Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2017 - 71

to van den Berg, illustrated the socialist views
of Stein's Schaubühne: "Hermann's space
[for As You Like It] also supported and emphasized the display of calculated social and
political gestures."
Hilary Baxter and Brandin BarónNusbaum explore the work of two costume
designers, the British Alison Chitty and
American Catherine Zuber, in two different
chapters that explore their process of creating Shakespearian costumes. Baxter posits
that the three keys to interpret the work of
Britain's premier costume designers include
the use of storyboards, her close collaboration
with directors, and the ability to articulate
how she works with the audience as part of
her design process. Storyboards help Baxter
and a director get a sense of how the space
will be used, help compose character groupings, and aid in creating overall looks for the
costumes. Chitty's ultimate contribution, according to Baxter, is an ability to not overwhelm the stage, while supporting the actors.
She ultimately inspires audiences to believe in
the creation of a multi-sensory world of play.
Barón-Nusbaum would contend that Zuber
avoids overwhelming the stage. As Zuber
once said, "Shakespeare begs for visual solutions without often directly providing them."
Barón-Nusbaum uses the 1998 Vivian Beaumont Theater production of Twelfth Night to
illustrate Zubor's design process, which according to the author shows, "a strong command of art and costume history and how
it can shape a concept for costume design; a
mastery of color theory; a design sense that
prioritizes elegant deconstruction; and a
unique and offbeat perspective that creates
innovative and unusual design solutions."
Liam Doona defines the Royal Shakespeare Company under the leadership of
Peter Hall between 1963 and 1968 as a radicalized time that purged a 200-year-old tradition of pictorial stage design with the hiring
of John Bury as the head of design. Bury
abandoned pictorialism in favor of "the sculpturally symbolism, the visceral, and ultimately
the metatheatrical." The chapter discusses the
directorial and design contributions of Peter
Brook, whose work at the Royal Shakespeare
Company ultimately influenced his groundbreaking book, The Empty Space. The author
contends that both The Empty Space and the

five-year period of experimentation at the
Royal Shakespeare Company "played a profound and formative role in the evolution of
scenography." According to Arnold Aronson, Ming Cho Lee had a similar impact on
American Shakespearian production with his
11 years as resident designer of the New York
Shakespeare Festival, where he transformed
the American approach to scene design
from the poetic realism of Jo Mielziner, to a
"sculptural, emblematic, and architectural approach." Aronson notes that Lee's best work
was created in association with large institutions and adventurous directors willing to
experiment. Lee's work also benefitted from
"cross-fertilization," as his designs for opera,
dance, and theatre influenced each other.
Even though the individual chapters in
this volume address diverse individuals and
use different approaches, the 10 essays are not
just connected by an interest in Shakespear-

ian production. As Di Benedetto notes in
chapter one, these designers' "work and their
choices have shifted the way that audiences
expect to see the worlds of Shakespeare." By
highlighting groundbreaking work, these
chapters also demonstrate how the work of
scenography defines and expresses the political and social mood of the audiences who
experienced the work. The writers also found
connections between the artists by describing
their political leanings, artistic training and
influences, and their unique visual aesthetics. Designers' Shakespeare ultimately provides
theatre practitioners and students of theatre
history, directing, and design an in-depth
view of design process, thought, and influence
in changing the world of the stage.
Anthony Hostetter is an instructor at Rowan
University in Glassboro, NJ. Reach him at
hostettera@rowan.edu.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2017
