About the Design
Costumes for Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at the Taj at Stage West — a two-hander set in 1648 on the morning the Taj Mahal is completed. Imperial guards Humayun and Babur stand watch as dawn breaks, then face the horrifying order that follows the building’s unveiling.
The design tracks the characters across two distinct worlds: Act I in full Mughal court regalia — gold-embroidered angarkha coats, brocade sashes, tulwar swords, and wrapped turbans — and Act II stripped to blood-soaked undergarments after carrying out the emperor’s command.
Process
Watercolour-style rendering plates were created for each act, compositing the actors into a Mughal arch frame with Persianate border ornament. The blood treatment for the Act II costumes was built through layered stage-blood applications — splatter, drag, and soak techniques on muslin to create the specific pattern of violence the script describes.
Costume Renderings
Watercolour rendering plates for Humayun and Babur across both acts.
Production Photography
The realized costumes under Stage West’s production lighting.
Blood Treatment
Behind the scenes — building the Act II blood effects.
