Working with actors is the most fun you can have in theatre. They are such a wonderful, courageous, interesting, and sometimes maddening group of people. I have infinite respect and admiration for what they do and I will go to bat for them every chance I get. There is no amount of care, time and labor that is too much if it helps the actor do a better job. That being said, there is no need to be a doormat. But I think that bad behavior in actors is a rarity, most actors are wonderful to work with. The better they are as actors, the nicer they are, in my experience.
It is possible that the first time you will meet the actors is at the first read through. At the same time you may be asked to present your designs. This is less than ideal, it is so much better to have seen the actors at least once before you do your renderings. It is impossible to finalize the designs without taking the actor’s physicality into consideration. Sometimes you will really be thrown for a loop by the casting. I once went into a first read through for The Foreigner, and showed my designs, only to find that a female character had been cast as a man. My face was red, but it turned out they wanted to do him in drag so even though he was a different body type the costume design was basically the same. Still it would have been so much better to know in advance who the director had cast. Another time I designed Little Foxes and found out that the actor cast as Birdy weighed over 300 pounds. Birdy is usually cast as a small, bird-like woman. I went ahead with my designs in that I kept the same color scheme, sad lavenders and grays but changed the style to suit her shape and it turned out that she was terrific in the role. She was absolutely believable as the abused wife, drowning herself in food, trapped by her fat and her circumstances. Her nickname “Birdy” became a sarcastic remark by her oafish husband.
It is also possible that the only time that you get to really talk to the actor one on one may be at the fittings. Fittings are so important and should be treated that way. It is a time to really connect with the actor and find out what they are doing in the play and how it will work with the costumes. The actor is very concerned with how they will look and so take the time to go over your sketches and renderings and solicit their opinion. Try to create a comfortable and open atmosphere where ideas are exchanged freely. The actor may have seen your designs at the first read through and have been very concerned but there was no opportunity to say anything there. Please put your ego aside and really be open to how they feel and what they want. On the other hand you have to be confident enough about your designs to be able to defend them and say why your way might be a better way. I am afraid that I have had several actors say that they want to wear black pants or anything black onstage. Poor dears, they feel like they are too fat and that wearing black will disguise them. It is one of the obsessions of the age we live in. You have to make them feel comfortable in the costumes that they will ultimately wear and sometimes it takes some tact and some convincing. The way to do that is to talk to them about their characters. The more experienced an actor is, the easier it is to separate themselves from their characters. With less experienced actors you need to show them the way to see that. Ultimately an actor really will be happiest when the costume works for the character they are playing, not when they are looking inappropriate but glamorous.
If changes need to be made towards the end, even after first dress that is the time to really be diplomatic. The actor is a bundle of nerves at that point and you need to make whatever changes are needed seem like it will only help them. Too many changes may make them blow the performance so go easy and be respectful.
Costumier 