For those of you who don't wear costumes as a matter of course, a petticoat is a garment you wear under your skirt to make it stand out in a bell shape. Think square dancers, poodle skirts and 80s wedding gowns. They come in two varieties; hooped and soft. We are not concerned with hoop skirts, here.
Modern long petticoats usually consist of two layers of polyester, with two or three flounces of net attached to the inner layer. The inner layer is usually A-line, and the outer layer is gathered and flounced. The inner layer keeps all that bristly net away from your skin (and provides a modicum of modesty in a stiff breeze), while the outer one keeps all that bristly net away from your skirt. Still, the stuff that actually does the job is the net.
These things need to be washed occasionally--definitely, if they are being worn on stage. They get sweaty around the waist and grubby around the bottom. In this day and age, most of us don't know how to do this. Enlightenment is about to ensue.
You can wash them in the washing machine. No, really...you can. Cold water, delicate setting, not too much detergent. Wash one at a time, with as much water as your machine will hold. Now comes the fun part. When you pull it out of the washer, secure it on a hanger, either with clothes pins, clips, or, if the petticoat has a drawstring, just draw it up tightly around the neck of the hanger, and hang it from a secure place. Here's the thing. The net will have got all squished up during the spin cycle, and it will not straighten out by itself. You have to pull the wrinkles out by hand, while it is wet. If you wait till it's dry, it will stay all bunched up until the next time you wash it.
Do not (I repeat), DO NOT put it in the dryer. If you do, you might as well throw it away, as it will be completely ruined.
If you pull the wrinkles out of the net while it is still wet, your petticoat will serve you for years to come.
You're welcome.
Showing posts with label costumes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label costumes. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Some Thoughts on Period Costuming.
The purpose of costume is two-fold, in my opinion. It visually puts the audience in the proper time period, and it gives insight into the character. For an example of character costume, Lady Catherine DeBurgh in "Pride and Prejudice" is not going to wear the same Regency fashions as the young ladies. She is old and conservative, and her style is of a bygone era. If you were to see her all by herself, without the context of the story, you would think she was from the late 1700s rather than the early 1800s. She does this proudly, as if the modern styles are merely a passing fad and the young will eventually return to the sanity and reason of the past. Similarly, Cecily in "The Importance of Being Ernest" is not going to wear gingham. It is associated with children's clothing and kitchen curtains, not with the toilette of a gently-reared young lady. Henry II in "The Lion in Winter" is not going to be decked out in velvet and silk. Such fabrics were very costly in the 12th century, and would have been used in small quantities for decoration, not for an entire garment. It is important to remember historical details. Girls did not wear pants to school before 1970. Things we take for granted today have not always been there.
When dressing a period play, how far do you want to go? In many cases the answer is, as far as time and budget allow. If period fabrics are not available, it's better to try and find something that looks right than to substitute something that looks modern. Usually, it is not possible to hand stitch everything, so there goes your period accuracy right there. I don't have minions who will stay up sewing all night in exchange for a crust of bread. So, we adapt our ideas. It sometimes takes research to find out what the fabrics even were, as they had different names--samite, tarleton, sarcenet, linsey-woolsey. There weren't zippers until the 1930s, though the things were invented maybe 20 years before that. We didn't have terry cloth till then, either.
I once read an article in a magazine for weavers that chronicled the efforts of costumers to reproduce the exact drape of Greek robes on vases. They had to develop a whole new blend of fibers to achieve this...even had to throw some synthetics into the mix. Like they really had polyester, back in Ancient Greece! Still, the drape was what they wanted and the drape was what they got.
I usually try to avoid being a slave to Period. For a parody, such as we are doing right now at Sam Bass, it is sufficient to suggest period. Tying sashes above the waist on fairly narrow gowns, for instance, will suggest Regency. Our play is "Mrs Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge," and the Regency (Fezziwig) scene is very short, as is the time the actors have to change from the Dickensian Cratchits to the Fezziwig guests. I made tailcoats for the men by cutting suit jackets and trimming with seam binding all around. Old Fezziwig's wig is made from a Santa wig that I curled up with bobby pins and netted. Sufficient for our purposes. I will have pictures.
