Subscribe to our newsletter by emailSpring Exhibit Opening: Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare, from Stratford to Orange County
On Thursday, April 5, the UCI Libraries celebrated the opening of a new exhibit entitled "Costuming the Leading Ladies of Shakespeare: From Stratford to Orange County." The exhibit examines the evolution of stage costuming for women in Shakespearean plays, with a focus on two specific themes with Orange County connections: Helena Modjeska, a leading actress from the turn of the 19th/20th centuries; and Shakespearian productions at UCI and with UCI involvement from throughout the school's history.
The exhibit opening featured a keynote presentation by Marcy Froehlich, assistant professor and costume designer in the drama department at the UCI Claire Trevor School of Arts. Froehlich spoke about the evolution of costume design, from early costumes in the Elizabethan period that had little historical accuracy, to the trend for historically representative costumes in the mid-19th century, and continuing through to discussing modern productions of stage and screen that involve both historical accuracy and modern/contemporary dress styles.
Froehlich used examples ranging from Inigo Jones to Isamu Noguchi, and from Millais to Mucha to illustrate her fascinating and entertaining talk. As well as providing an overview of the history of costume design, Froehlich also focused on several areas with particular relevance to the exhibit, including the career and costume designs of Helena Modjeska.
The new exhibit, which will be on display in the lobby of the Langson Library through September 2018, contains a variety of material from the collections of the UCI Libraries (both from the Special Collections and Archives, and from the general circulating collection), the collections of the UCI drama department, and also includes material generously loaned by UCI students and faculty.
For more information please contact Scott Stone, Research Librarian for Performing Arts at stonesm@uci.edu or Joshua Hutchinson, Cataloging and Metadata Librarian at jchutchi@uci.edu.