All The World’s A Stage: Theater Costumes
erin on Jul 8th 2009
Costumes are part of the magic of the theater, an escape from reality for both the audience and the actors. Anyone can be transformed into a different character with the right clothes, hair, accessories and makeup. Most larger theatres have costumes in storage, but smaller venues may have to try and find inexpensive theatre costumes. When I used to work in retail, I saw plenty of people whose job it was to shop for clothing and shoes for movies and theater.
Theater makeup
Theatre makeup is really the key here. You can have a brilliant
theatre costume and lackluster makeup and the whole outfit will fail. But, get a skilled makeup artist and the right look, and you can
complete any costume. Theater makeup is different than your everyday stuff – it’s thicker, more dramatic and resilient to hot stage lights. Regular makeup is much more lightweight.
To Make or To Buy?
Often, costumers work with theatre companies to create the costume looks they want. You could attempt to make or put together a theatre costume yourself, quite easily if you have the time and money. If you’re playing the character, you will know their personality, and can get an idea of what they might wear. If you’re helping choose theatre costumes for the production, start by reading the play, and make notes about the time period of the play and any requirements you think will help. Start sketching the costumes based on the theme and time period of the play.
It is also helpful to attach fabric swatches to each sketch, or Polaroids of the type of clothing you are looking for. Lay out sketches and take note of the overall effect. See if there are any
clashes between characters’ costume colors or styles. Allow the actors to review their theatre costume designs and provide you with input, but remember that the final decision is yours.
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