Some plays (serious ones, usually) require careful attention to period details, especially in our intimate space at Sam Bass. Between the 1920s and 1960s, for instance, ladies' stockings had seams. Not the knitted-in "seams" you see in stockings you get from a purveyor of sexy lingerie, but real seams. If you can't get them, you need to have your actresses draw straight lines down the backs of each others' legs and spray them with hairspray as a fixative before putting on modern hose.
Most of my costuming is in community theater, where we have neither time nor budget to build everything from scratch. We adapt existing garments. The late 1960s produced a lot of nice suits. Carnaby Street may have a lot to answer for, but that Edwardian look popularized by many of the rock bands of the era is a costuming gem. The jackets work almost perfectly, and all one has to do to the pants is take them in so that the bell bottoms disappear. Similarly, the high-waisted narrow dresses favoured by girls at time make lovely Regency gowns...early Regency, anyway. For later Regency styles, all they need are gathered overskirts attached at the Empire waistline. When hitting thrift shops, yard sales and estate sales, the astute costumer has a constant eye out for clothes that can be easily adapted and for curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths and other things that can be sliced and diced into doublets, flapper dresses or biblical robes.
You want to avoid obvious anachronisms, such as pants with creases if your play is set before 1892. That date needs to be carved into the memory of every costumer. That, Dearly Beloved, is when the pants press was invented, and, since then, all men's business and formal pants have had creases. Before that...not so much. Oh...and pockets. When we did "Hamlet" set in the Regency period, we couldn't afford to make all the pants without front zippers, so I bought the pants, ignored the zippers and sewed shut the pockets. No gentleman of that day would have spoiled the line of his hip and thigh by putting pockets there. Gentlemen of that day would have loved Spandex! Actually, modern jodhpurs make very good Regency pants.
I have heard it said that the best costumes are pretty much invisible. Ideally, the audience should just assimilate the information they provide without really noticing them. So do your research, look at as many pictures as possible, learn who wore what when--and have fun.
When dressing a period play, how far do you want to go? In many cases the answer is, as far as time and budget allow. If period fabrics are not available, it's better to try and find something that looks right than to substitute something that looks modern. Usually, it is not possible to hand stitch everything, so there goes your period accuracy right there. I don't have minions who will stay up sewing all night in exchange for a crust of bread. So, we adapt our ideas. It sometimes takes research to find out what the fabrics even were, as they had different names--samite, tarleton, sarcenet, linsey-woolsey. There weren't zippers until the 1930s, though the things were invented maybe 20 years before that. We didn't have terry cloth till then, either.
I once read an article in a magazine for weavers that chronicled the efforts of costumers to reproduce the exact drape of Greek robes on vases. They had to develop a whole new blend of fibers to achieve this...even had to throw some synthetics into the mix. Like they really had polyester, back in Ancient Greece! Still, the drape was what they wanted and the drape was what they got.
I usually try to avoid being a slave to Period. For a parody, such as we are doing right now at Sam Bass, it is sufficient to suggest period. Tying sashes above the waist on fairly narrow gowns, for instance, will suggest Regency. Our play is "Mrs Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge," and the Regency (Fezziwig) scene is very short, as is the time the actors have to change from the Dickensian Cratchits to the Fezziwig guests. I made tailcoats for the men by cutting suit jackets and trimming with seam binding all around. Old Fezziwig's wig is made from a Santa wig that I curled up with bobby pins and netted. Sufficient for our purposes. I will have pictures.
Some plays (serious ones, usually) require careful attention to period details, especially in our intimate space at Sam Bass. Between the 1920s and 1960s, for instance, ladies' stockings had seams. Not the knitted-in "seams" you see in stockings you get from a purveyor of sexy lingerie, but real seams. If you can't get them, you need to have your actresses draw straight lines down the backs of each others' legs and spray them with hairspray as a fixative before putting on modern hose.
