The Night Circus by Jessica Ranaldi

The Night Circus MFA Performance Costume Design Graduate Project By Jessica Ranaldi

“the circus a r r i v e s w i t h o u t warning.” 2

F I N D ER sunset

concept - 0004 synopsis - 0006 Set design research - 0008 character research & developm ent - 0022 final characters - 0063 set - 0108 process - 0114 photoshoot - 0120

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Co nc ept

The Night Circus has not yet been developed into a large-scale product ion, so I feel that this is the perfect opportunity to use my own imagination without unintentional inspirations from past designs for the production.

I hope to bring my own stamp to the story of The Night Circus. I want to create a diverse and inclusive casting through my illustrations and use of culturally appropriate designs. My version of the story will take the audience into another world, transforming what they know of the tale through my combining of inventive and modern designs with aspects of traditional clothing styles from the 1800’s. I hope to reimagine tailoring through my designs with inspirations from sources such as the Pattern Magic books, in order to create an otherworldly feel to the circus performers historical clothing. The characters in the role of circus outsiders will be outfitted in more traditionally accurate designs. This will make the differentiation between the attendees and the performers more apparent, as well as allowing me experience in both innovative, modern design, and historical design. I also wish to experiment with textile manipulation and surface textures to create a very diverse and three dimensional fabric range within the circus performer costumes. The costumes for the performers are famously black and white only, so the use of beading, embroidery and other textile experimenting will be highly important in creating depth and interest in their garments. I want the performers to look eccentric but beautiful and otherworldly. I imagine the performance to be a complete sensory experience and to be accessible to all. As well as the audience experience, I really want to experiment with new ways of manufacturing and textile manipulation that can be achieved from a home studio, as this will not only be the way that I will be completing the course, but also the new normal for the foreseeable future within the industry.

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Synopsis

My version of The Night Circus will be based in a large field full of circus te nts and set up to look like the circus from the story. The audience will be led through the gates into a series of tents. The tents will have interactive performances taking place, which will both make the audience feel as if they are at The Night Circus, as well as play out the story from the book.

The first tent will be a tunnel straight from the gates, a starry illusion tunnel that will lead into the grounds. The audience will then filter out into the office tent, where the tale will begin. This will feature immersive performances; from Celia meeting her father, Prospero, as a child, Prospero’s rival, Alexander. This will then progress to two performances happening at once in either side of the office setting; Marco growing up in his flat surrounded by books, learning magic through them and occasional visits from Alexander, as well as meeting Isobel; and Celia growing up travelling around with her father, learning magic physically and acting as a fortune teller for unsuspecting audience members. The audience will then flow out into a grand dining room tent, where they will be encouraged to sit at the table with the actors. This tent will follow Marco meeting Chandresh and the circus organisers planning over midnight dinners. This will be where Tsukiko enters as a contortionist and Celia will perform as an illusionist. We will also meet Friedrick, as he is commissioned to build the clock. The actors will leave the dining table and lead the audience out into the main arena from this tent, as this will be the opening night of the circus. In the main arena there will be a bonfire and several outdoor acts dotted around, such as the frozen lovers who very slowly move closer to one another, and Tsukiko performing outside. The audience will then be led into the Concord tent, which will feature a tree made of rope where they will be introduced to Bailey and he will be dared to break into the circus during the day. The ropes making up the tree will then be manipulated to look like tent ropes, he will meet Poppet there and be gifted her glove.

