Hi to all Actors and Performers' Families,
It is that time to have the actors getting their costumes pieces all set...if you & I haven't communicated yet, then please send me a reply email back of the following costume ideas to confirm that your actor has the pieces for each of their scenes/roles:
If your actor is struggling to come up with any items or needs to get their costumes all set, I am available and will be attending most Mondays and some Tues or Weds of the play practices/rehearsal days. Please have them come to me and I will give them suggestions to get ready.
ENCLOSED IN THIS UPDATE ARE THE FOLLOWING NOTES:
- Responsibilities of Actors' costume/design elements
- My best description of each characters/ensemble costume components
- Drama Dept Wish list of items to borrow or have donated before we may have to purchase it
______________________________________________________________________________________
- Each performer is responsible for their costume(s) pieces; and must have me approve it before Dress Rehearsal day that it fits within the scope and theme/colors of our play. I am making certain pieces/outfits, and will reach out to specific families if there is a special need that the Drama/Prop room doesn't have for use. Included below is info if I know that the Prop room can supply too.
- Each female performer should wear their natural skin-colored dance leotard, & leggings for sake of wardrobe changes in a large dressing room with other actors and parent volunteers
- Each Ensemble performer should look below @ Specfic characters ---unless stated below, then the default is to wear a white top/shirt and black pants or leggings or tights - this will allow us in the Costume committee to add accessories/items for ensemble cast or group scenes
- Seagulls = White or Light Grey solid tee's with white pants or leggings; solid orange athletic socks
- Sous-Chefs = their white button-down long sleeve shirt and black pants; black dancer or flat non-shiny shoes
- Sea Creatures = White Shirt/Top & Grey or Light Blue Leggings/Pant; we will be making elastic banded skirts that have netting and long streaming fabric to have an aquatic seaweed effect
**Ensemble Cast - consist of Seagulls, Sous Chefs, Sea Crestures - please see notes above and contact me if you have questions**
Wish List: (Perhaps some one has some of these items in the back of their closets or attic?)
2 White Short hair Wigs - One for Ursula and One for King Triton - Think Albert Einstein or Beetlejuice
Healies (Tennis shoes with pop-out skates in the soles) - various sizes that can be used for fluid motion with the Tentacles, Sea Creatures; if we get enough then we'd like to have them for our under water characters; Flounder, Flotsam, Jetsam, Ursula, Mermaids, King Triton
7 Pettycoats - Bigger the Better for hoop skirt-type dresses - Princesses, Ariel and Ursula
Bands of Elastic - Mostly used for sewing projects and costumes
Small Binoculars - we would like to paint these, so please be willing to donate to be re-purposed
Individual Characters General Style:
Ariel - Costume Dept is making her primary Mermaid skirt and top, Pinafore Dress, and an Elegant dress; Actress to wear her own Neutral colored ballet or dance flat shoe, neutral tights or leggings
Prince Eric - Long Sleeve Pirate-type blousy top/tunic...Preferably a solid White or Off-White, Dark Brown pants (Prop room may have wool dark pants that we could use), Leather Belt, Leather dark lace up boots
Pilot - Navy blue Docker pants, leather boots, Light or Medium Blue button down long sleeve shirt, leather belt and Navy blue Peacoat is ideal, Navy blue or Dark Grey stocking cap
Sebastian - Red (maybe checkered or stripped or patterned?) button down long sleeved shirt, red pants preferred, red low profile shoes (we could spray paint some white canvas deck shoes)...Prop room has a Red Rain Coat that gives a sleek, hard shell appearance and we have a pair of oven gloves that are red for his "claws". Red sunglasses, unless we can find small binoculars that we can spray paint red for a "steampunk" look
Scuttle - "Gutter Punk" is the style - dread lock hair with a few feather extensions, a white or grey fuzzy top or sweater to be worn with overalls that we have in the prop room. We are adding patches and pockets to hold her "trinkets", Solid orange athletic socks, orange flat shoes, yellow sunglasses to be worn on her head to hold back her whipped-up hair off her face is ideal
Flounder - Prop room has a yellow dress that we are adding blue stripes. Medium Blue tights and a similar colored flat shoe. Yellow and blue ribbons on a headband or ribbons to create a Faux-Hawk appearance, make up with have yellow and blue striping too
Grimsby - Old-styled stuffy white shirt with a doylie that we are adding to the neckline that we have in the prop room, a wool vest and matching pants from the prop room, possible suspenders, Actor to wear their own white long dress socks and leather men's dress shoe.
Chef Louis - Fat body suit that we are making for full weighted effect; prop room is securing Chef side - buttoned tops, Actor to wear their own black pants and black men's styled dress shoes. Large handle-bar moustache and Super Tall Chef hat are being shopped.
Flotsam and Jetsam - Motorcycle gang styled leather jackets, pleather pants or leggings with holes to show off each character's "Signature" neon color...Prop room has a neon colored tee shirt and that will be the color for their leggings to wear throughout the play. I am creating "long chiffon eels fins" to add to the sleeves that matches their signature neon colored tee shirts. Their hair will be slicked back and appearance will be Faux-hawks.
Ursula - Prop room has her magenta dress and we are making a costume pleather corset-vest like top with sheer long octopus sleeves, black hoop skirt and pettycoat, preferred Healies or if we can't find Healies, then low comfortable black shoes that will not be visible to the audience. White wig and Octopus make up. Large shell necklace are being shopped.
Tentacles - Actors to wear all black or slightly darker black long sleeved tops or tactical turtle necks, or a solid all black hoodie, black socks, black dancer or solid low black flats, nothing shiny. Black leggings or tights or sweats that are not too baggy. I am creating Black/Magenta Tentacles that will be added to their black outfits so they appear to be assimilated into Ursula's creature and lost souls form. We will be tethering them @ the waistline back to Ursula's waistline. They are essentially minion - tentacles with full flowing motion and fully visible "walking" tentacles.
Mer- Sisters - We are creating each mermaid skirt in a signature color with matching colored halter top and waist band sash. Each girl to wear their own neutral colored tights/leggings and neutral colored ballet slipper or tan flat shoe
Princesses - We are creating hoop-skirted signature colored elegant dress for each; Each girl to wear their own neutral colored tights and neutral colored ballet slipper or tan flat shoe
Carlotta - Prop room has long servant-like dress, apron and lace up old styled boots; Actress to wear neutral tights or leggings
Feel free to contact me if you need any clarification or if I've forgotten anyone. We have a Costume Committee and have some shopping lists started, so if you need help and want any of us to keep an eye out for any of your Performers' specific articles, then please let us know. We are working within a budget and most of it is going for fabric/materials to create the special effects/era-specific costumes, but we are willing to work within the scope of this production or do some seeking for your actor if needed.
By Nov 9th & 16th (The mandatory Saturday rehearsals), the Costume Committee will be fitting, hemming, and generally altering...if you find an article that needs to be adjusted, please let me know in advance, so we can add it to our task list.
