Open Forum

I have a very large cast and wanted to do a big musical.  Arena Theater in Washington D.C. had produced it and brought it to life in new ways.  I realize we don't have freedom to veer from the script or take many liberties with music...they had permission. 

We wanted to get creative and not costume in the Victorian Age but move it forward a bit. Now, I am concerned it won't play well.   If I could switch shows I WOULD.  Any ideas for creativity, costumes, etc?  These are high schoolers....trying to create an older vibe.  

Desperate and STUCK!

I have a very large cast and wanted to do a big musical.  Arena Theater in Washington D.C. had produced it and brought it to life in new ways.  I realize we don't have freedom to veer from the script or take many liberties with music...they had permission. 

We wanted to get creative and not costume in the Victorian Age but move it forward a bit. Now, I am concerned it won't play well.   If I could switch shows I WOULD.  Any ideas for creativity, costumes, etc?  These are high schoolers....trying to create an older vibe.  

Desperate and STUCK!

Melinda, period costumes for Oliver! don't have to be expensive.  It takes place in 1830, which can be daunting if you are making costumes for the aristocracy, but that's not the case here. 

Having your classes (or in the absence of a class, kids interested in design) do dramaturgical research is a great way to get them thinking about what elements of the designs they can find or adapt from existing clothes.  I had my students look for pictures from previous productions and also search under something specific, like "illustrations in Oliver Twist" or "What did poor people wear in London in the 1830s?"  I recommend NOT using the word "costumes."  I had my students copy and paste those pictures they found into a document, pasting in the URL beneath each picture, and then I printed up good ones to hang on the walls for inspiration for closet and thrift store searches.  

For the many beggars, you should be able to find most pieces in thrift stores:

1. Men's old dress pants of natural fibers can be cut off below the knees and either sewn with a large enough hem to string elastic through or simply cut with a jagged edge.  Washing those pants that are "dry clean only" roughs up the fiber and gives them marvelous texture under lights. 
2. Cut the collar off, leaving the band, on a worn-out dress shirt.  Roll up the sleeves or hack off that cuff, leaving a jagged edge. 
3. Put out a call for vests, vests, vests of all styles and drab colors.    
4. Lace-up boots can frequently be found at thrift stores or in closets at home.
5. Experiment with watered-down brown and gray paint to put stains on the clothes.     

For Nancy, you might start with an old princess-cut prom dress with a full skirt and adapt it. 

Mr. Sowerberry can wear a shabby tux with tails, plus a vest, and pants that don't match the tux.  I had good luck buying tails that were about to be junked from a tux rental shop.  That rubbed area that prevents them from renting a tux does not matter for your purposes.

Oliver! is a show that allows your students to build costumes that make their characters unique--very different from a musical that needs the ensemble to look as identical as possible.  As long as you maintain veto power, it can be great fun . . . and I hope it will be.

I have a very large cast and wanted to do a big musical.  Arena Theater in Washington D.C. had produced it and brought it to life in new ways.  I realize we don't have freedom to veer from the script or take many liberties with music...they had permission. 

We wanted to get creative and not costume in the Victorian Age but move it forward a bit. Now, I am concerned it won't play well.   If I could switch shows I WOULD.  Any ideas for creativity, costumes, etc?  These are high schoolers....trying to create an older vibe.  

Desperate and STUCK!

Melinda, period costumes for Oliver! don't have to be expensive.  It takes place in 1830, which can be daunting if you are making costumes for the aristocracy, but that's not the case here. 

Having your classes (or in the absence of a class, kids interested in design) do dramaturgical research is a great way to get them thinking about what elements of the designs they can find or adapt from existing clothes.  I had my students look for pictures from previous productions and also search under something specific, like "illustrations in Oliver Twist" or "What did poor people wear in London in the 1830s?"  I recommend NOT using the word "costumes."  I had my students copy and paste those pictures they found into a document, pasting in the URL beneath each picture, and then I printed up good ones to hang on the walls for inspiration for closet and thrift store searches.  

For the many beggars, you should be able to find most pieces in thrift stores:

1. Men's old dress pants of natural fibers can be cut off below the knees and either sewn with a large enough hem to string elastic through or simply cut with a jagged edge.  Washing those pants that are "dry clean only" roughs up the fiber and gives them marvelous texture under lights. 
2. Cut the collar off, leaving the band, on a worn-out dress shirt.  Roll up the sleeves or hack off that cuff, leaving a jagged edge. 
3. Put out a call for vests, vests, vests of all styles and drab colors.    
4. Lace-up boots can frequently be found at thrift stores or in closets at home.
5. Experiment with watered-down brown and gray paint to put stains on the clothes.     

For Nancy, you might start with an old princess-cut prom dress with a full skirt and adapt it. 

Mr. Sowerberry can wear a shabby tux with tails, plus a vest, and pants that don't match the tux.  I had good luck buying tails that were about to be junked from a tux rental shop.  That rubbed area that prevents them from renting a tux does not matter for your purposes.

Oliver! is a show that allows your students to build costumes that make their characters unique--very different from a musical that needs the ensemble to look as identical as possible.  As long as you maintain veto power, it can be great fun . . . and I hope it will be.

I have a very large cast and wanted to do a big musical.  Arena Theater in Washington D.C. had produced it and brought it to life in new ways.  I realize we don't have freedom to veer from the script or take many liberties with music...they had permission. 

We wanted to get creative and not costume in the Victorian Age but move it forward a bit. Now, I am concerned it won't play well.   If I could switch shows I WOULD.  Any ideas for creativity, costumes, etc?  These are high schoolers....trying to create an older vibe.  

Desperate and STUCK!