r demonstrating Benson’s viewpoint. Shewring gave her perspective on Benson’s costume choice of King Richard’s extravagant furred lime- green robe as a sign of “the King’s concern with his own splendid self-image…” (66). Another example is that many of the royal men within Benson’s production such as Mowbray and Bolingbroke held colorful family coat of arms and banners. “Mowbray’s surcoat and banner had embroidered on them the white lions rampant while Bolingbroke’s had a swan” (64). This unusual use of animal depiction could convey to the audience that Benson perceives Bolingbroke as a passive character, whereas, others in the past seem to think of him as a bully. As seen, the acting is not the only key element; costume can play an important factor because every good playwright knows that showing is better then telling. In addition, costume correlates with scenery since they are both visuals. The Triple Action Theatre used costume and scenery choices to the maximum when performing Richard the III. Within the theatre’s production of Richard the III, author Ruby Cohn who wrote Modern Shakespeare Offshoots said that the theatre’s performance was “a blend of colorful flamboyance, declamatory speech, and strenuous physical movement” (317). Colorful bursts of costume and unique scene choices were the prominent aspect of this production of Richard the III. The actors Chapman 4of this production were dressed in bright colored tights and their faces painted red, black, and white. These “suggested both clowns and devils” (317), emphasizing the director’s interpretation of the characters, that some are comical and naive whereas others are powerful and dominant. Another aspect the Triple Action Theatre focused on was structure, specifically action. The action choices are evident of the director’s perspective and message wanting...
