APR
19

Quick Change Artist

Stage secrets for seamless costume changes 

By Chris Wheeler 

Chris Wheeler is an independent writer in the Denver metro area.  With degrees in both Theatre and Film Studies, he has been a long-time patron, lover and philanthropist of the arts.  He is glad to be a part of Pioneer Drama and our online theatre community. 

I’ll never forget one show I was in, if only for my quick costume change.  I had to go from doctor to driver in the amount of time it took me to say the last line of a scene and the first line of the next.  We had a little music to cover the scene change, and my costumes were close enough that I really only needed a few seconds.  I’d go backstage, grab a different jacket, and come right back out.  And it worked great all through rehearsals.  Until opening night, that is.  When I went backstage, my driver’s jacket was nowhere to be found.  After a good minute of the music looping, I grabbed a different jacket from another cast member’s expired scene and walked onstage only to find a fellow cast member holding my driving coat open for my frustrated arms.

Inevitably, that scene change occurs where days have passed in the world of your play and your actor — or the entire cast! — needs to be in completely different wardrobes.  Maybe the scene dictates shimmering ball gowns, ruby slippers or even a mermaid fin transforming into legs!  No matter how simple or complex the change, there are some stage secrets to make those quick changes a snap.

• Snaps!  Forego zippers, and instead sew snaps into trousers or dresses.  This will make the garments easy to shed and easy to pull on.
• Velcro has essentially the same effect as a snap, but you may be able to use it more widely.  Say your starlet needs to go from suited business person to bejewled princess in under thirty seconds.  Sewing Velcro along the suit arms and legs can be a lot more effective (and have better stage showmanship) than dozens of tiny snaps.  As a side note however, be sure to carefully rip out the existing seam and sew Velcro with a sewing machine.  Hand sewing Velcro will NOT save you time.
• Layer.  The dog is a sailor in the next scene?  The evil scientist also needs to play your fairy godmother?  Have them put what costume pieces they can on underneath the ones they appear in first so they can simply pull off one and be in the next character.  This depends a bit on the specifics of each costume however, and will only be effective if the underlying outfit does not add bulk or impede their movement while in the first.

Talk to your actors and make sure they are comfortable.  Every quick change should be practiced, and any concerns addressed.  Can another actor help them, even by simply holding a jacket open or carrying their prop onstage?  Always make sure your performers have an appropriate area to change, keeping their privacy and needs a priority.  And make sure the entire cast knows their roles through these high adrenaline moments.

Plan ahead, get your cast together, and (don’t tell anyone I told you this) cheat.  Hide things from the audience’s view with layering.  Give your performers wardrobe secrets like hidden Velcro and discrete snaps.  And get your cast together behind your brilliant plan.  These timing challenges that pop up throughout your script can actually turn out to be creative breakthroughs.  And when done right, your cast really will look sharp.