A month to go and shopping until I drop

With just over a month until opening night for the show, I thought I would post a little update. Cast and crew had our deadline to hand in our programme bios and had our pics taken last weekend. I am finally starting to get to work on the show now that I've had my sit down with the director and we've settled on ideas. She felt we were 90% on the same page. The tutus I mentioned in my last post are done, I probably spent a good 12 or more hours cutting tulle and tying it to elastics. I had seen the technique before but had never done it before. It looked like a big pink fluffy cloud when they were all hung up together, it kind of freaked out my boyfriend a little. I had to hang them to keep the cats away or they would have been shredded and not the way I wanted!  I used a total of 16 metres of fabric, and the cost was 10% of the total budget, little scary, but I am happy with how they turned out. My co-workers got a kick out of watching me work at my tulle covered desk (Someone even offered to pay me to make some for her nieces!). Here's a pic of the tutu cloud and one of me in the tutu.

I have also done another technique that I have never done before: tie dying. I apparently missed out on that rite of childhood even though I was Girl Guide. One of the characters is described as having hippie parents and pride in his homemade clothing, what says homemade and hippie more than tie dye? I tried to do a spiral technique, but I didn't use enough colour so the shirt came out whiter than anticipated, but I still really like it quite a bit here's a photo. 

 

Every once in a while there are costuming miracles. Traditionally in the show one of the characters wears a very specific uniform, and although I wanted to go in a different direction, that is what the director wanted. The miracle comes in that the actor's father actually the uniform that we needed! It totally helped out my budget and reduced my work load! (Bonus)  On the last show I worked one of the cast member's wife had a actual nurses uniform from the 70's which is exactly what we needed, I even got to try it on. 

Things seem to be coming together, I feel like I am in good shape. At this point after my last shopping trip 5 of 9 cast members have all their main outfit.  No one realizes the amount of shopping that actually goes into costuming. The tulle, elastics, and tie dye kit didn't magically appear, we need to shop for supplies. I met up with one of the cast member's earlier this week to shop for his costume. Why can't I do that with everyone? It is so much easier than carrying around my binder of measurements and a measuring tape! I have probably spent over 3 hours thus far in secondhand clothing stores. I still have a few more pieces to get and there are some shoe covers to make, but mostly it is just odds and ends. No real major builds, just possibly some alterations like shortening an actual Scottish kilt with out cutting it, because I don't want to wreck it. Anyway I scoured Goodwill yesterday because it was their end of month 50% off sale, I got $34 worth of stuff for $17! I bet when whoever donated their clothing they never thought it would be a costume one day! A thrifty costumer am I, one character's entire outfit cost $10 and I love it! Here's a pic:

 

The important thing is that I am having fun, if I am not why do it?  Rehearsal last weekend was a blast. The show calls for audience volunteers and as the cast stumbled through a run through of the first act I helped out by being an audience volunteer, so much fun! I had a hard time not singing along and wrecking the harmonies ( Not that I am totally tone deaf or anything) So that's the latest, I will continue to keep you posted if I can.