Costume, Makeup, and Props

Costume, makeup, and props are the design elements closest to the performer's body. They tell the audience who a character is, place them in a world, and give actors tangible things to wear and handle. Though sometimes treated as secondary, these elements are powerful carriers of meaning and are essential to a coherent production. This lesson surveys their functions and the choices designers make.

What costume communicates

Costume does far more than dress the actor. It conveys character, age, status, personality, taste, and psychology, and it establishes period, place, and season. Through color, fabric, cut, condition, and silhouette, costume signals wealth or poverty, formality or ease, conformity or rebellion. It can express a production's style, from meticulous historical accuracy to bo