From here they will be led back outside into the main arena to view an older Bailey visiting the circus and meeting Poppet again, as well as her brother Widget. They will take the audience through the attractions, Celia will be performing illusionist tricks, and there will be a small fortune teller tent, in which members of the audience can step in to have their Tarot cards read by Isobel. There will also be food carts featuring foods from the story, such as toffee apples and cinnamon swirls. After this interval period the audience will be led through a train station setting. Tara Burges will then meet Alexander, shortly after she will step out in front of a train. This sombre moment will show the cracks are beginning to form in the circus. The lighting will lift, and we will see the train setting again, with Bailey travelling to find The Night Circus and be reunited with Poppet. Bailey will lead the audience out through the original Concord tent, which will have been re-set to become the frozen party tent within the circus. He will meet Poppet and Widget here, walking through several frozen-inplace trapeze artists and dancers. This will take the audience back out into the main arena, which will now look tired, grey, and ashy. The bonfire will have died down and we will see the murder of Frederick. This will be the ending of the competition, upon which Bailey will save the circus by becoming the new powerholder, as Celia and Marcus fade into another ‘world’ to stay together rather than defeating one another. They beat the competition. Finally, Poppet and Widget will take the audience back through the original office setting tent. They will end the production by meeting Alexander and concluding the rights of The Night Circus be held in Bailey’s name.

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s e t d es i gn r e s e arch

o v e r a l l s e tti ng

The overall feel of the circus will be mysterious, otherworldly, and magical. I hope to achieve this through the set design. The tents will be a mixture of monochromatic striped and swirled prints, and the ground will be treated with environmentally friendly pigment to create intricate organic designs. As well as the visual atmosphere, scents will play a huge part in the setting. There will be cinnamon swirl and toffee apple carts, giving a sweet smell. The bonfire will give of a burning wood scent. There will also be background music playing in the main arena during the interval.

Off i c e T e nt

The office setting will be in the first tent. The scene will have books piled all over, with a main wall of books in the middle of the tent to separate Marcus and Alexander from Celia and Prospero. This will allow them to play out their teaching and aging scenes in unison with the audience free to observe who they wish when they wish.

d i ni ng r o o m Te nt

The Dining Room tent will be the second tent the audience enters. It will be very grand inside, adorned in red velvet drapes and chandeliers. The dining table will be in the centre of the tent, the audience will be encouraged to sit down with the cast at the table.

Co nc o r d T e nt

The Concord setting will be in the largest tent. It will have a rope tree, which will be unravelled and transformed into ropes to create a side of the tent wall as Bailey breaks into the circus and meets Poppet. This tent will later be rearranged into the acrobat tent, the tree ropes forming hanging ropes for the frozen trapeze artists to twist into.

T r a i n Statio n

The train station setting will be a train track off to the side of the main arena. This is where Tara will sadly die, her funeral will be held, and Bailey will travel to chase the circus.

End s e tti n g The circus arena turns smoky and ominous

“ SOM EWHERE IN T HE N OTHI N GN ESS, A CLO C K BEGIN S TO STRIKE M ID N IGHT.”

R es ea r c h and De v e lo pm e nt

L’AMOVREVX

CELI A

Celia bowen - 1873 “The theatre manager does not need to read the envelope to know who the girl is for. the bright eyes peering out from under a cloud of unruly brown curls are smaller, wider versions of the magician’s own.” - Un expec ted Po s t , page 9.

A VICTORIAN LADY’S GUIDE TO FASHION AND BEAUTY

spouse for two years. Deceased parents or children were generally mourned for one year, while deceased grandparents or siblings merited a mourning period of only six months. Just as with wedding dresses, the style for fashionable mourning was set by Queen Victoria herself. When her husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, the queen went into deep mourning for the remainder of her life. She favoured unrelieved black crepe, leading an 1895 edition of the Delineator to state that:

