A costume designer imagines the clothes that the actors of a play will wear and often guides the creation of those costumes.

He or she works closely with the director and the other designersto develop a theme. For each individual character, the costume designer must create a look that reflects the age, social status, occupation, and mood. The costumes they design for the characters are based on their interpretations of the show. The world the costume designer creates must blend well with those of the other designers to create one fluid visual picture.

This photo shows the costumes and part of the set from Classic Stage's Company's production of Hamlet in New York City.

Copyright © ProjectExplorer 2003-2006
Text: Elizabeth Hammett & Ewen Ku
Image: Courtesy of Joan Marcus, Classic Stage Company's "Hamlet".