Lysistrata

Director: Michelle Lopez-Rios
Costume Designer: Chen Chen
Costume Designer

As a Costume Designer for Lysistrata, my inspiration was a multi-culture mixture. Because of my background, I’m in love with these traditional Chinese dresses that show a woman’s sexiness. I brought some Chinese elements in my Spartan characters to create an exotic look. It turned out fantastic on stage! I’m also really fond of the Western fashion. I knew along with the Chinese elements, they would look great together and add flavors to this play. Corset is my favorite, so I put the leading female character Lysistrata in a red corset to show her sexiness and forcefulness. There’s Grecian style in my design too. Magistrate, Chorus men, and Chorus women, represent the origin of this play.
The nudity in the story added lots of fun and wildness in designing costumes. Deep v-neckline, see-through dress, and big slit naturally made the actresses feeling sexier when they were in their costumes. For these “penises” and “vagina underwear (for women)”, it was a challenge for me at the beginning. But thanks to the wonderful director Michelle, my instructors, and classmates, they gave me confidence and they opened me up. It was actually a really great and valuable experience I had in my life designing this bawdy show.

My duties in this show included:

* creating and organizing the Show Bible (Including Cast List, Show Contact Info., Budget, Calendar, Renderings, Fabric Swatch Sheet, Fitting Schedule, Quick Reference Size Chart, Rental Contracts, Dress Rehearsal Notes, etc.),

* attending design meetings, fittings, and rehearsals,

* communicating with actors, stage management, directors, and other designers,

* designing costumes,wigs, and masks for characters,

* distributing assignments for my classmates and giving draper conferences,

* shopping for fabrics, rentals, and made-to-order costumes,

* making costume pieces list for wardrobe crews.

Part of Script Analysis