‘The Royal Widow of England has fixed the fashions for all the widows of her realm and of America. The orthodox livery of widow’s woe is “an experiment in the utmost laying on of crape.”’ In addition to black crepe, ladies in deep mourning were permitted to wear ‘serges, bombazines, delaine, barège, and merino,’ fabrics which were all considered to be ‘suitable materials for the deepest mourning’.50 Black mourning dress could be accented with a black cashmere shawl, a veiled bonnet of plain, black crepe, and black kid gloves. Some authorities advised that no jewellery or ornamentation of any kind was permitted except jet and only then in the form of buttons or clasps used to fasten the collar, cuffs, and belt. Others allowed women in deep mourning to continue to wear their pearls and ‘plainly-set solitaire diamonds,’ but prohibited any coloured stones, such as sapphires, rubies, or emeralds.51 Ladies in light mourning were permitted to wear dresses in black and white, grey, mauve, violet, or some combination thereof. Dresses of solid mauve or violet were considered appropriate for light mourning. In fact, many widows in the final months of their second year of mourning exchanged their heavy black crepe for a subdued silk dress in some variety of purple. Thisversion could beofaccented with inspiration lace I wanted a traditional little girls dress for this Celia. I took or embroidery from the frills and bows in the images above, as wellatasthe thecollar darkand theme of cuffs, jet jewellery set in gold, and Ladies in deep mourning wore black from mourning clothing. a bonnet trimmed with ribbons and head to toe. (Freja: Illustrerad Skandinavisk Modetidning, 1885. Nordic Museum, Sweden) even a few crepe flowers.

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P ROS P ERO

Prospero The Enchanter or hector bowen - 1873 Prospero is an impressively dressed character, often wearing a cape when performing. He is described as slightly intimidating and stern.

I wanted Prospero to look slightly older and well dressed. I interpreted his invisibility using camouflage textiles and striped tent fabric - in reference to blending in. It made sense to make him the sign language interpreter for my audience, so that he is always part of the act, however not always seen by the other characters. The design development was largely through textile techniques, involving applique, felting, Angelina fibre, embroidery, and patchwork.

A LEX A N D ER

Alexander - 1873 Alexander is a cold, mysterious and grey character. He is nicknamed ‘the man in the grey suit’. I wanted him to look traditional, mature, and shrouded. Using a range of grey fabrics in varying textures and weights would allow his costume to maintain depth.

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M A R CO

marcO - 1875 I wanted Marco to appear handsome and well dressed, as he uses a charm to mask himself as ‘perfect’. I still wanted him to come across as modest, so I refrained from a dandy look, focussing on beautiful tailoring instead.

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CH A N D RESH

Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre - 1884 Chandresh is an extravagant character. I wanted him to verge on dandy-like and focus on luxurious fabrics. I looked at a rich colour palette, inspired by candle-lit midnight dinner vibes.

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T A NT E P A D VA

madamme ‘tante’ padva - 1885 Tante Padva is a fashionable woman. I therefore looked at historically accurate fashion pieces, combining them with a bejewelled mesh modern twist - like the images below. Her character gave me the chance to play with bright and bold textiles. I adapted her designs further after finding more fun fabrics.

A VICTORIAN LADY’S GUIDE TO FASHION AND BEAUTY

Millinery: Toques, Gainsborough Hats, and Flower Pots

Hats and bonnets of the 1880s came in a wide range of styles. One of the most fashionable varieties was the soft, brimless toque. There were cloth toques banded with velvet, sealskin toques edged with fur, and satin evening toques trimmed with feathers. Many Victorian ladies chose to have their toques made in fabric to match their gowns, a practice which the 24 April 1886 edition of the North London News describes as being not only inexpensive, but ‘always fashionable and in good taste’. In addition to toques, ladies of the 1880s were also partial to felt hats with large crowns, capotes with low brims, and close-fitting straw bonnets which tied beneath the chin with velvet ribbon bows. Some fashionable ladies wore square, highcrowned directoire hats with broad, flat brims that were turned up behind. Other ladies favoured the wide, bent brim of an elegant Gainsborough hat, an oversized style inspired by the hats worn by ladies in the eighteenth century paintings of Thomas Gainsborough. By the middle of the decade, tall-crowned hats in the shape of flowerpots came into fashion. They had narrow brims and were often made of straw or silk plush. Upon their arrival on the Victorian fashion scene, one 1885 newspaper called them ‘hat-trocious,’ while another declared that they were ‘one of the ugliest of the many

A selection of fashionable bonnets. (Journal des Demoiselle 1886. Thomas J. Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Matthews, M 2018, A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty, Pen & Sword Books, Havertown. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [13 October 2020]. Created from ed on 2020-10-13 06:03:38.

