Three Sisters

Anton Chekhov (Sarah Ruhl Translation)

Year 4 Minor Costume Design Project

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Costume Design and Construction

Set Design and Dressing

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BA Design for Stage and Screen

Dunlaoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology, Dublin

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I designed the play to be staged in the Samuel Beckett Theatre Dublin and set in Russia in 1901. I wanted to commemorate the ambiance of its origin period and harness the sensitivity in Chekhov’s characters who live in a diminishing place and time on the brink of war. The play is split into four acts, each emitting a different and more intense energy as they move forward. I found great emotion in each act and designed the costumes to embody this intensity through colour, texture and weight of fabrics - the light and bright linens of a hopeful Act One - the weighty downbeat wools in Act Two - the chaotic and tossed undergarments in Act Three - and finally, the sturdy ‘battle jackets’ of the sister's questionable future in Act Four, bringing the the three women together in unison. 

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For my technical assessment I chose to construct the costume for Masha, the middle sister, in Act One. I styled her in trademark black and as she is the most eccentric and creative sister, I created a soft, romantic, 'Edwardian' silhouette, styled with luxurious lace, silk and linen, taking inspiration from bohemian artists and writers from Russia in the early 20th century.

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Photographer: Eleanor Rogers