Julius CaesarDesigned by Lucille Byers, Rebecca Hutchinson, and Mikala Martin

(Group 45)

Costume DesignerLucille Byers

Costume Design in

Historical Context

• Costumes are used to establish a

time period and historical context of

a play.

• In Julius Caesar, the actors wear

togas or working attire and sandals

to reflect the attire of Romans in 44

BC.

• The use of these costumes

establishes the setting in the

Roman Empire in the first century

BC.

Costumes Show

Economic/Social Status

• High class Romans in Julius Caesar, such as the senators, wear more luxurious cloths and styles to distinguish themselves from the working class.

• Typical citizens in the streets wear plain, neutral colors to distinguish themselves as apart from the slaves but not as high as the senators.

• The slaves of Rome wear short plain togas to distinguish themselves as part of a working class.

Costume design

establishes style

• Our costume design for Julius Caesar establishes a

realistic style as we attempt to recreate a typical

Roman scene through the incorporation of both the

set and the costumes.

Costumes to Show

Separation

• In battle scenes, costumes can be used to show loyalty to opposing armies.

• In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, we must separate the side of Cassius and Brutus from that of Octaviusand Antony.

Costumes reflect action

• Costumes can be used to reflect the action of a play.

• In Act III scene 1, the change in costume from a white toga to a bloodied toga after the conspirators stab Caesar in the Senate.

• Additionally, the use of Caesar’s bloody toga at his funeral by Antony moves the people in the play to action as they are inspired to avenge Caesar.

Costume Design as A

Symbol

• We decided to associate the color red with the sense of something looming and use it as a symbol for fate throughout Julius Caesar.

• Red, as the color of blood and fire, was therefore associated with all of the omens in the play, starting with the soothsayer in Act 1.

Functional Design of

Costumes

• Costumes are deigned to be

functional to the actors wearing

them and enable them to do what

they need to do on stage.

• The design of the short togas for

the working class background

characters both distinguishes them

by their social class in the play and

enables them to move easily when

they help with set or prop changes

or must move quickly off the stage

during changes in scenes.

Use of Makeup and

Hairstyles

• Makeup is used on stage to make sure the actors are not washed out by the lights used and can be seen well.

• Hairstyles also contribute to the overall tone and experience of the play as men have their hair kept short, while the women of the play have elaborate hairstyles, custom of this time in the Roman Empire.

Costume Accessories

• The costume accessories, such as pins

on the togas of the senators or crests on

the armor of the actors in the final scene

were each specifically chosen to

represent the time period of this play.

• The pins used for the togas of the

senators and Caesar himself

incorporated an eagle, or “aquila” in

Latin.

• Small accents to costumes such as this

one add a greater detail to the play.

• A golden wreath is also used to

designate Julius Caesar as royalty.

Light DesignerMikala Martin

Objective of a Light

Designer

• A light designer has an important role within the creation of a

play.

• Lighting is used to achieve visibility, mood, and composition.

• Lighting is also used to control the focus of the spectators.

• This is can be very important when working with specific set

designs.

• Lighting can enhance the understanding of the play and give

aesthetic pleasure to the viewers.

A Rule of Lighting

• The visibility and ambience lighting creates must relate to the total theatrical design, like costumes and scenery.

• For example: In the play, Julius Caesar, as a light designer I would create shadows in the streets when the conspirators are in the scene. It creates a mood of intensity and would be inherent to the scenery.

Set’s Role in Lighting

• The set design of the play largely determines what lighting will

be used throughout the acts.

• A large amount of the play is set in the streets of Rome. For

these scenes I would create a sense of natural lighting from

above to make a more realistic appearance to the audience.

• For the dramatic scenes, like the death of Caesar,

I would illuminate a broad section of the stage

with a red floodlight.

• While this is unrealistic, it is necessary in

providing a mood of betrayal and death.

Why Lighting is Important in Setting

a Mood

• Important components: contrast and color.

• Contrast consists of things like creating shadows not only on the ground but on the actor themselves.

• Color is important because a harsh red effects the audience differently than a soft lavender.

• Shadows on the actors them-selves imply a more intense mood than revealing their entire face. In the play, I would put a dark shadow on the conspirators because they represent betrayal.

Direct Lighting on an Actor

• In a important part of the play, like when Calpurnia is

warning Caesar that something bad is going to

happen, I would dim the lights surrounding them to

focus the audience’s attention on the actors.

Collaboration

• A light designer, set designer, costume

designer, and director must all meet

and discuss details of the play in order

to create a unified look and feel for the

audience.

• For a play like Julius Caesar, the

director must let each designer know

what the focus of each scene is in

order for those designers to help

them achieve their goal.

• All parts wouldn’t be complete without

the rest.

Shapes and Forms

• Lighting is important when revealing 3D and 2D

objects on the set.

• It also establishes time and place.

• For example: In the play I would make torches and

candles an important light source because of

the setting of the

play.

Set DesignerRebecca Hutchinson

Set Design

• In the set designers’ job, they are responsible for

environment, mood, style, and concept.

• Using Julius Caesar as our example, we will show of

each element using props and the set.

Environment

• The environment helps the

actors and audience to

understand how the

characters feel.

• In Julius Caesar, all

elements of the play affect

the environment such as

mood, period, and

language.

• The environment will be

mostly in the day time, in

the spring so the play’s

environment will juxtapose

the mood with the good

feeling of spring versus the

serious mood.

Mood

• The mood helps create a

feeling for the audience

with the placement of

props.

• During the murder scene,

props could be placed

disorganized by actors

chaotically placing them.

• Props would include fake

blood, daggers, scrolls,

and chairs.

Realistic/Non-Realistic

• Set designers have to

decide which take they

want to portray.

• In our play, I have decided

to have a more traditional

set.

• Traditional sets include

realistic props to allow the

audience to submerse

themselves into the play.

Period

• The period in Julius Caesar

takes place in 44 B.C.

• To display the period, I

would use columns, cobble

roads, and Julius Caesar’s

statue.

• Showing the period to the

audience wouldn’t need a

lot of props because of the

traditional nature of the

take on the play.

Coordination

• Coordination is required for a

successful play.

• A great way to coordinate is to

use a central image/theme.

• In Julius Caesar, the designers

have decided to use a color red

to help tie in everything.

Central Image

• The idea of the whole play

is to focus the traitors in

red.

• Red is a color that evokes

strong emotion so using

red to show who is un-loyal

helps the audience

understand.

How to maintain actual set

• During the production,

props can get damaged or

lost.

• The best way to maintain is

to have what goes where

after the use of each prop.

• Example: If there is a

dagger used, put it off

stage in a basket.

Work Cited

Wilson, Edwin. “The Designers.” The Theatre

Experience. 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

224-95. Print.