Deciding how to deal with the task of costuming a show is not as easy as it seems at first. How a show looks is important, and it is not just the scenery that affects that. Most directors have some idea about what they want their actors to wear, but some seem unaware that a subtly chosen colour scheme can be a real bonus and add exponentially to the enjoyment of the audience.

It is generally really easy to know when a piece is set. But is this fixed? In my time I have seen ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ dressed in Victorian clothing, dressed as 1970s bikers and hippies, and with the pirates in sort of shiny spacesuits – and a wide variety of in-between costumes. All worked in their own way. I have seen ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle’ dressed in 19th Century costume, in a strange mixture of costumes, with the nobility dressed in bright, gaudy colours and the peasants in fustian, and completely modernly costumed. In each case the director and costume designer had obviously thought about it – even to the fact that all the peasants wore something tiny in red (Communism) as a symbol in the first version.

So the audience will notice what people wear. I once saw, to my horror, in a professional production, that the hems of the kimonos worn in ‘Pacific Overtures’ had been stapled up! (My best guess is that they ran out of time but the effect on my enjoyment was considerable).

So it is good to have an overall vision, a colour scheme, a period. This needs research, which is easily done, but cannot be easily avoided. The Costume Designer should do this, of course, but beware doing it without talking to the Director first! Once some ideas have come together you need to talk. What sort of budget (I hear a hollow laugh) has the costume been allocated. Did anyone discuss it with the Costume Designer first? (More hollow laughter) Are you going to make the costumes, hire the costumes, hope the cast can get their own costumes? Often what happens is a combination of all three methods. Most amateur performers have lots of ‘stuff’ which they have accumulated over the years. And, of course, it fits them.

So if you decide on a colour scheme and you need the performers’ help, you need to let them know in plenty of time. Whether you intend to hire or make you need measurements. This can be a thorny problem since there never seems to be time set apart to do this privately and calmly, and performers never tell the truth about their measurements. This seems to be one of the principles of amateur theatre: if asked for your measurements give those you hope to attain by the performance dates, or those you had ten years ago. It is essential to take a tape measure to people and get their measurements. Measurements taken over clothing are fine (make allowances for what you measured over), and in inches is fine, since anyone can translate these into centimetres with no trouble. Dress sizes do not work – and men’s waists are always bigger than they think! In the last show I costumed I was forced to run around a rehearsal room, during a rehearsal, measuring people when I caught them standing still. That worked too.

So what measurements do you need? Well, waist, chest/bust, inside leg, underarm to wrist, across shoulders, shoulders to waist and waist to ankle are usually enough to cover most contingencies. Performers will provide their own shoes (though you may need to remind them the trainers are neither desirable (unless you are doing ‘Buddy’) nor attractive. Once you have these numbers you are ready to begin. If you are going to use a theatrical costumier this is the point that you will look at the measurements and know that there will never be a suit jacket to fit this person, or a dress for this one.

Then you begin the process of deciding which costumes will have to be made. Paper patterns are terribly expensive; this is when a Costume Designer who can work without patterns becomes important. It is also possible to source basic patterns at cheap material shops, where old patterns are offered at knock-down prices. There shops will also likely give you a discount for bulk fabric purchase. Other sources of materials are jumble sales (garage sales in the US) and thrift shops, where such things as curtains and bedspreads offer large acreages of material for small amounts of money. And, whatever happens, your budget will inevitably look too small.

If the costumes are being made a team of dressmakers will be needed. Members of the cast will often join this party, some preferring to be sure their costume will fit by making it themselves. There is also a team of parents all available to help with this task, but not wanting in any way to be involved in the performance side of things. They should never be ignored – a newsletter to the performers can make the Costume Designer’s need clear and volunteers will come forward. It is really useful if someone has a room big enough for people to work together on this task on several weekends. Then no-one runs off on a solitary flight of fancy, you have some hope of consistency and no-one feels they have done too much.

So to summarise: choose a style and colour scheme, measure people, decide on hire, make, or performers’ provision, keep individual (performer by performer) lists and tick them off when something is completed, get a team of workers, give yourself plenty of time. And, finally, make sure you know how many costume changes the Director wants the performers to have, and whether your performers need a ‘quick-change’ costume with fastenings that positively jump apart when needed. This needs to be built into the planning side. If it isn’t then the performance may founder while someone is stuck fast in the top of a costume whilst trying to change into the next. Oh, and don’t leave the trying on of costumes until the dress rehearsal. Someone, several someones probably, will have gained or lost weight, not provided a piece of costume they promised, have the wrong (or no) shoes, or simply be totally unhappy with what has been provided. All this, done with a week in hand, is not a problem – left until the dress rehearsal it can be a disaster. Remember, performers, by their nature, are easily upset, and just before the dress rehearsal is a bad time to have someone walk out because they ‘wouldn’t be seen dead in this’ or simply won’t go into it!