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e t h an

ETHAN BARris - 1885 I played with architecture prints in order to develop the textile designs for this character, as he is the circus engineer. I took the opportunity to include colour and new shapes through Mr Barass’ costume, as he is not a circus performer and not necessarily a traditional dresser.

T SUKIKO

Tsukiko - 1885

Tsukiko is another mysterious character. For this scene Tsukiko is dressed shockingly and scantly for dinner - as she is about to perform. I looked at Alexander McQueen for inspiration, however the dress I came up with would not have been ideal to perform in. I developed this into a mesh and lacey unitard with freshwater pearl beading all over, like a more tradition contortionist outfit.

Figure 5.7. Dolores in one of Lucile’s costumes for Fleurette’s Dream. Sketch Supplement, Fleurette’s Dream, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin.

Schweitzer, M 2011, When Broadway Was the Runway : Theater, Fashion, and American Culture, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [13 October 2020]. Created from ed on 2020-10-13 06:31:39.

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THE 1880s

CELI A

Trains of the mid-1880s were long, square, and narrow. They were still quite fashionable in evening dress, but they were now made separate from the skirts and could be worn or not worn depending on a lady’s preference. Married ladies were generally expected to wear long trains and, according to the World of Fashion, young married women wore ‘a modified form of train even for dancing’. Young, unmarried girls often dispensed with their trains entirely. Bodices of the mid-1880s remained tight to the shape, but they were beginning to decrease in length. They now reached just below the waist, often coming to a distinct point. For day dresses, jacket bodices with short, standing band collars were all the rage. Sleeves were generally long and narrow, with elbow length or three-quarter length sleeves particularly popular in evening and dinner dresses. When it came to fashionable trimmings, the mid-1880s was notable for silk bowen audtion - 1885 fringe,Celia cords, and tassels. Beading of jet, lead, bronze, scene and gold was also quite popular, as were lace, thread, and passementerie made entirely of steel. Many ladies the mid-1880s accented their with a dress, belt or a sash. Beltstransforms were often For this scene Celiaof begins wearing an dresses emerald then it into a black ombre paired with a jacket bodice. Sashes came in a variety of styles and could be worn dress. I looked at either colour changing they notlong beends ideal, as they are heat or encircling the waist ordyes, ‘laid as abut drapery acrosswould the front’ with water activated usually. a gown that would drop layer to change the colour. I which fellI tosettled the edge ofon the skirt behind, terminating in two large bows.a14 Sashes were usually ten inches in width and, when worn around the waist, were made took inspiration from traditional gowns for this costume, as she is ofnot yet part of the circus. soft fabrics, such as crepe or silk gauze.

Bustled gowns with standing band collars from 1885. (Thomas J. Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Matthews, M 2018, A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty, Pen & Sword Books, Havertown. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [13 October 2020]. Created from ed on 2020-10-13 06:03:12.

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performer

FROZE N TRAPEZE ARTIST - 1902 For this costume I took inspiration from images of trapese artists and black and white butterflies, as this is what I pictured in my head for the frozen trapeze performer - a beautiful still butterfly. I decided to remove the butterfly wings from the costume for the final illustration and working drawing, as I feel they could be impractical and dangerous for a trapeze artist.

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F RIE D RICK

herr frie drick thiessen - 1902 I wanted to design Friedrick with clock-like features. I developed the textiles by embossing into leather, taking inspiration from wooden carved clocks. I also found some pattered fabrics that reminded me of wood grain.

TARA Tara burgess - 1895 I have taken inspiration from more masculine tailoring for Tara. I wanted her to represent feminism and power. I have used a lot of checked and tartan wools for her costume.

