Costumes
In 2023: Amy Nanos & Jen Sydor managed the costume process. They spent approximately $1300 buying long underwear, black felt and various materials for animal ears & noses for kids to wear. They also purchased several animal costumes. We have the materials in boxes here at GFS.
From Ginny Jaffe
virginiajaffe@mac.com
Costume Director for The Lion King (2019), Beauty & The Beast (2020) and Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Kids (2022)
Initial Brief: Confirm play with Directors
Get copy of script from Director, with all the characters
Discuss Directors initial vision for the play including – theme, color, style, texture, characters etc.
Confirm calendar of events with Director including 1st, 2nd dress rehearsals and go live dates.
Ask what the rough budget is for costume preparation.
Timeline
The first and most important thing to create is a timeline.
Once the date of the play is known, work backwards from the 1st dress rehearsal date (which is when everything needs to be ready) and work out all the costume deadlines. Remember to include all buying of supplies, actual making, collating, fitting, refitting, emailing parents etc.
Once the timeline is done, agree this with The Directors to make sure it is in line with how they see things being ready.
Research
Start researching ideas by googling previous productions, costumes, colors, props (if needed), make up.
Build up a folder of example costumes you think may work.
Storyboards
Once there is a good idea of the sort of costumes needed, print out various images and create individual storyboards for each character (see examples)
Storyboards, however simple, are by far the best way of ensuring costumes:
match the Directors’ vision of what they are visually looking for from the play
stick to the brief given by the Directors by continually referring to the storyboards whilst making the costumes
consistently brief any volunteers who can see exactly what is required. Volunteers will not have to interpret what is needed. They will be able to see it.
5. Measurements
Not ALL the 5th Grade children will want to be in the actual play. They may choose to help with sets, lights, scenery, costumes, and props etc. But it works to take ALL the kid’s measurements as early as possible, even though it will be unknown who will ultimately being doing what. See example.
Speak to the Director (Mrs. Propp) and whoever takes up the role of Producer to find out when a good time will be to measure the 5th, Graders. Often this is during a music lesson.
Using the standard document, take relevant measurements for every 5th Grade child, whether they say they are going to be in the play or not. As a minimum, backstage t-shirts will be purchased for those kids who do not want to be on stage.
This will require 2 people / volunteers.
1 x to document the measurement details
1 x to take the measurements with a tape measure
6. Costume Log
The timeline will indicate when auditions are scheduled to take place as well as when GFS will announce the cast.
As soon as the cast has been announced, create a Costume Log. See example
This document confirms many things. Most importantly it indicates how many costumes will be needed, given how many kids will be in the play. It will also highlight all the different items needed per costume
7. Materials and Supplies
Once all costume items have been confirmed, work out:
What is going to be bought?
What is going to be made?
What can be donated by the parent body and altered to fit children?
What are you expecting parents to provide?
7a. Bought items
These will be items that cannot have been used such as wigs, socks, small props e.g., pipes, spectacles, gloves. Include within this:
Box of Glue sticks
500 x White sticky labels
100 x Laminating sheets
1 x Ball of string
1 x Box of safety pins
1 x Box of bobby pins
2 x large cellophane bags – to hold headdresses and wigs (needed once worn -think prevention of head lice)
Research all these items and find the cheapest version possible.
Work out a rough budget for everything needed
7b. Made (clothing and props)
These will be items requiring uncut fabric, thread, elastic, Velcro, and are simple to sew and / or can be made by the parent body by cutting, sticking, sewing etc.
Research all these items and find the cheapest version possible
Work out a rough budget for everything needed
7c. Donations and Alterations
These are items that the parent body can be asked to donate e.g., old coat, pants, jackets, hats, that can be altered to fit a particular child.
7d. Cast (parent) contributions*
These items could be things such as shoes, socks, t-shirts. Items that need to specifically fit that cast member in their role as a particular character in the play.
Research all these items and find the cheapest version possible
Best way to get exactly what is needed is to copy the link to the item needed and send that to the relevant cast member parent.
NOTE: *Please refer to Mrs. Propp and Mrs. Hardy before sending out emails to the parent body asking for specific items.
8. Emailing, chasing, and collating from parent body
Once there is a clear picture of the items needed from the cast members / parents:
⦁ Research and find the CHEAPEST item possible (Shop around as not always Amazon!)
⦁ Copy the link
⦁ Draft emails to each cast member with the required items
⦁ Include link of example specific items in email communications
There will be groups of ensemble children that will need the same items. e.g., white socks, white canvas shoes etc. Those emails can be group emails to all at the same time.