Most of my costuming is in community theater, where we have neither time nor budget to build everything from scratch. We adapt existing garments. The late 1960s produced a lot of nice suits. Carnaby Street may have a lot to answer for, but that Edwardian look popularized by many of the rock bands of the era is a costuming gem. The jackets work almost perfectly, and all one has to do to the pants is take them in so that the bell bottoms disappear. Similarly, the high-waisted narrow dresses favoured by girls at time make lovely Regency gowns...early Regency, anyway. For later Regency styles, all they need are gathered overskirts attached at the Empire waistline. When hitting thrift shops, yard sales and estate sales, the astute costumer has a constant eye out for clothes that can be easily adapted and for curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths and other things that can be sliced and diced into doublets, flapper dresses or biblical robes.
You want to avoid obvious anachronisms, such as pants with creases if your play is set before 1892. That date needs to be carved into the memory of every costumer. That, Dearly Beloved, is when the pants press was invented, and, since then, all men's business and formal pants have had creases. Before that...not so much. Oh...and pockets. When we did "Hamlet" set in the Regency period, we couldn't afford to make all the pants without front zippers, so I bought the pants, ignored the zippers and sewed shut the pockets. No gentleman of that day would have spoiled the line of his hip and thigh by putting pockets there. Gentlemen of that day would have loved Spandex! Actually, modern jodhpurs make very good Regency pants.
I have heard it said that the best costumes are pretty much invisible. Ideally, the audience should just assimilate the information they provide without really noticing them. So do your research, look at as many pictures as possible, learn who wore what when--and have fun.
Monday, November 18, 2013
What the Heck??
A Cut Above Costumes recently sent out costumes for a production of Peter Pan. I have been looking at show shots, and this one sort of jumped out at me. I can see three things wrong here, right off the top of my head. First, I'm not sure why the child in the striped nightshirt has a black T-shirt under it...this is not a good thing, but I'm guessing he has not the time to change. This happens, and we can forgive. The little boy on the right is not wearing the pajamas we sent out. We sent out pink bunny-slippered jammies, which are traditional for the role. Perhaps the child didn't like the thought of pink pajamas, thinking they looked too feminine. This is just a function of changing associations over time. Little boys, in the time period in which Peter Pan takes place, wore dresses until they were out of diapers, and colours were not considered gender-specific. But the biggest problem I see is
THIS!
What the everlasting heck happened here? It looks as if random buttons have been installed in random places, probably with loops, to make the skirt shorter. Now I don't have Ramona's eagle eye for costumes, but I am pretty sure that this one was set to have a skirt under it because it was too short for the actress who was slated to wear it. I noticed because the underskirt matched the dress so perfectly that it really looked as if it was meant to be there. So, one of two things has happened here. Either the dress was swapped with a shorter actress, or the measurements were wrong, showing the actress to be much taller than she actually is. If that is the case, her other costumes are much too long, as well. I didn't see her in the other pics...after all, most of the play takes place in Neverland, not London.
Still, just a note to the theaters...PLEASE check your measurements before you bring them to us. Seriously. All theaters make some pretty egregious errors from time to time (I KNOW the 5'7" boy who weighs 130 does not have 21" shoulders and a 34" inseam), so directors need to check the measurements carefully before sending them out. You are paying a fair bit for our services. We cannot read your minds, or travel to Abilene, Brownwood or wherever to measure your actors ourselves; what we have to go on is what you send us.
All I have to say is that no proper Edwardian lady would step out of her dressing room in a gown that looked like this.
I am sorry if this post ticks anyone off, but I am a bit ticked, myself. Ramona works very hard to design your shows, and I work hard making things fit. It is discouraging to see this sort of inappropriate fix out there on a stage, with our names in the program as having provided it.
Please note that the above is my opinion only, and Ramona has not said a word. She is far too nice to do so.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Halloween at the Costume Shop
Let the fun abound! A few things, though:
First, yes we are very busy, but, no, this is not our busiest time of the year. That would be One-Act Play season. Because you, my friend, are naught but a blip on our radar. We love y'all, don't get me wrong. It is fun to dress individuals, but, believe it or not, there are other uses for costumes besides Halloween.
