Theater costumes are an amazing aspect of the performance since they aid in narrative telling, character development, and instantaneous audience awareness of the action. Receiving their costumes is an extremely exciting day for a lot of young performers. But after pupils are dressed in their costumes, problems may arise. A lot of directors ask that students wear moveable, comfortable clothing to practice. That is helpful for learning blocking and choreography, but it is less helpful if the kids are dressing in clothes that don’t resemble exercise gear. For better or worse, an actor’s performance is undoubtedly influenced by their costume. Let’s examine a few ways that clothing influence character depiction and performances, working our way up to the head.
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1. Lower Body and Foot
Shoes
Individuals move differently when they are wearing boots, sneakers, heeled shoes, sandals, or bare feet.
Flip-flops are generally not recommended for wearing on stages since they are quite loud and offer poor grip.
Both off stage and on stage, heeled shoes may be loud. In order to prevent appearing and sounding clumpy, students should practice walking in them.
Students who wear shoes should be especially careful not to walk on the feet of the students who are barefoot if some students are barefoot and some are wearing shoes.
Even though this should be done before every performance, if any of your kids will be walking barefoot on stage, it is especially crucial to clear the stage of any debris before the act.
Solution: During rehearsals, get your shoes early and use them for practice.
Dresses and Skirts
The length and fit of the skirt affect how people stand, sit, and move. Longer and bigger skirts may cause trips and falls. Skirts that are too tight or short may restrict mobility.
Instead of wearing older-style period skirts at their natural waists, students will often attempt to wear them lower on their hips (modern).
In order to prevent “wardrobe malfunctions,” it is crucial that students wearing dresses and skirts have adequate undergarments.
Additionally, keep in mind that accessories like bustles, petticoats, and crinolines should be carefully considered since they can be loud (lots of rustling) and make it difficult to sit down. Additionally, the outfit will be hotter and maybe heavier the more layers of clothes you add.
2. The Upper Limb
Tees
Depending on how tight or baggy the sleeves are, certain garments could make it difficult to move your arms.
Coats, shawls, capes, and jackets
How are they placed on and taken off?
Gloves
Gripping props might be more difficult when wearing gloves since they may be slick or too tight to allow for hand mobility.
Jewelry
It might be difficult to put on and take off jewelry, especially when performing on stage.
Jewelry may be easily broken or misplaced.
Use chains, bracelets, and necklaces with magnetic clasps as a solution.
Solution: Keep extras and backups on hand in case something goes wrong.
3. The Face and Head
Headwear and Caps
Hats can easily lost if they are not fastened correctly.
The faces of performers are shadowed by caps and wide-brimmed hats.
Actors’ faces might be completely hidden by wide brims.
Headwear, including tiaras and fascinators, can become tangled in long hair and be challenging to take off.
Hairpieces and Face Hair
There is always a chance that wigs will fall out.
Wigs need to be maintained to look neat and new.
Cast members shouldn’t exchange wigs or wig caps.
Wigs and hats can both influence or interfere with body mics worn on the cheek or at the hairline.
Spirit gum, a unique glue, is needed to apply fake facial hair, and it can be difficult to apply and remove without the right tools.
Castings and Customized Cosmetics
Actors’ eyesight and facial movements may be impeded by masks.
Students wearing masks are also forced to emote differently since their faces are obscured.
A voice can be muffled by some masks.
Allergy issues might arise from makeup.
Additionally, makeup might spread on other performers’ outfits.
4. General Issues
Swift adjustments
Solution – You may need to layer your outfits, if that’s possible.
The costume team members should be on hand to help. Before technical and dress rehearsals, make sure you rehearse any last-minute adjustments.
Any part of your clothing may influence movements like dancing, fighting on stage, and even standing or sitting.
Storage
As opposed to being strewn all over the floor or piled carelessly, where they may get soiled, musty, or wrinkled, make sure that every costume is carefully hung up and maintained.
Rule: You may only consume simple water when dressed in costume.
Rule: The costume crew should be notified right away of any repairs, cleaning, or maintenance requirements so they can take care of them. Before attempting to mend a damaged piece on your own, get advice from the costume staff. Don’t wait to speak up until the day of the performance; chances are the team won’t be able to do anything then.
The most essential message is for pupils to rehearse as early as possible with crucial costume components. In this example, “important” might relate to elements that are tough to deal with and/or new and unknown to the learner. Characters must look as though the stuff they wear are perfectly regular and natural for them. The more natural an actor seems in their outfit, the simpler it will be for them to dive into their character.