Grief's Inferno: Costume Design for Rose Xinran Qi's "Ghost Bride"

Abstract

This document is a description of the process of conceiving and implementing the costume designs for the University of Maryland, College Parks production of Rose Xinran Qi’s Master’s dance thesis “Ghost Bride.” The piece explores themes of female grief, anger, entrapment, sensuality, and catharsis through the lens of the Chinese tradition of ghost marriage and Yangsze Choo’s novel The Ghost Bride. This document details the original concept, designs, and the development of those designs in conjunction with the choreographer's vision and the rest of the production team. “Ghost Bride” was produced under the constraints of Covid-19 and was the first live production done on stage at the Clarice Performing Arts Center for streaming. The changed production process under covid measures is described in detail. This document also includes images of research, fitting photos, build process photos, and final production photos. “Ghost Bride” was produced at the University of Maryland, College Park’s School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, November 19th and 20th, 2020, under the direction of Rose Xinran Qi. Choreography by Rose Xinran Qi, scenic design by Aleksandr Shiriaev, lighting design by Eric Pitney, projection design by Taylor Verrett, and sound design by Veronica J. Lancaster.