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MIRIN SCASSELLATI
Designer, Maker, Student
Mmmbeth Ensemble Costuming
(Fall 2019)
Mmmbeth Costumes
In December 2019, I directed the show Mmmbeth by Allison Williams for a one acts competition. The show was a comedy that satirised Shakespeare's Macbeth and other elements of theater canon. I wanted the costumes to convey a traditional (almost cliche) Shakespearean aesthetic.
The Mmmbeths
The comedic bit of Lady Mmmbeth revolves around her switching between two personalities--the sweet housewife, and the manipulative wife. I put her in a 50’s style A-Line skirt to make that transition more drastic, but kept her in the same color as her husband to keep her from looking too out of place. Lady Mmmbeth also wore a special effects apron, since the script called for her clothes to become bloody in the middle of a scene.
(Apron details are on a seperate page, use the link below to explore more).
(Apron details are on a seperate page, use the link below to explore more).
The Witches
For this show, I wanted to put most of the budget towards the set and rights for the show. For that reason, all of the costumes were either existing costume pieces I had, or made out of leftover fabric from other projects. This isn't always feasible, but in this case, the added design challenge ended up working to my advantage! Each witch had a skirt in a similar color family, and I added a black strip to each (partially to unify their looks, and partially because I was short on one of the fabrics!)
Queen Duncan
I usually like to make bodices with peplum tabs, but because the actress had a shorter torso and would be wearing this with pants and not a skirt, I decided to make her a shorter front lacing bodice. At the end of the play, Duncan's ghost and Macduff (red vest) ended up together, so Macduff's vest was double sided with two different shades of red. That way, when they first appear, they don't look necessarily affiliated, but they look right standing next to each other at the end of the show. (I don't always put couples in matching outfits--that was a motif for this show in particular!).
Macduff & Banquo
These costumes were more to establish the overall production design, but there were some individual design changes in their costumes. Because Banquo was the formal one of the two, I decided not to top stitch Macduff's vest to give her a more casual look. One of the specialty props I built for the show is also shown in the image on the right--Macduff's "Birnam Wood" flower delivery, which turned into a sword for the final fight.
Hecate
In this version of the show, Hecate arrives midway through the show to give Mmmbeth some advice, in the form of an epic rock ballad. Hecate (played by Haleigh, who also played Macduff), arrived wearing a long cloak, which she removed to reveal a leather jacket and electric guitar.
Other Costumes & Pictures
Some more ensemble costumes (and some pictures of that sword fight!).
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