One of the most important jobs in the theatre is that of costume designer. Much of what is seen on stage during the production is the work of the costume designer and his or her team, so the success or failure of the show largely hinges on the quality of the costumes. Great costumes can bring characters to life and make it easier for actors and actresses to engage the audience – poor costumes will make the shot seem low-budget and amateurish.

Of course, the job of costume designer is far more than simply sewing together a few outfits before the curtain goes up. The job is actually quite complex and involved, and the lead costume designer on a big show is sure to be an extremely busy person. Much in the same way that hiring a great performer can help the show be successful, so too can a great costume designer be a key player in the popularity of the production.

Teamwork is Vital

Working together is important in any setting where more than one person is responsible for putting together a final product. That is certainly the case in the theatre, where there are a number of roles behind the scenes that are necessary to bring the production to life. The director, set designer, actors, and more all play a role in the project. A good costume designer will work closely together with these various people in order to make sure the costumes for the production are in line with everything else that is going to be done. Even the best looking costumes in the world won’t really be successful if they don’t make sense within the context of the show or the staging.

Getting the Period Right

The majority of productions take place at a very specific point in time – usually not the present day. That means that one of the most important jobs of the costume designer is to make the clothing ring true for the period that is supposed to be represented. Clothing styles have changed greatly from generation to generation over the years, meaning it requires thorough research to get this part of the job just right.

Responding to Changes

As costume design is a collaborative effort, there will inevitably be changes along the way. For instance, if a certain design doesn’t look good on the actor in question, it may need to be altered to achieve the desired look. The best costume designers are the ones who are open and willing to respond to changes that have been requested from others within the production.

Rehearsal Attendance

Most of the time, the costume designer will be in attendance when it comes time to complete rehearsals. Even the best planning will sometimes not work out right when the actors hit the stage to try everything out for the first time. It is important for the designer to watch the action unfold so he or she can make the necessary adjustments prior to opening night. If fact, even after the show has opened, the designer will still keep track of any changes that are taking place with the costumes so the necessary fixes or adjustments can be made along the way. For a show that is going to run for a long period of time, it is likely that changes will take place at some point between the opening night performance and the last curtain drop of the season.

Filling the role of costume designer requires that an individual have a long list of traits and qualifications. In addition to having an eye for design and a detailed understanding of fashion, this person must also work well with others and respond positively to feedback. In the end, only a hard working person who is dedicated to their craft is going to be successful in costume design.

In the professional theatre, large budgets allow for highly elaborate dance costumes which are designed and hand made by highly qualified professionals. However, it’s very rare that dance schools and dance academies have the luxury of such extensive production budgets. For these shows, the leotard can form a great base for a highly effective and flexible costume that’s excellent value for money.

There are several basic elements to consider when choosing a leotard for the basis of your dance costume. These are colour, material, texture and pattern, and whether the costume is for a male or female dancer.

The colour of the dance costume is a very easy and often a very cheap way to directly affect the emotion of the audience. Blue colours will create a cool feeling, whereas orange colours create a feeling of warmth. They can also be highly symbolic. For example, green is a powerful symbol of envy and red can be a potent symbol for anger. A great idea is to use the colour of your dance costume to pick out an individual dancer. For example, imagine a dancer wearing a red leotard dancing alongside a chorus of dancers wearing white leotards. Effects such as this show how the dance costume can have a powerful effect over the dance without any specialist lighting.

Dance leotards are often only available in a small selection of colours which are predetermined by the manufacturer. However, there are a small number of dance retailers that produce make-to-order dance leotards and dance costumes. This creates a massive opportunity to really explore the effect that costume can have on your dance. As well as significantly increasing the number of colours you can choose your leotard in, it also means that there is the possibility to use printed fabrics such as Rainbow, Zebra, Polka Dot and many more.

To give your dance costume the edge, it’s important to focus on the small details. Dance accessories such as bun nets, hair pins and hair bands all play an important role in completing the dancer’s costume. Where possible, colours that harmonize with the costume and with the theme of the dance should be chosen. Footwear should also not be overlooked, as different types of dance will require different types of footwear. A chorus may find themselves wearing pointe shoes, soft ballet shoes, tap shoes, character shoes or even bare feet. If you have a chorus, then it’s usually a good idea to make sure they all wear footwear that at least matches in colour unless they intentionally mismatch to create a particular effect for the audience.

Most dance retailers that provide a make-to-order service will also supply dance accessories. If not, then a good retailer should be able to recommend where you can get them. You may also find that they sell dancewear from other popular dance brands such as Roch Valley, Pineapple, Capezio and Bloch which is very useful as this can make the dance retailer you find your one stop shop for all your dancewear!