Postmodern A 110 Issues I n ESIG Part III: The Problem of Costumes DEL B E Actioll Desigll Tbeol)\ all e-':citillg visual poillt oj view bom ill tbe postwar theatres ojPrague, is bmed Oil the prelllise that Oll~)/ lIecessary, JUllctiollal elelllellts-those illtril/Sic itellls related to the actioll oj the drallla-have a place Oil the stage. Two preliio/lS articles in TD&T Oil tbe pleaSllres alld problellls oj Actioll Desigll Theol)' dealt with prosceniulII envirolllIIents alld the practiCflI problellls oJspace. -Ed. TUN he problem of costume design is the most recent dilemma to surface in the developmenr of Anion Design Theory. This is a logical progression, since the aim of Anion Design is that each design elemenr become a functional componenr of the performance. So it is also a logical supposition that the next major advances in Anion Design will come in cosrume design, a development that is long overdue. T U H PROBLEM OF COSTUMES The emergence of the issue of cosrume design and the lack of developmenr of costume design theory in previous years are the result of two factors: the historical perception of cosrume design in general and the evolution of the idea of scenography in particular, from which the theory of Action Design has emerged. A brief explanation of this is in order. TD&T 1991 WINTER 27