As the fairies have such a crucial role in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," it's important that we convey them carefully. They set the mood for much of the story, and they progress the plot of most of the play. We can evoke different feelings within the audience through the costuming of the fairies, but there are dozens upon dozens of different approaches that could be taken.
Are the fairies something elegant and ethereal from a world beyond this world; a land of dreams? Are the fairies a species born from the earth, embodying nature around them? Are they simply an estranged kingdom of people who live near the woods?
Here are just a couple of ideas, compiled and coupled from the different opinions that have been been passed around. Some of them have grouped together after a while, leaving us with "Dream Fairies" and "Earth Fairies."
Dream Fairies (or Celtic Pixies or Sprites)
...Fairies that flow from the dreams of the world. They are beyond the comprehension of the mortals, with a pure magic that embodies within them. Rachael likened them to the fairies depicted by Cicely Mary Barker, an image that revolutionized and standardized the image of fairies.Costuming the Dream Fairies would be easy enough, and would probably be very similar to what everyone else was wearing. The biggest difference would be the coloring. They would wear brighter colors to contrast the darker shades that are usually adorned by our actors. Primary colors would set them apart from the rest of the costuming, and could even divide the different sets of fairies between Oberon and Titania. Rachael suggested using light and almost opaque shawls to suggest the slight pixie wings of the fairies that would flow and shimmer as they walked across the stage.
Earth Fairies (or Greek Dryads or Nymphs)
..Fairies that are born from the earth. They live within the trees, under the hills and in the lakes. They are truly one with the world. Duncan suggested that each fairy represents a different aspect of nature, which they would tend and care for, from the mighty oak trees to the tiny brown mushrooms.Depending on what direction we wanted to take it, the costuming could be fairly easy to arrange. The toughest part would be coordinating between all the different fairies on an agreed theme and look. If we were to go with the "each fairy is imbued with an aspect of nature," everyone acting as a fairy would have to decide upon their element. This is easy enough for some fairies, such as Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed, but there can be lots of debate for what Puck, Oberon, and Titania could individually represent. All the same, darker colors would be worn, usually ranging with lots of browns and greens. If we wanted to take this in a more originated direction, we could also try for pelpos, togas, himation, and other Greek clothes.
Eitherway, it's only important that we suggest the mood in the audience. Brightly pink leotards, for instance, would say something entirely different from ragged and draping tunics with heavy and dark cloaks. (Nobody get too worried, we're not going to dress everybody up in leotards.) But in the end, just what do you think of when you hear the words of a midsummer night's dream. Cool breezes.. glittering stars.. the sweet smell of honeysuckle.. the sound of chirping crickets? The costuming of the fairies is a wonderful way to express these moods.
The different themes that were discussed in this article, "dreams" and "earth," are far from the only options we have. There is a lot of mythology and folklore surrounding fairies, with pixies, ghouls, elves, gnomes, sprites, and more. And not only that, but there's nothing keeping us from being entirely original with our interpretation of fairies!! Please leave a comment with any more ideas you may have about the costuming of the fairies!! We'd sure love to hear them!!
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