THA 202

COSTUME
can be said to be any form of clothing worn by an actor on stage towards the interpretation and
identification of the character being played in a play production for effective communication of
the intended message.

TYPES
Character costume: is the definite clothing propelled by gender, the age, status, occupation and
the action of the character.

In other words it tells us or gives us more information about the character background, who the
character is and so on, E.g the dressing of different cultures

Decorative costume: is a costume that aligns with the day to day mode of dressing and can add
little or nothing beyond the basics to the identification of a character

In other words it is mainly decorative and often times used to differentiate one group of people
from the others.

Abstract costume: is a type of costume that totally transforms or conceals the human identity of
the actor in order to project the character

FUNCTIONS
1. Tells us more about a character, what he stands for in the mindset of others while
performing his or her role
2. It is an action in motion because it helps the character to grow and develop
3. To aid understanding, identifying the period in which an action occurs, the locale,
telling the time of the day and clarifying the occasion
4. Clarifies character relationship with one and other
5. Helps to identify the age, occupation and status of a character
6. Helps the audience to recognize and interpret the play themes or ideas
7. Helps the character to communicate their actions effectively
Materials for building costumes
1. Fabric of different of different texture
2. Measuring tape
3. Needle and thread
4. Sewing machines
5. Dye

MASK
is an object worn on the face to cover the personal human identity of the wearer.
It could conceal partially or totally or transform the wearer or user into another being or identity.
Mask could be beautiful, ugly or distorted in the making depending on the motive of the creator.
The psychological aspect of mask is that the wearer is no longer exposed to the full glare of the
spectators or audience.

TYPES
1.Traditional mask:
Is gotten or associated with particular costumes of masquerades, in some cases the costume and
mask are worn as one
The traditional mask are meant to depict specific historical context of the people like their
cultures,traditions and values
Traditional masks are made from light weight wood or other materials that can retain the desired
information about the people and not all traditional masks are worn on the face, some rest on
the head of the masker e.g Eyo

2.Contemporary Mask are present day masks that are meant to add fun and aesthetics to the
occasion at which it is worn.
Contemporary masks could be such as a Christmas face mask, ballroom mask or cartoon
character masks and so on.
Contemporary masks can be made from easily perishable materials like cartons, paper
cardboards etc.

There are two generic types of masks under which are other types
PARTIAL MASK: where only half of the identity of the wearer is revealed and other parts are
concealed e.g eye patch, nose mask etc
FULL MASK: where Every body part of the wearer are totally covered e.g sangbeto, the raffia
masquerade

FUNCTIONS
1. In the classical era masks is to distinguish different characters played by the same set of
actors on stage
2. Masks was used to show gender in the classical era because women were not allowed
to act
3. Some mask also helped the actors project their voices in a large theatre
Materials used for masks
Theatre mask are made from different materials depending on their purpose.
Rubber, Leather, wood, Metal, Fabrics, paper, cardboard.

MAKEUP
Makeup are substances or materials used on a part of the actors body that is not covered with
costume in order to interpret or enhance the character.
Makeup also transforms the facial look of a character towards the interpretation of a play or
identification of character being played.

TYPES
1.Character makeup: this transforms totally the facial look of the character towards the
interpretation of the play
It has to do with making up a character based on the age of the role the character is playing e.g a
young man playing the role of an old man

2.Straight Make up: this type of makeup enhances the natural features of an actor E.g a young
person playing the role of a young person, children playing the role of a child.

3.Abstract makeup: this is the type of makeup that conceals the personality or identity of an
actor for effective communication of the intended message

FUNCTIONS
It enhances the look of a character
It beautifies
It transforms the face of a character for effective communication

Materials used for makeup

1. Natural materials like charcoal, powder, oil based lipstick
2. Industrial materials like Foundation, eyeshadow, eye pencil, eye liner, mascara, brow
powder, concealer, wipes
3. Latex: a material for both makeup and mask, it comes in liquid form but can take any
shape of an area it is allowed to conjure

PROPS
are physical objects carried used or stationary on stage to create scenes or scenarios, support
actions, information or meaning about a character or the action in the identification of roles,
time and place of the action.

Props are also handy objects that actors use to relate with on stage towards the interpretation of
the play

TYPES
Set Props : are props that are stationary on stage, they’re bulky and they’re meant to create
scenes, gives information about the environment and additional information about a character
E.g a sewing machine on a stage Indicates that a character is a tailor.

Hand props : are handy objects used in cause of a performance of a performance, and is part of
the action that gives additional information about a character and it could also be a part of the
dressing accessory E.g the staff of a king

Consumable props : are perishable props that is part of the action and their lifespan ends with a
particular action E.g food, drinks, perishable items

Decorative props: are mainly decorative and they’re also stationary on stage, often times they’re
part of set props, E.g Wall clock, flowers, pictures etc.
NB : until the end of an action we should not determine the position of a prop because the
position of these props could change in the cause of the performance.
for example if a walking stick is used to hit a character on stage and it breaks during the course of
action, it has changed position from a handy prop to a consumable prop because the purpose of
the walking stick ended within the course of that action.

FUNCTIONS OF PROPS
1. Gives information about a character
2. Creates scenes or environments
3. Helps the audience to identify roles, time and place of an action
4. It helps a character to carry out their actions effectively
5. Helps the audience to have a better understanding and interpretation of an action.