The Triangle
“The formula I use is an equidistant triangle. One point is the actor, another is the character, and the third is the wardrobe. Each of these points caters to the script.” Patricia Field
The most important thing that you can do as a costume designer is to help the actor fully realize the character. Your responsibility is to create a look for the character that is in harmony with what the actor is doing. For that you must work as closely with the actor as he develops the character as possible. Some people feel like it isn’t really creative if you see yourself as helping or catering to, but I believe that it is the essence of Theatre, it is creating in a partnership. In the best of all possible worlds your partnership will include the director and other designers but it will fail completely if it doesn’t include the actor.
What do you need to know to help the actor? The ground that we stand on in Theatre is the script. You need to be able to read a script from the actor’s viewpoint, the director’s viewpoint and the designer’s viewpoint. To be a good costume designer is to be able to synthesize these different views into a cohesive and beautiful costume. It starts by analyzing the script.
What are you looking for? The time period is an important place to start. Then you need to consider the amount of time that passes during the play. Is it just a few hours? Or does it take place over the course of days, weeks or years? Sometimes the only thing that visually indicates the passage of time is a change in costumes.
The status of the various characters is also a key factor in designing their costumes. Are they rich, poor, powerful or weak? Are they male or female? Are they conservative or free spirited? What is their profession? How old are they? These are the types of questions that will fill in the outlines of the characters and give you a starting point in your discussions with the actors and director.
Another good question for the director is what is the first impression that we are trying to give the audience when the characters come onstage. First impression are key. Sometimes we want to illuminate the characters and sometimes we need to hide. We don’t want to give away the plot at first glance.
When you read the script for the first time write down the main points and then collaborate on the rest.
Costumier 
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