Second, no, we don't have Minions. Unless you count me--I am sort of a minion, but I'm not for sale. For that matter, nothing is for sale here. We rent. We make appointments for Halloween customers. You come in, tell us what you want (bring a picture), Ramona dresses you, I make it fit and you are out of here in an hour with a costume that is composed of real clothes. If you want to complain about the price, go to Halloween Spirit and buy a package. Some of them are quite good...
Third, please don't bring your small children, your neighbour and her small children, or your sister with her baby in the stroller that is big enough to hold half a dozen kids (whatever happened to Umbroller Strollers, anyway?). Don't bring eight members of your extended family when you only need one costume. We are not childproof, and have very few places for your granny to sit down. We have swords, wands, walking sticks and parasols at ground level. We have a library-type ladder. We have costumes with poky-things on them on racks on the floor. Your kids are not safe running loose in here, and I WILL tell them off if they get into stuff that's going to be either unsafe or messy.
Don't have Ramona fit you out as Little Bo Peep and then decide you want to see how Marie Antoinette looks. Make up your mind before you come. You only get one pick without becoming an official pain in the ass.
And finally, dear customer, don't flirt obnoxiously with Ramona. We all know she is beautiful, but have you SEEN her husband? FYI, he is six and a half feet tall and recently took an early retirement from the local police force. Ramona doesn't really want to see you in your underwear, and surely you can figure out how to buckle on a pair of chaps without her help. This is not rocket surgery.
Thank you so much for your attention, and we will see you in the days following the holiday. Please get your costume cleaned if it reeks of wood smoke, cigarette smoke, pot smoke, or if somebody barfs on your slops.
First, yes we are very busy, but, no, this is not our busiest time of the year. That would be One-Act Play season. Because you, my friend, are naught but a blip on our radar. We love y'all, don't get me wrong. It is fun to dress individuals, but, believe it or not, there are other uses for costumes besides Halloween.
Second, no, we don't have Minions. Unless you count me--I am sort of a minion, but I'm not for sale. For that matter, nothing is for sale here. We rent. We make appointments for Halloween customers. You come in, tell us what you want (bring a picture), Ramona dresses you, I make it fit and you are out of here in an hour with a costume that is composed of real clothes. If you want to complain about the price, go to Halloween Spirit and buy a package. Some of them are quite good...
Third, please don't bring your small children, your neighbour and her small children, or your sister with her baby in the stroller that is big enough to hold half a dozen kids (whatever happened to Umbroller Strollers, anyway?). Don't bring eight members of your extended family when you only need one costume. We are not childproof, and have very few places for your granny to sit down. We have swords, wands, walking sticks and parasols at ground level. We have a library-type ladder. We have costumes with poky-things on them on racks on the floor. Your kids are not safe running loose in here, and I WILL tell them off if they get into stuff that's going to be either unsafe or messy.
Don't have Ramona fit you out as Little Bo Peep and then decide you want to see how Marie Antoinette looks. Make up your mind before you come. You only get one pick without becoming an official pain in the ass.
And finally, dear customer, don't flirt obnoxiously with Ramona. We all know she is beautiful, but have you SEEN her husband? FYI, he is six and a half feet tall and recently took an early retirement from the local police force. Ramona doesn't really want to see you in your underwear, and surely you can figure out how to buckle on a pair of chaps without her help. This is not rocket surgery.
Thank you so much for your attention, and we will see you in the days following the holiday. Please get your costume cleaned if it reeks of wood smoke, cigarette smoke, pot smoke, or if somebody barfs on your slops.
