Day 12: How to Disguise Your Children as Forks and Philosophers
Did you know there are mock strawberries growing in the Stage Right parking lot? A mock strawberry is kind of like a strawberry except it doesn't look like a strawberry and it isn't a strawberry.
They have yellow flowers.
The teens and preteens are still pushing to finish these shows by the end of the week, so while they're doing that, I'll spend some time talking about the costumes you'll see in these shows.
Costumes, of course, are important for any show, but especially when they must be very specific, such as in Beauty and the Beast Jr. If the actors don't look like provincial French people/talking household appliances, it's just not the same.
"The hardest part costuming Beauty and the Beast..." said costumer Stacey Ross, "there's a lot of stuff in existence since they've done the show before, but for adults. So [we're] being creative and trying to find things to fit [the preteens]."
For example, Ross said, they have a Lumiere jacket sized for an adult man, which won't fit the three young girls who play Lumiere. So they must embellish other outfits to match the characters of the show.
For Godspell, there is less pressure for the costumes to look specific.
"My end is easy [for Godspell] because the kids are doing their own thing," said costumer Jenny Estok. "I just need to get the iconic things."
Estok combed through Stage Right's costume supplies to find other signature costume pieces for the named characters in Godspell, such as Jesus' rainbow pants and a coat for John the Baptist.
The unnamed characters in Godspell (as in, everyone at some point) get to dress however best expresses themselves, so the kids have been bringing in outfits to get approval for the show. This could be a favorite hat, a t-shirt for a cause they believe in, a full suit, or a snazzy dress.
The teens were also allowed to look through Stage Right's costume supply if there was a particular outfit they knew they did not own.
The end results will look stunning for both shows, but you'll have to come to see it for yourself.