"Beaux' Stratagem"

This was my second show at UCLA, and my first 18th century production. Set in the early 18th century (1707), and written by George Farquar, this was a really fun piece. Joe Olivieri, the director, actually liked the silhouette of the later 18th century, so ended up pushing it back to circa 1760s. We ended up recutting a lot of pre-existing supposedly 18th century gowns to make the period look absolutely correct. Thanks to Maxwell Barr at UCLA, who practically builds 18th c. gowns for museums, the result was breathtaking.

I did a lot of research and learned a great deal about the mannerisms of that period. It was a little stressful though, because I was planning for my wedding at that time, and was literally juggling alterations on my gown and alterations on the show! Not to mention I got rear-ended on the freeway in the midst of all this...talk about stress! Well, if anything, I learned that if I can survive planning a wedding and doing a full-on period show while getting my accident taken care of, I can handle anything!






Some sketches:
Dorinda

Archer

Mrs. Sullen

The Thieves, Bagshot and Hounslow

Mr. Sullen

This is an example of a "Color Plot" that I usually put together to show the director the overall palette for the entire show, esp when the cast is large. I also bring copies of the color plot with me to swatch for fabrics.