Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1984 - 22

Costume Design

PQ83
by Don Stowell, Jr.
A Personal Observation
(with Diversions, Meanderings, and
Comparisons, ad lib.)
This was the exuberant gathering of
the Post-War generation, the first fullblown exhibition of the "young Turks"
working in the medium-sized theatres
of the world. The Establishment was
laid aside with honor; echoes of the past
reverberated through the work of the
new breed. Youthful freshness tempered by mature control pervaded the
outlook of designers from all corners of
the globe.
I suppose this was not surprising
since most designers represented were
under forty years old. The aisles and
the coffee shop teemed with energetic
young men and women, eager to pass
on their latest insight to their chums.
Less apparent were their elders, the
movers and shakers who have toiled to
keep the Quadrennial alive despite obstacles of politics and economics.
Although PQ83 was smaller than
PQ75-25 countries compared to 35
countries eight years ago-it was still
well nigh impossible to absorb it all.
My major impression after three
months' reflection is that overall, costume design is in a healthy state internationally and that it serves the production more effectively, honestly and less
self-consciously than it did eight years
ago. There was a lighter touch a ubtier impression, a more aromatic flavor
than in the previous two exhibitions. A
fascinating complexity of texture again
marked surfaces of design after design.
Looking at traditional folk sources
seemed less common than in recent
years.
lost renderings were shop-ready,
while at the same time serving as telling
statements of the character of the drama.
20

Damoll's Dealh by Volker Pfllller (GDR), Silver Medal for COS{lIme design. Photo: Eric Fielding.

I sensed stronger ties to the solution of
design problems than to spectacle for
its own sake. Again, this contrasts with
PQ75, when a sizable segment of the
costume work was "tricky" and many
artists seemed as interested in the rendering itself as they were in communicating as part of a unified whole.
The variety of rendering techniques
ranged from pencil, water color and
crayon, to colored markers and dyes.
Techniques were used alone and in combination. Cut-and-paste methods were
more sophisticated, effective and "underwhelming" than in PQ75. I also
noted less photo-based work. The mastery of the medium was awesome, yet
rarely did it overpower the content of
the rendering. I envied the control over
several different techniques shown by

Theatre Design & Technology / USITT /Spring 1984

many designers.
Individual national entries could b,
characterized as being "stimulating,'
"exciting," "old hat," "arresting,'
"boring," "irrelevant," "esoteric,'
and "thoughful." At the risk of leav
ing out the most important work or pre
tending to represent the U.S. costumin!
contingent in attendance at PQ83, lof
fer these as personal, on-the-spot reac
tion to rendering or actual costumes.
Cuba: An explosion of color and ex
citement burst through the work of ou
neighbor to the outh. Traditional
folksy straw figures, screaming colore!
fabrics and renderings, mingled witl
carefully detailed period recollection
that were beautifully rendered. Ren
derings rich, rich, rich in color; hand
some; wicked; wonderful, bright ideas

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