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Review! "The Red Velvet Cake War"
http://www.broadwayworld.com/austin/article/BWW-Reviews-Sam-Basss-RED-VELVET-CAKE-WAR-is-a-Redneck-Riot-20131002
"At the core of the play are a trio of heroines wonderfully played by Linda Myers, Raynelle Shelley, and Rhonda Roe. Myers is wonderfully fragile and unpredictable as a woman on the brink of a massive mental breakdown. Shelley is hysterical as the sex-crazed, mortuary cosmetologist and de facto widow (her husband drove off in an 18 wheeler years ago and hasn't been heard from since), and Roe is brilliant as the tough, scowling, unibrowed tomboy of the bunch. The supporting players are at the top of their game as well. BJ Machalicek and Veronica Prior are downright evil as Aunt LaMerle and Bitsy Hargis (the town trollop), respectively. These are two villains you love to hate. And as 90-year-old Uncle Aubrey Verdeen, Frank Benge is a scene-stealer. The wise but crass Uncle Aubrey gets the show's best one-liners, such as, "What I want to know is why they call them 'hemorrhoids' and not 'asteroids,'" and Benge delivers each one with the perfect deadpan."
We get pictures taken this Sunday, so I shall post some as soon as possible after that.
"At the core of the play are a trio of heroines wonderfully played by Linda Myers, Raynelle Shelley, and Rhonda Roe. Myers is wonderfully fragile and unpredictable as a woman on the brink of a massive mental breakdown. Shelley is hysterical as the sex-crazed, mortuary cosmetologist and de facto widow (her husband drove off in an 18 wheeler years ago and hasn't been heard from since), and Roe is brilliant as the tough, scowling, unibrowed tomboy of the bunch. The supporting players are at the top of their game as well. BJ Machalicek and Veronica Prior are downright evil as Aunt LaMerle and Bitsy Hargis (the town trollop), respectively. These are two villains you love to hate. And as 90-year-old Uncle Aubrey Verdeen, Frank Benge is a scene-stealer. The wise but crass Uncle Aubrey gets the show's best one-liners, such as, "What I want to know is why they call them 'hemorrhoids' and not 'asteroids,'" and Benge delivers each one with the perfect deadpan."
We get pictures taken this Sunday, so I shall post some as soon as possible after that.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
"National Pastime" Review
Here is a link to a review: http://www.broadwayworld.com/austin/article/BWW-Reviews-Austin-Theater-Projects-Production-of-NATIONAL-PASTIME-a-Near-Home-Run-20130927
The Chronicle reviewer didn't like it as much as the Broadway World reviewer, for much the same reason the latter did like it: http://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2013-09-27/national-pastime/
Both reviews say it's very well done and you should see it.
Here are pictures of some of the costumes. I am going to say that my first attempt at costuming a musical all by mine ownself is a success. Many thanks to Austin Theatre Project for giving me the opportunity to do so.
Tickets are available here: http://austintheatreproject.org/single_tickets.html
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
"National Pastime"
http://www.austintheatreproject.org/home.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-Theatre-Project/259314977435948?directed_target_id=0
No pictures yet, but a photographer was very busy at last night's dress rehearsal. Dearly Beloved, I have costumed a musical! All the crying and cursing and shopping and sewing....it's all done. The show previews tonight and opens tomorrow. I can hardly wait to show you the pictures, but that wouldn't be fair until "National Pastime" opens, now would it? I need to thank Austin Theatre Project for giving me this opportunity, and all the people who helped...Lynn,for the late-night sewing machine needles, Chandra for shopping and the cast and crew of "The Red Velvet Cake Wars" for putting up with my absences. Not to mention everyone who had to listen to my frustration with the long road to go and the short time to get there.
Pictures as soon as possible, I promise!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-Theatre-Project/259314977435948?directed_target_id=0
No pictures yet, but a photographer was very busy at last night's dress rehearsal. Dearly Beloved, I have costumed a musical! All the crying and cursing and shopping and sewing....it's all done. The show previews tonight and opens tomorrow. I can hardly wait to show you the pictures, but that wouldn't be fair until "National Pastime" opens, now would it? I need to thank Austin Theatre Project for giving me this opportunity, and all the people who helped...Lynn,for the late-night sewing machine needles, Chandra for shopping and the cast and crew of "The Red Velvet Cake Wars" for putting up with my absences. Not to mention everyone who had to listen to my frustration with the long road to go and the short time to get there.
Pictures as soon as possible, I promise!
