The prop room at Sherwood High School smells like mildew, wet wool, and hormones. It’s hidden behind the back curtain of the pitifully small stage, where double doors open into the dank concrete box of a room crowded with decaying furniture, buckets of old paint, and racks of crumbling costumes. The near wall is dedicated to holding costumes, while the far side of the room is occupied by chairs, and tools, and essentially anything you could find in the homegoods section of a Goodwill. I’ve really never paid much attention to the far end of the prop room, because I’m always too occupied with the costumes. I am fascinated by costumes in the same way one might be fascinated with abandoned asylums or haunted houses. There’s something disconcerting about empty costumes, particularly in a high school theatre. They should be alive and filled with all the energy and passion of a teenaged actor, but instead they are just hanging against the wall, abandoned exoskeletons of the characters they are meant to represent. They are haunted by the distinct scent of old sweat, decomposing polyester, and faded cheap perfume. Costumes are organized on the main rack by …show more content…
The part of me that comes from my ex-hippie grandmother would tell you I can feel the residual energy of past wearers, but more than likely I just enjoy the kinesthetic stimulation of the variety of textures. I like the first theory better though. Old high school costumes are a bit macabre; every perspiration stained suit jacket and torn, abandoned prom dress, each worn-out character shoe and corroded satin cocktail hat, was once worn by the exhausted, hormonal ball of energy which is the teen thespian during show week, kids like me: self involved and restless and desperately searching for a purpose, terrified of being insignificant. They don’t exist anymore. They’ve long since graduated and grown into more or less satisfied adults. These costumes are the ghosts of their teenage
Clothing that is worn by the actors during the play can be a reflection of the characters personalities. Nick, Lucy, Lewis and Julie all seem to be in normal clothing, reflecting the fact they are relatively normal, and don’t show signs of extreme ‘Madness.’ Ruth wears simple, old, and neat clothes that reflect her OCD, and the colours and patterns that Roy wears reflect his crazy and upbeat personality. Meanwhile, Henry wears business-like outfits that you would expect to see a lawyer wear. This helps to inf...
Big hair, bright colors, and denim helped to establish the time period the play was set in. Each actress’ outfit gave the audience an idea of her character’s personality. For instance, Clairee wore pant suits and looked the part of a sophisticated, classy former mayor’s wife. On the other hand, Ouiser wore comfortable clothes; often sporting a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt over a t-shirt showing her practical and simple lifestyle. The use of jackets and scarves portrayed the change in season and helped establish the different time frames from scene to scene. The costumes reflected each character well and were fitting for the time in which the play was portrayed.
Working In The Theatre: Costumes. American Theater Wing. 20 Jan. 2015. He also talks about he has to help the audience to know where to look. Long discussed about a time where he would have to make the leading actors the understudy so he can figure out how to make the other characters “pop” as
II. The upper class of the masquerades clothing was very expensive and detailed. “Fantastic Costumes representing Greek Gods and Goddesses on Mount Olympus, fairies and mythical creatures were created.” (Elizabethan Masques)
Towards the end of the decade the Hippie movement had a huge impact on the way people started to view clothing. This group rebelled against war, encouraged peace and love. Their presence had a major influence on fashion. They opted for clothing that was natural and comfortable. Accessories w...
Although clothing styles change from generation to generation, the newest fad is always a result of the old. It’s a cause and effect relationship, if children of this generation are dressing inappropriately, future generations will find this acceptable and go a step further. If clothing restrictions are enforced in the now, there is hope for future generations.
In the novel, clothing is used as a symbol of control and conformity. When Esme put on a blazer that ‘looked like her blazer, it said it was her blazer, but it wasn’t’. Due to this, “she could barely move, barely breathe” which makes her feel as though she is trapped, controlled and unable to fit into the societal norms. This is evident when Esme is called ‘Oddbod’ by her classmates. Furthermore, Esme and Kitty did not have freedom with the way they dressed as they were told that they ‘are a granddaughter of an advocate, not a saloon girl’. For the dance, Esme wanted to wear a scarlet velvet dress ‘but she got burgundy taffeta’. Similar to the blazer, this dress ‘didn’t fit her properly’. The symbol of clothing causes Esme and Kitty to feel restricted and unable to wear fabrics and colours that they like which “mattered so much” to Esme. Kitty is affected by this in the future when she sees Iris in a skirt which she had made herself and says ‘you look disgusting, no decent man will have you if you make an exhibition of yourself like that’. This causes the reader to feel hatred towards those that made Esme and Kitty feel as though they could not express themselves with clothing, while also sympathising with them due to the controlling lives they were
The clothing also represents the breakdown of the society. To begin, most of the boys were wearing school uniforms and some were wearing choir robes. This shows they are educated, civilized young men, who are most likely from, or around the city. As time passes, the boys do not remain fully clad. They shed their shoes and shirts. Their hair grows longer, and they are dirtier. This resembles their civilized ways beginning to fade. They also started using face paint for camouflage, and it eventually becomes a ritual.
In society today, the clothing that someone wears is basically a billboard for his or her personal, or family's financial situation. For children in public schools, fitting in with the popular, or most fashionable people is probably the most important thing to them. When children are preoccupied wi...
In the early 60's, the teenagers world was suddenly hit by the rock- n- roll of phenomenon of the Beatles. Teens idoled rock stars and let their hair grow long and wore bright, wild colored clothes. Leather offered great opportunities for self - expression. The clothes were i...
It is impossible to fully comprehend the appeal to the Gulf Coast High School Band Room unless you are actually a member of the band. All members of the Gulf Coast High School marching band spend the majority of their time in the band room, which is like a second home for most. The room itself does not appear to be anything special. It is a large room with a high ceiling, bright fluorescent lighting, and pink and green padding on the walls. The hallway maintains a terrible odor which nobody can quite determine the source of, and the white, vinyl tile floor is covered in a layer of disgusting things one can only dream of. Still, for some reason it remains a haven to about twelve percent of the student body. At first glance, it does not look like anything special, but when you open that big, gray door and step into the “band world” it becomes clear that it really is an amazing and wonderful place. It feels like the center of the universe.
Laver, James. Costume and Fashion: A Concise History. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1985. Print
A student’s right to express themselves, as long as it’s not harming someone, should never be denied. Not every student can easily write a poem or paint a portrait about how they feel, but all students can use clothes to show who they are and how they feel. When a student is told that they have to change, it’s almost like saying they have to change who they are too. Clothes are the most important part of a first impression. They allow a student to pride, not only in what they are wearing, but for their school, or their sports team, or the play they got cast in.
However, if one is looking for heavy cloth garments, or more authentic duplication of such a costume, one may want to look towards renting or buying such costumes. Whereas, those requiring either more simple, or more sophisticated costumes may wish to look towards a costumer to create such
The teenage years are a time when adolescents try out various personas, often trying out different styles of fashion. Adversaries argue that uniforms suppress an individual’s freedom of expression. However, the clothes that people wear, or can afford to wear, often classify the group by which they are acknowledged. As a result, many teens are outcast due to the fact that they cannot afford the latest trends in clothing. This rejection can lead to a number of problems for the outcast teen: depression, inability to focus on schoolwork, or just a general feeling of inferiority. School uniforms put everyone on the same level. According to Karin Polacheck (1995), “Uniforms help to create balanced diversity by alleviating racial and cultural tensions and encouraging values of tolerance and civility.” School Uniforms permit students to relate with one another without experiencing the socioeconomic barrier that non-uniform schools generate. More importantly, students are not criticized on how much they spent on clothes or how fashionable they look, but rather for their talents and their