Page History

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1. Read the play
2. Asses resources: Time, Money, and Labor
3. Consult with the director
4. Get others to help you
5. Get measurements (preferably early, maybe during read-through) and pictures of actors (can ask SM/Producer for audition pics).
6. Do the paperwork: lists, drawings, reproductions of research.
7. Make a schedule (Found costumes take about 10 hours, personally made outfits can take up to 30 or 40 hours.)
8. Make/buy the costumes.

Advice

1. Do not panic - write everything down.
2. Make a spreadsheet (see below)
3. Have a travel-size folder to keep things in.
4. Find inspirational pictures. The best place to go to determine the "look" of a costume period is art work and costume books. When looking at these books, you should look for the general lines of the costume first. Detail work comes later. Questions you should ask are: - Where is the waist? - What type of sleeve are we dealing with? - Is the neckline high or low? - Are there any outstanding features that immediately capture my eye? When you have answered these questions, you are ready to start browsing through pattern books for patterns that highlight these features. Once you have achieved the basic look of the period, you can go on with other concerns such as unity of line coordination of color, and overall appearance of the show.
5. Be creative with fabric - dye it, pleat it, make it more fun (just be careful, this takes time)
6. Having costumes is more important than having perfect costumes

Documentation

1. Be prepared to say no to things. If something is too hard, stressful, or time consuming, let the director/producer know. There is no shame in that.

Documentation

1. Items to buy
2. Items to
3. Items to buy
4. Items to find
5. What people are wearing
6. How to make things
7. Measurements
8. How much you spent

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Sources (in order of where you should look for things first)

1. Our own costume rack
2. Asking actors to bring in own clothesRinaldi
3. Other theater groups such as MTG (if they are feeling generous)
4. Asking actors to bring in own clothes
5. Thrift stores
7. Thrift stores
8. Garment District (including Garmet District's Dollar-a-PoundGoodwill stores (esp. Roxbury)
9. Old drapes, tablecloths, linens, and lace for fabric

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• Make sure costumes look good under the lights. Talk to the designer.
• If there is a lot of blood in the show, avoid white costumesthere is a lot of blood in the show, avoid white costumes.

Costume Rack

The costume rack in the Ensemble Office holds most of the costumes and fabric owned by the Ensemble. It has been carefully organized, so please do your best to keep its organization while looking for costumes. There should be helpful signs on the costume rack describing how things are organized and where to find everything; if these signs are not there, let the Producer or Ensemble Officers know.

Timeline

Costume Designer can be a demanding or simple job depending on the show, the number of characters, and the director's vision. When the design is well-planned out, it should not be too time-consuming, but any prospective costume designer should be aware of how much they are willing to commit to the show ahead of time, and should make the producer and director aware of how complicated of a design they can manage with their time and budget.

The Costume Designer should know the period and general style of the show by the end of the first prod meeting. From there, a preliminary design can be made of the general shape and style of the costumes for most categories of actors (i.e. young women, old men, soldiers, servants, nobility, etc. are some of the major categories for most shows).

At the first read-thruthrough, the measurements of all the actors should be taken. Refer to the example measurements form for a template. By the first read-thru through the characters should all be assigned, so make sure you are aware of any double-cast characters.

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Start gathering and building as soon as possible after the initial measurements are taken. It is a good idea to first look through the Ensemble's costume stock, then visit Rinaldi, then talk to MTG and G&S, and then try secondhand stores to get any pieces that might be found. Costume Builds should be hosted regularly with advance notice sent to the cast through email at least 2 days ahead of time. Close track should be kept of all spending to keep in line with the budget and also produce the necessary costumes. An email should be sent to the ensemble treasurer before purchases are made. Other places to look are in actor's wardrobes.

Rinaldi requires that all Borrowed costumes should be cleaned or dry-cleaned before their return - which you should account for in your budget. MTG and G&S would prefer to have their garments dry-cleaned but a washing machine can do the trick if the costume is not elaborate or easily destroyed. Ask costume lenders what they prefer.

All costumes should be complete by the Costume Parade, one week before put-in. However, don't worry too much if you're still finishing up one or two pieces. Alterations can definitely be made after the Costume Parade, but all actors should be clothed, shod, and decent by that day. The director is allowed to make requests and suggestions, and the costume designer is allowed to loudly refuse any unreasonable ones.

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