
This glossary has been adapted from Unlocking Cosutme: Discover, Explore, Assess, written by Julie Benitez and Kirsten Giard Branch, and is available to customers on the Digital Theatre+ platform.
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