Initial Questions

The theories and questions that came up in the reader helped me get going with my questions.  Like many other people it also helped me to understand what I consider to be my professional practice.  I trained and worked as a Musical Theatre Performer and it has always been my love and passion.   

I have really enjoyed reading Marks blog and SIG comments and think I will find them really helpful in my own line of inquiry.  Natalie’s was another blog that made sense to me.  Although I consider my professional practice is in Musical Theatre,  I am trying to break into a different area of the industry so I am hoping my questions will have some synergies with Natalie’s and Marks SIGs.  The main outcome of completing this course is to provide me a set of tools and skills to objectively think and pursue a new career path.  Having read the reader I realise now I have always been trans disciplinary.  I have taken advantage of gaps in performing and I have trained in a few other areas related to performing i.e. Costume making and Make-up artistry and I have done it because it fascinated me how in theatre, film and TV it is the costume and make-up that can really add and compliment the performance.  I also know from experience how a bad costume or inappropriate once can personally hinder my ability to perform at my best.  

One of the part time jobs I have at the moment, which is in a small specialised prop company, requires me to interface with stage and costume designers.  I think these contacts will be the first source of networking for what might be my next career path and more importantly at the moment some contacts of which I can start to ask some key questions.

I accept the best way to get to my final choice of topic is to go through a process of reflection and refinement.  So I have started with a thought shower and here are my initial questions :

·         What is it about costumes that fascinate me?

·         What makes a good costume?

·         What makes a bad costume?

·         How can a costume enhance or detract from a performance?

·         Does set, costume and props make a performance more believable?

·         What are the different aspects that need to be taken into consideration when designing a costume for dance or theatre vs. film or TV?

·         When can complete freedom on a design be appropriate?

·         What costume designers do I know?

·         How simple or how complex can costumes be?

·         Can the performer become the costume?

 I can use my own experience as a performer and the issues I have had when I have truly appreciated the value of a good costume, how it made me feel and how it helped with my performance.  I have had situations where I love the dance but felt so uncomfortable in the costume it really affected how I felt about that particular piece and since speaking to friends and colleagues have found many have been in a similar situation.  I would like to hear from others on the BAPP and see what they have experienced:

·         What qualities make a costume good for you?

·         What qualities make a bad costume?

·         Have you ever inherited a costume made for another performer?

·         How did it make you feel?

·         Why is it important to you?

I know this is a huge topic and I am constantly asking myself what if anything can I focus on that will give me enough breadth and depth to explore as practitioner research and will also help me in my professional practice.    I already know that construction will be too narrow and technical so I have already started my analysis!