Costumes: Fabric Shopping & Sewing

(Part 2 of 2)

Once all the designs are finished a very large task stands dauntingly in the doorway… FABRIC SHOPPING! Do you know how many yards of fabric it takes to clothe a 40 person cast? Well over 400 yards of fabric! That’s a lot of fabric to buy! The costume designer and assistant director are far too familiar with our local Jo Ann Fabric store. Shopping trips can take easily over 6 hours on multiple days!

Community theatre costumes come together quite differently than if we were a professional company. The 100’s of costume pieces aren’t sewn by “The costume Shop” or even a handful of people, but rather a couple dozen volunteer and parent seamstresses.

In the end, the audience probably doesn’t think twice about the authenticity of costumes, the cultural distinctions, or the dozens of articles of clothing and accessories that each actor wears during a 2+ hour show, but without them the audience wouldn’t be transported into a foreign land in 1300BC. I would encourage you, during the next performance you watch take note to the many costumes being worn and recall the time that has gone to depict each character accurately and well.