Clark University - Clarknews winter 2005
In Closing (winter 2005)
The art behind the scenes
Photos by Tammy Woodard M.A. '98
A recent exhibit at the Schiltkamp Gallery in the Traina Center for the Arts gave visitors an up-close look at some of theater’s greatest roles: the costumes and sets that allow actors and audiences to enter the realm of the play. In "Behind the Scenes: Sets and Costumes," on display from Sept. 30 to Nov. 13, Catherine Quick Spingler, Clark lecturer in foreign languages, and Christine Weinrobe, theater arts technical director and theater designer, exhibited some of their costumes and set designs.
"Theater involves vast collaborative creativity and while the efforts of playwright, director, and actors often are acknowledged, the contributions of the set and costume designers may be overlooked," Elli Crocker, associate professor of art, writes in the statement for the exhibit. "Yet these elements are crucial to achieving the overall impact of a production. This exhibition provided an opportunity to view specifically the contributions of the two artists who have undertaken this creative work over the past decade at Clark University.
"In designing her costumes, Spingler sees the clothes as enabling the actor to fully transform him/herself into the character portrayed. She also believes that these details enable the viewer to further interpret time, place, social status, occupation and personal idiosyncrasies of a character. She enjoys the sensual aspects of clothing design—the allure of a particular fabric, the seductiveness of a color, and the physical history evident in a button. She cites Oscar Wilde, concurring, 'One must be a work of art in order to wear one.'
"After initial discussions with a director, Weinrobe undertakes extensive research and allows her mind to gestate images, before creating sketches and the indispensable models for her set designs. While these elaborate constructions for the stage may only exist for a few weeks—after months of construction—the models, drawings, and photographs endure as a record of this ephemeral art form. Also an instructor in theater design at Clark, Weinrobe teaches her students to understand how the set design helps make the play come alive and engages them in this interactive and collaborative art form."
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Clarknews Winter 2005
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| Catherine Quick Springler (left), Clark lecturer in foreign languagues, and Christine Weinrobe, theater arts technical director and theater designer, with the exhibit of their work "Behind the Scenes: Sets and Costumes" |
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