Irene Corey, Hal Proske, and Orlin Corey collaborate on makeup for Everyman Player's production of Book of Job. imitates e\'er\' day life. Their thealre is not a theatre of re-presentalion but a theatre of presentalion. their presentation. In lhis I\'a\'. these three director are trull' I\'hat is called in France "metteur en scene." more than director. The\' all ha\'e staged Shakespeare's lbe Tell/jJest. and of course. the\' did not follOl\' an\' purist rules. Instead of re-presenting this play in a traditional form. lhel I\'ent in search of a nOIHraditional form. one I\'hich the\' thoughl I\'ould be the best expression of their artistic poetry. Another link between these directors is the inOuence of Eastern thealre. Their rejeclion of traditional European thealre forms. I\'hich in their \'iel\' dral\' too much upon illusionism and materialism. led lhese directors or their designers to seek olher sources of inspiration..-\JI of them refer to Kabuki. Kalhakali. \011. Peking Opera. etc. The COSlume designers I\'ho worked I\'ith Core\'. Brook and ~Inouchkine-Irene Core\'. \athalie Thomas. Chloe Obolensh and .lean Claude Barriera-created costumes I\'hich are I\'orks of art as I\'ell as clothes. Being members of a creati\'e team. their concern I\'as less I\'ith de\'eloping their OWII artislic \'ision tban I\'ith doing their best to sene lhe pial' I\'ilhin the framel\'ork delermined b\' lhe II/el/ell/' ell scelle. Yet. bl' supporting lhe pia\'. lhe\' succeeded in creating their OIl n signalure. In the lheatrical elllironment crealed III. directors such as Orlin Core\'.. Peter Brook or .\riane ~Inouchkine. the mind is free and liberated from lhe I\'eight of competilion. The artist has complele freedom to explore artislic possibilitie~ II ilhout the ~lress of reproducing a pasl Iradilion. or. of !lYing to equal the artislr\, of a pre\ ious l\"Ork. In addition 10 designing for directors I\'hose thealrical philosophies IIwe oUlside lhe Iraditional palh of Ihealre. the common link betl\'een these three costuille designers is Ihat their costumes arc not a reproduction of a period nor of an historical piece, Inslead. their designs arc a highl\' stl'iized inlerprelation of the direClor's concepts. In order " "It I , ~. TD&T to create such \'ery stylized garmenlS. coslllmes arc stripped of e\'enthing superOuous and artificial. This simplified costume. nOl 10 be conhlsed I\'ilh a simple coslllme. remains hIlly elaborated: each detail is gi\'en as much importance as the garment ilself and Ihe effecl of lhe coslllme ensemble is strongl\' eloGlli\'e and suggesti\'e. crealing pOI\'erful Ouid images which solicil the I'isua] imaginalion of the audience. Il is in the frame of lhis teamI\'ork. lhat I\'e became illlerested in both the relalionship between direclor and coslllme designer and also in lhe relationship belll'een the costume designer and the aclors. L"suall\' the emphasis is on the relalionship between director and actor. In companies like the ones melllioned abol'e. the relationship between director and actor is indeed essential. but equall\' esselllial is the relationship between the coslume designer and actor. In the context of such theatrical philosoph\'. the success of a play also depends on a successful relationship betl\'een the designer and the actors. The aUlhors sent questionaires 10 six members of the Erer\'man Pl:lI'ers in October. 199-1. looking for their \,iell'points on the collaboratil'e process and their reaclions to questions about Irorking lI'ith Irene Core\'. Four actors responded to the questionaire. Some of their remarks illustrate and confirm the aUlhors' anah-sis. ~larilee Herbert-Slater stated. "Irene's costumes are the signature of the production." IIhile George B. Br\'an's caulionedlhat it I\'ould be a mistake" ... to conclude thaI lhe \'isualization Iras e\'en1hing. \othing could be fmther from the lrulh ..-\s spectacular as all of 1111'S. Corer's designs are. each sen'ed the produclion as a Irhole andll'a a reOection of a production concepl lhat uniled design. direction. and aCling." Corel"s designs IIwe. hOI\'e\'er. l-er\' inOuenlial in the actor's creation of their characters. 1\ls. Herbert-Slaler commented. "The images Irene designed informed m\' character choices. perhaps more than the script! The cos!lUlle. itself. created much of lhe character b\'. nOl onl\'. h011' it looked. but also how it mo\'ed or inhibiledmo\'emenl." Irene Core\,'s COSlumes and makeup arc \,elY intricale and elaborate and demanded a strong underslanding of the design concept by the actor. .\ clear comprehension of Ihe purpose of the costume (rl'hich is nOl supposed to make the aCiors look beautiful on stage. but ralher to sen'e the plaY\lTight's ll'Ork at best) could not ha\'e been achie\'ed Il'ithoul a strong relationship bet\\'een her and the aClOrs. One cannot imagine thaI. after being done I\'ith her renderings. 1\ls. Core\' presented Ihem 10 the aClOrs at a production meeling. assisted in one or tll'O fittings. ga\'e a makeup Irorkshop. helped the aclors gel dressed at dress rehearsal. andl'Oila. the actor dressed-up' This