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Love Letters
After the unfortunate cancellation of "Death and the Maiden," Sam Bass was scrambling to find something they could quickly put up to try and recoup some of the losses incurred. Much to my delight, they decided to produce "Love Letters," a perennial favourite for fundraisers everywhere. I was asked to play Melissa for a nine-performance run. This made me happy on multiple levels--I had never done the show and always wanted to, it distracted me from the pain of having to cancel "Maiden" (losing a friend in the process), and it made me feel as if my theater was forgiving me for screwing up the show I was trying to direct. Many thanks to the Sam Bass Board; specifically Lynn Beaver and Frank Benge.
We got a nice review from Broadway World:
They are all telling me it wasn't my fault that "Maiden" was cancelled. It might not have been, but it was my responsibility. Directing is sort of like being the president of a very small country...the buck always stops at the director's desk. In this case, I got crosswise with a friend and actor, and he walked out of the show, nine days before opening. As it was a three-character play, the part was much too large to get another person to come in that late; hence the cancellation.
I will carry memories of this one for a long time.
~Sitting at the theater with the Eric Nelson, the set designer for "Maiden," just looking at the beautiful set he had built, and that we were about to strike without anyone having seen it. Eric said, "You know...maybe we should leave it for now. I have a feeling we shouldn't strike it just yet." I really didn't want to take it all down, so I agreed. It turned out to be just perfect for "Love Letters."
~We held a "wake" for the set (It really was lovely), which gave us a chance to complain to each other about actors who don't stick with their commitments AND drink the Good Scotch and cheap wine.
~Then, there was the night Lynn had to blow dry her butt before making the obligatory Curtain Speech...she sat in a chair on the back deck after a rain.
So, what threatened to be an absolute disaster turned out to be a lot of fun.
Now I have to start mourning the loss of my friend (who has asked me not to try to contact him, has unfriended and blocked me on Facebook and stopped going anywhere he knows I might be).
Fine. Not the worst thing that has ever happened to me, Dearly Beloved. Carry On Regardless, right?
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Nanny in "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds"
With Maureen Slabaugh as Beatrice
Sorry the picture is a bit fuzzy, but it was ganked from Facebook and cropped. It is the best I could do.
Anyway, this is me looking old. Really, really old. Nanny is ten years older than god, and almost a zombie. This was done on stage at the Dougherty, which is a far cry from Sam Bass. The place seats three times as many as the Depot, and there is maybe fifteen feet between the first row and the stage, whereas at Sam Bass, people in the front row can put their feet on the stage.
I achieved this look by using a very pale and greyish powder base. I put shadows under my eyes, on my cheeks and under my lower lip with brown powdered eye shadow, and drew in all the lines I really have, to make them darker. I also went out on stage without my upper teeth! In short, I look like death, just barely warmed over.
I used a walker, and dressed in one of those snap-front house dresses. The scarf hides the fact that my hair has too much colour and shine to be that old. I had flat slippers, a couple of sized too large and wrinkled cotton stockings.
The show was awesome! Lovely people to work for and with, and nice feedback from audience members.
So ends my first ever experience on stage in Austin. I hope to do it again.
Photo credit: Steven List
Some nice comments here:
http://www.nowplayingaustin.com/event/detail/441648257/The_Effect_of_Gamma_Rays_on_Man_in_the_Moon_Marigolds
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Harold & Maude
I've had leads before, but not like this. Most shows I'm in, I have whole scenes to take pictures, schmooze backstage, go potty or whatever. This one, not so much. There are a lot of scenes in which I am not, but they are so short, I barely have time to change to the next costume.
So, of course, I've been petrified.
Never mind that the character is just so awesome, I'm stretched to the max to convey that. I wish Maude really existed, and I wish I had her to phone (though she doesn't use the phone much). She can ungrumble me in the blink of an eye! Of course, now she does exist, inside my head, and shutting her up may prove more of a problem than calling her up.
It has been awkward, at times, thinking about her suicide, and then considering Jim's. Of course, there really is no connection, as hers came from an entirely different place than his. Still, the fact that I can do this is a testament to how far I have come down this road of survival.
