Costuming Your Play: Creative Ideas that Won't Break the Bank

A school or community play can be a very exciting (and potentially expensive) undertaking. You have to secure the rights to even perform and produce the play. Then you need to purchase and build a set. And perhaps the most exciting aspect: designing and purchasing the costumes. If you want your actors to be confident and to look professional without breaking the bank, consider some of the following ideas.

Shop at a costume and supply store immediately after Halloween. Go to a costume shop within the first few days after Halloween for major sales on any type of costume imaginable. This is also a good time to stock up on theatre makeup and strange accessories.

Ask the community for donations. Why spend any money if you don't have to? Invite the community to participate in the production by donating costume and clothing items.

There are several benefits to this approach. First, you will get some unique and interesting items you might not find otherwise. Second, you will not have to pay for the items. Third, you are essentially not only receiving free costumes, but free publicity. By inviting members of the community to participate, you will pique their curiosity about your production and create a sense of solidarity and belonging.

Shop at Goodwill. Sometimes, you will have to sift through bin after bin to find something you like, but shopping at Goodwill is a great option. You will find t-shirts, flannels, suit jackets, even dresses.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that all the clothes at Goodwill are ripped up, stained, or smelly. While there are some unkempt items, there are also many high end items available. Sometimes, people buy clothes in the store without trying them, find out they don't fit, yet don't return them to the store. If they don't want the items, they may donate them to Goodwill. And sometimes, closets just get too full, even with great items. Many donations are dropped off just to open up some closet space.

Other benefits of the Goodwill stores are that the items are very cheap and the money goes to educate and provide employment opportunities for people with disadvantages - win-win from any angle.

Go to a garage sale, yard sale, sidewalk sale, or flea market. If it is summertime, there will be no shortage of yard sales and sidewalk sales. When people have yard sales, they often put out good clothing items just to get rid of them. You may not find a whole lot of period-specific costume items, but you will still be able to find some clothing items and accessories. Again, at a yard sale, the items will be very inexpensive.

Sidewalk sales provide a great chance to get clothes from your favorite stores for less. A lot of costume shops and department stores have sidewalk sales; they will put out items that were stocked in bulk but not selling as well as they expected. If it is nearing the end of the season, the current season's items will be on sale to make room for the new season's items.

Go to an estate sale. Slightly different than the other kinds of sales. If you go to an estate sale, you will find lots of clothing items that other people will not be purchasing. Many people find the idea of wearing someone else's clothes, especially those of a deceased person, creepy. However, not all estate sales occur when someone has died. Some people have estate sales when they are moving to a new house. You might be able to find some unique items at an estate sale to make great costumes for a play.

Rework the current items you have. Do you enjoy sewing or know someone who does? If so, why not take a creative approach by taking several old items and stringing them together in an unexpected way? This is another option that will save you money. It will also create a sense of pride for the people that do the work on the costumes. And it will guarantee uniqueness since they are your own special creations.

Go to a discount store or fabric store for material. This one requires some fabric purchases and sewing. When you think about it, attempting to find period-specific costuming options can be time consuming and expensive. If you purchase some patterned or colored fabric, even from a cheaper store like Wal-Mart, you can add some fabric and decorations to a regular t-shirt to make it in to a costume.

Once you have successfully sought out inexpensive costume items, hold on to them. Dedicate a closet or room at the theatre just for costumes and build up a variety of options for years to come. And make sure you clean and take good care of them. No one wants a stinky pirate...or Hamlet...or princess.