TRISTAN TZARA

Travesties (2009) by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Richard Cottrell

Suit: cotton and viscose upholstery fabric
Bow tie and scarf: digitally printed design on silk faille

Julie Lynch (Costume Designer): "The process for researching for design is like being a visual artist: most great artists learn how to draw in a real and foundational way first before they change up or abstract their work. Designing for performance is similar: you need the basis of all the visual and relevant details first before you start reinventing – so that’s what I did.

"We see the character first as the real Tristan Tzara: an avant-garde poet, essayist, and performance artist, driving the artistic movement of Dadaism, so I needed to find out what the real Tzara might have looked like at the time of the fictional Zurich meeting of 1917 presented in the play.

"Tzara, the man, was quite an aesthete and had a unique appearance made up of dark, well-tailored suits, hair swept low over one eye above his signature monocle. His original image is a great beginning, and I can remember thinking about how well Toby Schmitz would be as that character. Knowing the actor well that you are designing for is such a help and I had worked with Toby a few times before.

"I love designing the costume idea first, but I also really love taking it into the realisation process. The STC pays a lot of attention to the design that is delivered, and I remember sourcing the fabrics and digitally printing fabrics was a world-wide search.

"The first day of the technical rehearsal is both the most joyful and busy time. At the half hour call we get to see all the actors in wigs, make-up, and costumes for the first time, and it really is such an 'Aha' moment. It’s like travelling to somewhere you’ve never been before and meeting all these new people. Travesties was particularly splendid; no detail had been left unexplored and each character was so clear. The whole experience was a career highlight.

"STC is where all designers want to work. They know their design ideas will be supported and skillfully realised. I have worked at STC since the beginning. No matter who is leading from the deep end, the build departments keep their brilliant talent and devotion to their art at such a high standard. It’s always a joy, sometimes a little stressful, but honestly they are at the top of their game, and I hope that I’ve still got a few more shows at STC still to come."

Made by Joanna Grenke; Photo by Joanna Shuen

Toby Schmitz (Tristan Tzara): "Julie Lynch and Richard Cottrell were as excited as I about the razzle dazzle of Tzara. Julie’s suit cuts great lines of movement up the body, perfectly embodying the slash and burn manifesto of the Dadaists while reflecting the doddering narrator Carr’s memory obsession with fine tailoring. I adored putting this costume on every show."

"This is also the show on which I learned that a pop stud collar is not something you just throw on five minutes before curtain."

Photo by Heidrun Löhr

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