Impact of the costumes on the theatrical style, in a holistic sensorial platform

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find out how and in what ways do costumes impact on the theatrical style in the play, in a holistic sensorial platform. The research is done based on the Comprehensive Design project done by the author, which was ‘Designing Costumes for an Experimental Play’. The play “The Irresistible Rise of Mr. Signno” is an experimental theatre practice done by the theatre practitioner Indika Ferdinando. Following practice based research methodology, this research will discuss the impact of costumes on the theatrical style by designing costumes for the above mentioned experimental theatre practice. In the play the director’s aim is to bring back the concept of holism in ritual theater, into the contemporary theatre. Upon completion of the research, it was found out that costumes are a key player, and it has and strong impact on the theater style in a holistic platform. The research was made possible by a Senate Research Committee Grant, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka under the grant number SRC/ST/2017/16.