Costume Designer Natasha Bowles takes us behind the scenes of Romeo and Juliet 2021

At the end of last year, while still in her second year of study, BA Costume for Theatre and Screen student Natasha Bowles took on the role of Costume Designer for a major new production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

This new filmed theatre production of the well-loved play uses innovative technology to produce and film the show under the restrictions of COVID-19: working through a national lockdown meant that the whole production team worked remotely and Natasha never met anyone else working on the production in person.

Tickets are on sale now for the production live steam, which takes place from the 13 to the 27 February and can be watched from anywhere in the world.

Here Natasha, who specialises in Costume Interpretation, tells us about her passion for period dress and modern influence, and how she applied her research-heavy practice to preparing for and delivering meaningful designs under lockdown conditions.

Planning the project

In August 2020 I was approached by Ryan Metcalfe and Simon Gordon of Metcalfe Gordon Productions:  they were at the start of producing a filmed Romeo and Juliet set in a theatre and completed through the use of Greenscreen and CGI.

I was familiar with Ryan Metcalfe’s work with his company Preevue. After hearing about my work, viewing it on social media and seeing the look-books I had produced for my Unit 5 course work on The Three Sisters, he asked if I would like to design for the film.

I had been told from the beginning how tight the schedule was going to be, therefore from September to October I got a lot of research done. I looked into Romeo and Juliet, the themes, the history, and then also looked at modern day developments and issues. I also was able to analyse the script and get to know the requirements for each costume.

Once everything had been confirmed, I had my first and only meeting with the director in mid-October, on zoom, where we went through each character and listed ideas and aesthetics.

Over the following days I sent him style boards: simple mood boards to capture each character’s aesthetic. At that moment we didn’t have any confirmed actors, so I was working with a blank canvas on the design side.

The producers had let me know  early  in the process that because of COVID restrictions, all costumes were going to have to  be  supplied from the actor’s own wardrobes. Therefore, I had to adjust styles to fit modern day adaptable clothing.

Preparing for production

Due to working with greenscreen, I was limited in the colours and materials I could work with I used specific colour schemes and signifiers to connote, enhance or suggest certain feelings, moods and styles.

I wanted to pay homage to the original time period that Romeo and Juliet was both set and written in, so I used many Elizabethan and Italian signifiers in the costumes.

In the 24hrs after the actors were confirmed, I created costume proposals. These included colour schemes, clothing item ideas and a concept outline, which showed the actor how I would like them to look.

These boards were discussed in 30-minute meetings with each actor over Zoom, where we looked at their wardrobes and picked out items that correlated to the design proposals. If an actor didn’t have any particular items or items we could use, my next task was to source these pieces and have them sent straight to their home.

After these meetings I made costume plots, where each scene they were in was labelled along with  breakdown of what they needed to wear. Therefore, once they got into the studio they could be called for a scene and know exactly how to dress.

I had also drawn up a few designs to give each actor visuals of what they would look like as their characters. I asked them to send me pictures of their final costumes soI could adjust, check and change them if I or the actor wasn’t happy.

The filming process

During most of the filming process, only one actor was in the studio at a time and due to restrictions, I was not allowed to be there, so, any problems were handled over the phone or on Facetime. Throughout the process I never met anyone else working on the production in person.

My most enjoyable moment was designing and making each of the individual face masks for the characters at the masquerade ball We went with the concept of using the modern facemask we have become so familiar with.

It was enjoyable to design these masks to represent each character, their personalities and styles. With such a tight schedule I enlisted the help of Sofie Mo, also a Costume Interpretation second year student, to realise these designs.

What’s next for Natasha?

A self-confessed history nerd, I would love to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the future. The range of their productions which use historical and modern concepts, as well as their love for Shakespeare, is matched in my passions and has influenced my work greatly.

For now though, I am continuing my development as a maker, designer and researcher and focussing on my interest in historical dress.

For students considering studying at Wimbledon College of Arts my top advice would be to not doubt yourself: I never felt I was good enough until the right opportunity came along to help me prove to myself that I was. Wimbledon so far has given me the confidence and abilities to help me in this process.