Frippery

Props and Costumes were added to the mix this weekend, as our first Pay-What-You-Can preview is just 8 days away (Wednesday, October 19th at 8pm).

I always have trouble writing about what a costume means to an actor. Sometimes they act as a gateway into a level of performance that you could never have imagined yourself achieving during first read and other times they present an obstacle and a foe which must be battled into submission just so you don't trip and break your neck out there.

I have before mentioned our talented costume designer Ms. Jenn Miller. I have shown you the racks upon racks of costumes that she has sorted through, altered and adjusted so that this show will not only sound good but look and move beautifully. Costume design I think is one of the aspects of theater that gets appreciated more by the audiences than almost any other. It is also just as quickly disparaged. Most people dress themselves and therefore have an opinion on a character's clothes that they might never have on how they are lit.

To be honest as an actor the costume designer is the one who can either make your life easy or can make your life a living hell. Think about the power of a man or a woman who can make your pants just a little too tight if you cross them. Your pants will be riding up for an entire run unless they and you have established a relationship that shows you appreciate the hard finger aching labor they bring to their art.

Face it folks you may dress yourself every morning, but how many of you have ever had to dress 9 men and women of diverse body type and tried to not only establish a unified look, but also serve the characters, the actor and a play. This is not just playing dress-up. Costuming requires a keen eye, historical knowledge and the willingness to think about what kind of underwear they wore in the 16th century. I will try and post some images of the costumes tomorrow and they can speak for themselves.