POPPET penelope ‘poppet’ murray - 1902 This costume is inspired by the circus, patchwork and dreamy silhouettes. Poppet will wear trousers under her dress and have a wild and free look about her.

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WID GE T winston ‘widget’ murray - 1902 Widget’s costume will be very feminine and embellished. I have taken inspiration from detailed textiles and frills.

B A ILEY bailey clarke - 1902 Bailey’s costume is inspired by his journey to find the circus, through applique. I wanted him to look young and innocent with a nod to nature and growing up on a farm. Originally I was designing him as patched up and scruffy, however, I changed my mind and focussed on the part of the story in which he gets a lovely suit.

ISO B EL

isobel martin - 1902 I researched soft silhouettes for Isobel’s costume. I wanted something voluptuous and pillowy, with a mysterious edge through the arm fringes.

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T SUKIKO

Tsukiko - 1902

The circus performance costume for Tsukiko is inspired by bold appliques. I originally designed a tulle skirt, however I removed this for the final illustration, as I felt it would hide contortion performance.

Figure 3.5. The actress Julia Marlowe had this studio portrait taken in Milwaukee in 1899 by the local photographers Klein and Guttenstein, who would have distributed the image from their studio and perhaps made it available at local stationery stores. Courtesy of the Philip H. Ward Collection of Theatrical Images, 1868–1910, Ms. Coll. 331, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania.

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Ce l i a Celia - 1902

As this would be Celia’s stage costume before the circus begins to fall apart, I wanted it to be a showy gown. I took inspiration from historically accurate, very glamorous gowns, as well as the striped costume from Sleepy Hollow. I developed the costume further for the final illustration, making it slightly distressed to match the scene.

Figure 3.6. Maxine Elliott backstage, 1902. Note the costumes hung on the wall behind her, presumably in preparation for a quick change. Photograph by Byron. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Schweitzer, M 2011, When Broadway Was the Runway : Theater, Fashion, and American Culture, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [13 October 2020]. Created from ed on 2020-10-13 06:24:51.

Figure 4.5. A promotional photograph of the dancer and musical comedy star Aida Overton Walker, ca. 1900. Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

Figure 5.2. Anna Held and the chorus from The Little Duchess, ca. 1902—a crown jewel within a setting of semi-precious stones. Photograph by Gilbert and Bacon, Philadelphia. Theatre Magazine (January 1903): 21.

M A R CO

ma rco - 1902 Taking inspiration from purposely unfinished tailoring, I wanted to create a beautifully destroyed suit for Marco in the end scene. I originally designed it to be still in one piece, however I developed this into a barely-there suit jacket attached into a waistcoat for structure.

WHEEP I NG A NGEL

PERFORMER AT FUNERAL - 1895 I took inspiration from wheeping angel statues, circus and street artist dress, as well as the death tarot card. I wanted a dress made up of many layers, with a set of angel wings made from fabric scraps rather than feathers. I wanted to reference the death card by applique bones on the dress, to form a sceleton.

f i nal c h a r acters

Ce l i a Young Celia bowen - 1873 This character is Celia as we first meet her aged five. She has arrived at her father ’s office with an envelope addressed to him, pinned to her second top button. It explains that her mother is dead and she is now in his care. We immedietly discover that she shares her father ’s magical powers.

LA • FORCE

Prospero

PROSPERO THE ENCHANTER - 1873 This character is Celia’s father, Hector Bowen. We meet him at the very beginning of the story. Early on he accidently turns himself invisible, everyone believes him dead and Celia goes along with this.

LE • PAPE

A LEX A N D ER

ALEXANDER - 1873 This character creates the competition against Prospero, pitting Celia and Marco against one another. He believes that sorcery should be learned academically through books, however Prospero feels that a more hands-on approach is best.