The show is rocking along, thanks to a wonderful cast and crew. Every actor and techie is spot on and tight.
At the first night of auditions, I was really upset that no one showed up to audition for Harold. I began to think that it was me. Bad breath...body odour...snarky personality...troubles with lines...did nobody want to work with me? On day two, Joshua Landry Dews walked in and is just perfect. I am also working with some old friends I've never been on stage with, in spite of knowing them for years...Russ Jernigan and Steve Menke. A treat. And then there are friends with whom I have worked many times...B J Machalicek and Richard Dodwell. There are a couple of people who have done a couple of shows at Sam Bass, Meredith Nelson as the gardener and Michelle Foxworthy as the maid. The three dates, Vanessa Harkins, Asia Killars and Lindsay Snyder have never been with us before, and I sure hope they come back.
This is turning out to be one of the best theater experiences ever, so muchisimas gracias to Frank Benge for casting me.
There are still seven shows, with some seats available for each one. Please come and see it, because you will never hear the end of it if you don't!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Hamlet Costumes
Ophelia
Ophelia after Madness Strikes
Claudius
Gertrude
Just a few shots taken backstage. Official show shots will be a week or so.
Horatio
Laertes
Unnamed Attendant
Polonius
Rosencranz
Guildenstern
There will be more later. They are really slow loading today, so I shall try again later on.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
What I Actually "Do"
The one on the left it what we ended up with, after I shortened the sleeves right above the stripes, took tucks up and over the shoulder, terminating in pleats below the waist, front and back. I took in the side seams from wrist to hem, as well. You can see the large hem. Once pressed (which had not yet been done when I took the picture), they look pretty spiffy! Better than they did right out of the box, anyway.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Some Pictures
Thanks for the photos, tls!
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Reversible Corset
The corset, as originally built for Melita McAtee in "The Oldest Profession.
The corset, reversed, worn by Lynn Beaver in "A Company of Wayward Saints."
The corset, worn by Cornell Crawford Stone at UCA Coronation XVI
Monday, April 04, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Those Damned Red Coats
These coats were bought for an adult production of "Hello Dolly" a few years ago. We had to futz with the sizing then, too, but not as much as now. The current production is being performed by kids in a middle school. A lot of them are under 5' and under 90 lbs. They don't make these coats in children's sizes, and the sizes they do make are rather larger than they should be.The left coat is a Medium, or so they say. The shoulders measure 19". Neck to waist is 18", chest is 46" and waist is 41". In pretty much any American sizing system, that would be an Extra Large. My job? To reduce the coat on the left to the size of the coat on the right, without cutting anything off.
Right.
So, we start by creating a side seam, because, in imitation of normal tailoring, the side seam in the jackets is set a couple of inches towards the back. I took a tuck from the wrist, up the sleeve and down the side, tapering out into a long dart in the skirt, as you can see in the coat on the right. Then, a tuck around and just above the waist, to bring the waist up 4". Then a dart in the back to bring the shoulders in, and a tuck up each side of the front to balance that. After that, a casing is applied to the back of the waist and elastic put through it to draw up any extra in the waist. Then, the sleeves need to be hemmed, and the excess fabric at the bottom of the front has to be folded up behind and hand stitched so that nothing shows on the outside.
Actually, the first thing to do was check the sleeves to make sure they were in right. Many of the coats arrived with the sleeves in backwards. These were made in Viet Nam.
The finished coat measures 16" in the shoulders, 14" neck to waist, 32" in the chest and 30" in the waist. The sleeves are 4" shorter, and 2" narrower.
Someday, we may have time to build a lot of small red coats for middle school actors, but, for now, this will have to do.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Leila's Masks
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| Masks, designed and built by Leila Wood. Back Row Il Dottore Harlequin El Capitan Center Tristano Scapino Pantelone Front Row Columbine Ruffiana Isabella I am in awe, and humbly grateful that Leila has given us the benefit of her talent and skill and time; these works of art. |
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