Shall I Clothe Thee for a Summer’s Day? Costuming Outdoor Shakespeare

By Billy McEntee for American Theatre | August 6, 2018

Rain is no stranger to American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisc., though the threat of precipitation doesn’t change the creative process. As costume designer Robert Morgan succinctly puts it: “Design first, problem-solve later.” He’s the costume designer for APT’s As You Like It (running through Oct. 7).

Water affects some costumes more than others, but often there is no substitute for the impact of a key fabric. “Silk can water spot, but we continue to use it because nothing can replace the look of it, the movement of it, the social meaning of it,” Morgan said.

He also ensures that actors always find their footing—quite literally. “Shoes are covered with non-slip dance rubber,” he says. “But evening dew can make our outdoor stage slippery, so at APT we add sand to paint” to give the stage’s surface extra traction.

As in L.A., Morgan must also consider sweltering temperatures. This includes having freezer packs on hand for actors to wear beneath their costumes and crafting a “heat plan,” which is “meant to accommodate the actors’ well-being on exceptionally hot, muggy nights and matinees under an unforgiving midsummer sun,” Morgan said.

Director James Bohnen’s conception of As You Like It is inspired by Victorian England, with all of the layers that style requires, but for exceptionally hot performances, some layers are removed. “We determine what garments can be left behind in the dressing rooms, usually boiling down to coats and vests for men, shawls and outerwear for women,” Morgan says. “Audiences understand—they hate seeing actors suffer onstage.” An interesting factoid Morgan has discovered in the 19 years he’s worked at APT: “Wigs, interestingly enough—which one might expect to be the first to go—protect actors from mosquitoes and direct sun.”

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