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L’HERMITE

POPPET

PENELOPE ‘poppet’ MURRAY - 1902 This character was born on the opening night of the Night Circus. Poppet performs a kitten act with her twin. She has the power to see the future. Poppet makes friends with Bailey when he breaks into the circus during the day. She senses that he has an important role to play in saving the circus.

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LE • SOLEIL

WID GE T

winston ‘widget’ MURRAY - 1902 This character is Poppet’s twin brother. His tent is a storytelling tent, one picks a bottle to drink and it takes them away into a story. Widget has the power to read people. He will appear in the main arena in my production, as well as having a storytelling gin tasting tent for the interval. This costume is made up of scraps and patches of fabric and stories, as well as a light up moon headpiece.

The past stays on you the way powdered sugar stays on your fingers...

Only the ship is made of books,

...the events and things that pushed you to where you are now.

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LE • SOLEIL

tant e P A D VA madamme ‘tante’ padva - 1885 This character creates is the costume designer for the circus. She is part of the organising panel and attends midnight dinners at Chandresh’s house. She is very extra and also very caring. She will appear in the Dining Room tent in my production.

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L’IMPERATRICE

CH A N D RESH Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre - 1885 This character creates is the manager of the circus. Or at least he believes he is. Chandresh is oblivious to the competition and thinks that Celia is just the illusionist within the circus, and Marco merely his assistant - rather than the creators and power behind the whole thing. Chandresh unravels as the circus goes on, eventually losing his mind and murdering a key and loved character by mistake. He will appear in the Dining Room tent, as well as for the murder of Friedrick.

LE • MAT

ETHAN

ethan barris - 1885 This character is the head engineer and architect within the Night Circus. He works with the organising team to create attraction ideas within the circus. He soon works out that Celia has powers and begins working with her to collaborate on magical attractions. He in turn does the same with Marcus. He will appear in The Dining Room tent, as well as being a key character at Tara Burgess’ funeral.

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L’EMPEREUR

T SUKIKO tsukiko - 1885 This character is the contortionist at the circus. In this costume of elasticated strings of freshwater pearls over a bodysuit, she will audition for the circus. This will take place in The Dining Room tent in front of the organisers of the circus. We later learn that Tsukiko was a former competitor in the same competition, studying under Alexander. She won and lost her love through the process.

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LE • MONDE

Ce l i a

celi a bowen CIRCUS PERFORMANCE - 1902 Celia will appear as an 18-year-old woman here as she auditions for the role of the illusionist for the circus. She will perform in front of the organisation team in the Dining Room tent. This costume will transform mid performance. The ruffled black fabric will drop down to turn the dress from emerald to a black-to-white ombre.

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L’ETOILE

M A R CO marco - 1893 This character is the competition rival and the destined love of Celia within the story. He studies under Alexander and is initially in a relationship with Isobel, the fortune teller. He grew up in an orphanage, before spending his youth in a book filled flat alone, under Alexander ’s watch. In this outfit he will play his interactions with Isobel in the Office tent, as well as Chandresh’s assistant and early interactions of falling in love with Celia in the Dining Room tent.

LE • BATELEUR

B A ILEY

bailey clarke - 1902 This character grew up in Concord. He is in awe of the circus and dreams of it daily. When he was younger, he broke into the circus during the day as a dare. This is when he met Poppet and was gifted one of her gloves as proof. He kept her glove forever. Bailey finally meets Poppet again when the circus returns years later aged 16. When Poppet asks him to come away with the circus, we journey with Bailey as he chases behind the circus and eventually fulfils his destiny of becoming the saviour and bearer of the Night Circus. His suit will tell the story of his journey, through applique.

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LA • JUSTICE

ISO B EL

i sobel martin - 1902 This character is the fortune teller for the Night Circus. Isobel meets and falls in love with Marcus just before the circus is coming into actualisation. She offers to join the circus in order to spy on Celia, so that Marcus can win the competition. She has to watch as Marcus falls in love with Celia. Finally, Isobel breaks a charm she held over the pair in order to set Marcus free from her - this is the beginning of the circus falling apart. Isobel will be seen in the Office tent, as well as the main arena, and her own Fortune Telling mini tent for the interval period.

