Stir Q&A: At Bard on the Beach, Measure for Measure costumes channel '70s-disco and '90s-rave styles
Designer Alaia Hamer shares some of the fantastical influences that helped bring a 1600s Shakespeare show into the present
Measure for Measure at Bard on the Beach. Photo by Tim Matheson
Bard on the Beach presents Measure for Measure on the Howard Family Stage in Vanier Park to September 20
IN SHAKESPEARE’S 1604 PLAY Measure for Measure, the city of Vienna is left in the hands of straight-laced deputy Angelo when its former ruler, Duke Vincenzio, fakes a faraway diplomatic mission in order to observe his people’s behaviour. What ensues is a jumble of morality, mercy, and comedic irony when Angelo starts digging up outdated laws and sentences a man to death for fornication.
At Bard on the Beach this summer, director Jivesh Parasram has put a modern-absurdist spin on the classic play that sets it apart from decades of adaptations. Vienna is a party city, and the Duke is its fun-loving golden boy—but under captain killjoy Angelo’s reign, the ground rule is no premarital dancing, and it’s punishable by death.
With such a unique premise to the production, the costumes are equally exciting. Designer Alaia Hamer has drawn on modern underground-dance and -music culture, bringing bright colours and club fashion into the mix, while infusing the more conservative characters’ wardrobes with 1600s-inspired materials.
Stir touched base with Hamer to learn about her various inspirations for the Measure for Measure wardrobe.
Costume designer Alaia Hamer.
Jivesh Parasram’s creative adaptation of Measure for Measure puts a “Footloose-inspired” spin on Shakespeare’s original story. How have you envisioned the costumes to match this vibe?
Ultimately, Jiv was hesitant to set the adaptation in any hyper-specific timeline, but felt intrigued by the notion of best image or song for the moment and for the storytelling—so we have a somewhat flexible timeframe and image base represented onstage. You’ll see looks that are influenced from the ’70s until the ’90s, with a few that will be more firmly grounded in the ’80s.
Underground-dance and -music culture has always been known for its fun textures and colours, from sequins and satin shirts in the disco era of the ’70s to trad-goth trends like leather, studs, and fishnets in the ’80s. What are some specific costuming elements in Measure for Measure that draw upon underground culture, particularly when it comes to the main characters?
Karthik Kadam as Lucio in Measure for Measure. Photo by Emily Cooper
Ironically, some of the main characters in this story aren’t the ones who are the dancers, but I’ve drawn from different eras or groups for a lot of the secondary characters. Mistress Overdone and Pompey are a bit more heavily steeped in the ’70s, early ’80s, and the disco era, while the main “club-goers” of Claudio, Julietta, and Lucio are more in a ’90s-rave style. Even Abhorson, the court executioner, has a specific subgroup that he adheres to. I think one of the fun challenges was figuring out who the characters would be in this fantastical world, and how club styles could map onto Shakespeare.
Since this is a Shakespeare revamp, how have you tied the more modern costuming into a story that’s steeped in the 1600s? Are there any 17th-century fashion elements that you’ve incorporated into the outfits, or are they strictly ’70s to 2000s?
Nothing was done on purpose, but fashion is always cyclical and drawing from itself—so there are a few details such as lacing, leather, hoods, and of course, monk robes that are all included, but with a very modern spin.
Where do you pull some of your greatest influences and inspiration from as a costume designer? How do those influences appear in the costumes you’ve put together for Measure for Measure?
Influence comes from so many places, but for this I went to a lot of movies and fashion shoots. Colours are really important to me in creating associations, and it was really important to Jiv that characters were vibrant onstage, so trying to figure out how those mapped onto this story was a fun challenge. There’s also a lot of clergy in the show, and how to fit them into the palette of the world was interesting. In the end, the nuns are actually loosely based on a congregation from the States. I don’t think most of the public will catch that there is reality behind them, but those little details are a bonus for those who are in the know.
Ultimately, this adaptation of Measure for Measure is rooted in dance. How have you considered the “danceability”, so to speak, of the outfits? And what is your vision for how all these fabulous costuming elements will come together on stage?
I actually work in dance a lot in the rest of my career as a designer, so I’m no stranger to the rigours of movement—but I think that this show is less about functionality and more about the sense of a party, and how the characters would dress to express themselves. I think one of the challenges for me as a designer is not creating a cohesive palette for the show, which I usually am drawn to. I think that the motivations are for the characters’ self-expression. I hope that this comes across to the audience, and that they get swept into this wild and wonderful world. 
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