Paradise Lost Costume Design
Category: Visual Art
Author(s): Chloe Martin
Presenter(s): Chloe Martin
Mentors(s): Erin Carignan
Chloe Martin designed and produced the costumes for CSU Theater's 2025 production of Paradise Lost by Erin Shields. This was a year-long process that involved a semester of collaborating with the director and other design departments to create a cohesive and inspired design. The second semester involved producing the costumes, utilizing CSU's costume stock and working with our costume shop to create one of a kind pieces tailored to a diverse group of actors. Chloe placed first in the region for this design at the American Theater College Festival and is excited to be representing CSU at the national competition. Paradise Lost (2018) by Erin Shields is a staged retelling of John Milton’s epic poem exploring Satan’s battle against Heaven and the subsequent fall of Adam and Eve. Reimagining this 17th century tale through a contemporary feminist viewpoint, Shields interrogates the nuances between good and evil, showing humanity in all. Chloe's costume design tells the story that Heaven and Hell are neither good nor bad, but beings shaped by their environment, power, and experiences. This approach is informed by aposematic animals, such as a poison dart frog, and how they evolved striking colors to warn predators. Contrast is created between Heaven, Hell, and the Garden of Eden through colors, textures, and silhouettes, with Heaven inspired by the restraint of quiet luxury, Hell by alternative styles and these aposematic animals, and Eden by the vulnerability of the natural world.