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TEMPÉRANCE

TARA

tara burgess - 1895 This character is a Scottish woman who is in charge of the atmosphere of the Night Circus. Tara thinks of everything from scent, to comfort. I therefore decided to depict her as blind, as I want my production to be inclusive and disability friendly. I want her role to show that blindness does not hold one back from achieving great things and being able to work in a creative field. Sadly Tara’s character dies in the story. She begins to work out that not all is as it seems with the circus when she realises, she is not aging and never gets sick. When confronting Alexander about this, he seemingly casts a spell over her to make her forget and ‘accidently’ get killed by a train. Tara will be in the Dining Room tent, as well as at the Train Platform.

LE • JUGEMENT

WHEEP I N G A N GEL PERFORMER AT FUNERAL - 1895 This character appears as a frozen performer in the main arena of the circus. I have chosen to include her as a Death symbol as she is featured at Tara’s funeral honouring her death. She will be at the Train Platform, as well as performing frozen in the main arena. Her costume is made up of many different silks and laces, with a gold contrasting black fabric, that will be appliqued onto her dress in the shapes of a skeleton. The angel will also have large wings made up of fabric scraps, rather than feathers.

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LE • DÉCÈS

T SUKIKO

tsukiko CIRCUS PERFORMANCE - 1902 This is the second outfit for the contortionist. Tsukiko will wear this out in the main arena by the bonfire, as she performs for the freely roaming audience, on a small raised platform.

LA • PAPESSE

F RIE D RICK herr frie drick thiessen - 1902 This character is the clock maker for the circus. He is also the founder of the Reveirs - fans of the circus who share their experiences and wear a dress code of black, white, and a red scarf. He has a close friendship with Celia. We will meet Friedrick in the Office tent and subsequently in the main arena, where he will be sadly murdered by a maddened Chandresh.

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LE • PENDU

Ce l i a

celia bowen END PERFORMANCE - 1902 Towards the end of the story Celia will be dressed in her circus performance outfit, slightly beginning to unravel as the circus begins to fall apart. This will be in the main arena and the Acrobats tent (formerly the Concord tent that will be transformed between acts).

L’AMOVREVX

M A R CO

marco E ND PERFORMANCE 1902 Towards the end of the story Marcus will be dressed in darker colours to match the circus, however his outfit will be largely falling apart, as the circus begins to fall apart. It will feature cleverly tailored aspects of inside features showing outside - such as boning, pockets and tacking on the outside, as well as a half blazer which connects to the fraying waistcoat.

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L’AMOVREVX

P ERF OR M ER FROZE N TRAPEZE ARTIST - 1902 Towards the end of the story the whole circus freezes during a ‘closed for inclement weather’ party in the acrobat tent. This character will be a frozen trapeze artist swinging in the air, as Marco, Bailey and Celia act out their scenes below. This outfit is mainly made up of lycra panels sewn together to give the illusion of a corseted outfit.

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LA • MAISON • DIEV

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OFFICE SETTING

DINING ROOM SETTING

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CIRCUS ARENA SETTING

F I N A L SET

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“ YOU ARE N O LON GER QUITE CERTAIN WHIC H SID E OF THE F EN CE IS T HE D REAM . ”

P RO CESS I M A GERY

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PROSPERO - COSTUME ONE

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POPPET - COSTUME TWO

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f i nal i ma g ery

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prospero prospero the enchanter - costume one

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p o ppe t penelope ‘poppet’ murray - costume two

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“ BY N OON IT IS A CLOC K AGAIN, AN D N O LON GER A D RE AM .”

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“ before you l eav e, the fortu ne-tel l er reminds you that the fu ture is nev er s et in s tone.”

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The Night Circus

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The Night Circus