Part Two: Hadestown Project

MY CHOSEN SHOW

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I’ve decided through my research into designing for performance that I want to create a range of designs suitable for an on-screen musical. I would love to adapt an on-stage musical to film just like in the examples I looked into, so I made a mind map of modern musicals, a mix of ones in process of being adapted to film, ones that have not yet left the stage etc. From highlighting points in my mind map, the musical ‘hades town’ was the most compatible with what I wanted to achieve and had the most potential to explore modern parallels within the Greek mythology musical and modern life. Hadestown adapts the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as Hades and Persephone's relationship however, in a Great Depression-era, inspired postapocalyptic setting. The tale has been told many times before and passed down through the years, I chose Hadestown because it has not yet been adapted to film and I feel like there is a lot of potential in using this story and create costumes that represent these characters in modern-day. For example, a powerful god-like hades might parralel to a smart businessman in modern life- seen here in a fanart image of the characters in the show Orpheus leading Eurydice from the Underworld, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, 1861, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston,

WHY HADESTOWN?

via Google Arts and Culture (left); Orpheus and Eurydice, Carl Goos, 1826, National Gallery of Denmark (right)

https://shrylia.tumblr.com/post/184164402123/way-down-under-the-ground

Hades and Persephone

Orpheus and Eurydice

CHARACTERS

she dreams of spring and flowers, she wishes for the 'cold' to be over. She is mesmerised by art, beauty and wealth.

her innocence is shown throughout the play, she is so passionate about surviving however let Orpheus distract her with his music and so desperate to survive that she goes with hades underground. Manipulated by 'the fates' to belive and be so sure that Orpheus didn't love her.

EURYDICE

Eurydice although innocent knows to protect herself and is often guarded. wearing lots of layers, crossing her arms or hiding in oversized clothing

Eurydice is not concerned with looking good, her main aim is to survive she doesn't 'live'. she doesn't dress for anyone, not even herself she just wears clothes to keep her warm. Eurydice says "I was alone so long, I didn't even know that I was lonely- showing her life before meeting Orpheus she didn't even think about how to make herself attractive to anyone.

she is he is afraid of the storm and the bad weather.

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Eurydice complains often about hunger and cold, she is referred to as 'hungry young girl' which shows how desperate she is and much she values everything, she would have mended her clothes and kept them a long time.

Eurydice's need to survive is why she seeks comfort in Orpheus- who is more concerned with living than surviving.

Eurydice doesn't stand out from the crowd and wears greys browns and muted blues so that she blends in with the general colour scheme of the world around her, bleak and depressing

Eurydice is not aware how beautiful she is.

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eurydice

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‘Eurydice was a hungry young girl knit samples

A runaway from everywhere she'd ever been She was no stranger to the world No stranger to the wind’

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CHARECTERS

29 'He has the ability to see how the world should be instead of the way that it is.'

He is naïve, good, optimistic and sensible. By the end of the play, anyway, he´s unsure and overcome by doubt.

he dreams of a life where his plan to bring spring works and Eurydice lives happily with him and fears the opposite.

ORPHEUS

filled with self doubt, he could’ve saved the love of his life if he trusted hades and didn’t check to see Eurydice following him, but he didn’t, and lost everything. One way to show this is to show he’s guarded and goes with his instincts.

Orpheus is a young boy. He is a musician: sings writes and plays the lyre.

He is very self-involved and totally consumed by his art, his clothing would show that he takes time to look good and values himself.

He’s confident that he’s powerful and talented, and believes he possesses greatness He´s writing a song that will change the world. His clothes would show this confidence He is poor like Eurydice however he finds ways to make his appearance stand out from the crowd

His clothing must clearly communicate to the audience that Eurydice would fall for him and they are destined to be lovers, one way I’d like to achieve this is through using Eurydice's signature colours and enhancing them to make them deeper/ richer

orpheus

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31

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CHARACTERS

33 Hades is desensitised to death and pain because he's a god of death, he lacks emotions and his clothing reflects this

HADES

Although dark and gloomy as a character it would be interesting, i think, to have hades stand out in a similar way to persophones- I'd like to experiment with these dark colours and assertive shapes/ styles with dashes of deep colour key points for clothing: -practical -traditional -asserts power and status -Dark and brooding - modern paralells

Hades loves power and controlling people, his clothing would be rigid and stiff fabrics

constantly lives in the underworld which is isolating and dark

The god of the dead and the king of the underworld, therefore he has a lot of power, one way of paralleling this to the real world is a businessman or person in government, which i believe is why (seen in this image) he is seen in smart workwear

I think showing the audience the importance of spring and growth, through Orpheus and his songwriting, Eurydice and her desperation it's important to emphasise that persophone isn't what she once was.

Hades

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CHARACTERS it's important to make it obvious to audiences that Persphones main objective is to have fun

Because Persephone possesses the most desired element of the show (spring) it's important that her appearance is desirable, stylist clothing, accessories ect.

PERSOPHONE

Persophone represents a goddess queen of the underworld therefore she has a lot of power and regal elements eg. floral headpiece, fur coat, jewellery

The iconic bright green she wears on stage is a perfect way to get the character to stand out. I'd like to incorporate this in my designs.- I could experiment with dying similar to her fur jacket.

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she dreams of living away from the underworld

She is the goddess of spring growth, who was worshipped- her appearance must stand out from the dank set and dingey colour scheme of the rest of the cast.

I think showing the audience the importance of spring and growth, through Orpheus and his songwriting, Eurydice and her desperation it's important to emphasise that persophone isn't what she once was.

persephone

took some photographs in the gardens of Kedleston hall at the start of spring because persephones brings the spring i thought i'd include similar colours

digitally created a repeat pattern using the sketch i did on procreate for my embroidery design.

WORKING DRAWING Persephone's 'corset' top

embroidery details appliquéd as faux panel- seen in stylised illustration straps with attachable ribbon

6 panels of main fabric plus lining fabric

peplum featuregathered strip of fabric 6 eyelets and ribbon to thread through.

WORKING DRAWING Persephone's 'corset' top embroidery details on front pannels four 1 inch by 70cm ribbon straps that tie at shoulder

6 panels of main fabric plus lining fabric

peplum featuregathered strip of fabric : 10cm by 140cm

6 eyelets and ribbon to thread through.

Here is my final toille and working drawing with the new adaptations i made,

persephone

eurydice orpheus

Hades

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here you can see my final design as my finished garment.

final design outcome