Provide deadlines, when asking for items. Give extra time, as everything WILL NOT come back by the first deadline!
Kids can bring items to rehearsals so that everything can be collated together, with the other parts of their costume. This also allows for time to label everything ahead of the dress rehearsal which is VERY important.
Chase outstanding after one week of original email being sent out. This will make sure everything comes back in good time for the first dress rehearsal.
9. Volunteers
By this stage there should be a very clear idea of:
⦁ Each costume / prop and what it includes
⦁ Where those items are going to come from, and by when
⦁ What sort of help will be needed from volunteers?
⦁ What the volunteers will be asked to do
Volunteers will fall into 4 areas:
⦁ Hair - anything to do with hair, bows and wigs
⦁ Make-Up - anything to do with face make up or props that go onto the face
⦁ Costumes - all clothing and shoes
⦁ Props - all items that each character will need to go with t heir costume e.g., purse, walking stick, bag etc.
There should be a volunteer to take on each area as its too much for one person to handle.
This is where the story boards really will help as you can show volunteers exactly what you need.
Always give volunteers a deadline or things may take longer than anticipated and you will not be able to hit key deadlines such as the first and second fittings and dress rehearsals.
Whoever oversees the gathering volunteers for different areas, will need specifics as to the jobs you need help with. List out what is needed.
**KEEP REFERRING TO YOUR TIMELINES, as you begin making the costumes, so that you pace yourself and don’t run out of time.
10. Labelling
There are various labels that need to be create:
⦁ Labels (2” x 3”) for each item of clothing per costumes per cast member / character
⦁ Purchase a box of 500 white sticky labels for (a)
⦁ Using the Costume log prepare labels for each child. Quantity per child depends on how many items of costume they will have
⦁ Attach a label to each item of clothing, for each costume. White stick-on labels can be safety pinned onto each item.
⦁ A checklist label that goes with the entire costume. (10” x 5”) See example
⦁ List out each item per costume
⦁ Add children name, character name, date of show
⦁ The rack labels (which will be done when sorting out the Quick-Change Running Order)
⦁ Sheet of A4 highlighting costumes per rack, per character / child’s name, where the rack needs to be and when
⦁ Individual (Trader Joe type) bags labelled for each child for their normal clothes to be stored when they first change
⦁ Ask for donations of brown paper Trader Joe bags from all parents.
⦁ You will need as many bags as children in the play
⦁ Clearly name the bags with big letter across the front of the bag
⦁ These will be given out to each child in the changing room per performance
11. Running Order
The Producer is responsible for working out the Running Order for the show.
The Running Order confirms:
⦁ Where each cast member exits and enters the stage per scene
⦁ All the quick changes needed, by cast member, by exit and entrance
⦁ Where the costumes need to be for all the changes that take place throughout the play
⦁ Costume Organizing
Once the Running Order has been confirmed, it’s then possible to work out how many costume racks will be needed, and which costumes need to go on which racks.
Prepare a rack label, showing exactly where the racks need to be for which quick changes. See example
⦁ All costume items need to be collated per cast member / character and clearly labelled
⦁ All costume items need to be hung onto hangers
⦁ Each complete costume needs a checklist label to hold the entire costume together
⦁ All props and shoes need to be organized with the costumes
⦁ Changing rooms & Make-Up
The music room is a good room for the cast to change in. Depending upon how many 5th Grade children choose to do the play, you may also need to Art Room.
Boys and girls need to have 2 separate spaces.
Volunteer parents needs to be always supervising the changing spaces.
Mrs. Hardy’s room is good for setting up Hair and Make-up.
Ask the children to line up in the corridor until asked to come into make-up.
12. Sorting costumes after each performance
At the end of each performance ask the children to put their costumes into their changing bags
The volunteers then gather the bags together and re-hang all the costumes onto the correct racks
If any costumes need mending and cannot be pinned together, volunteers need to mend items the following morning and/or before the next performance
⦁ Final sorting of costumes
Depending upon what GFS decide to do with all the costumes, everything needs to be rehung and organized by cast member back onto the hangers.
If GFS decide to give the costumes away this can be done a week after the end of the play.
Any items that can be re-used, any uncut fabric, any re-useable props, these need to be organized and boxed and put with other play items in the Music Room storeroom.
Costume Assistant 2021-22: Liz Leary
-help Ginny with costumes (cutting, gluing, etc)
-label all costumes and hangers
-email parents to let them know what items they needed to be responsible for for their child's costume
-put together costume racks and make sure they are correctly labeled. make sure all of the costumes wind up back on the correct racks after shows
-make sure costume volunteers know which side of the stage they are going to and what their role is