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Lear, King of Britain, is growing old, and decides to divide the government of the country between his three
daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Before giving each of them her share of the kingdom, he demands a
public declaration of love from them. Goneril and Regan oblige with effusive expressions of love, but
Cordelia refuses to play along and is banished. Events gradually spiral out of control until Lear rushes
out into a storm which reflects his growing madness at the revelation of the ingratitude of his two elder
daughters. A final battle between the forces of Goneril and Regan and those of Cordelia, who has married
the King of France, ends with the reconciliation of Lear with Cordelia and the inevitable death of all
the main characters.
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This was another production where I simply designed the costumes. The director wanted to set the play in a
primitive world which reflected the horrors of the action. The costumes were therefore loosely based on those
of the Saxon period, and used colour to distinguish between the different groups. Lear began the play resplendent
in scarlet, cream and gold, then gradually reverted to natural rusts and beiges as his authority diminished and
he descended into madness. Goneral’s household was dressed in red and Regan’s in green, while Cordelia was in
pale cream. Most of the other characters wore earthy, natural colours.
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