How to Costume a Period Piece for Your Low-Budget Theatre Company

Costuming a show when you're a low budget theatre can be a really difficult task. If the show takes place in the 1930s or later, you have the option of scouring Goodwill or the closets of everyone's grandparents. But what if the show is Shakesphearean, or takes place in the 1800s or later? When working with a very small budget, costuming period pieces can be a nightmare. However, like anything else in this business, it can be done with a little creativity. Here are some tips for costuming a period piece for cheap.

Not All Clothing Items Are Exactly What Meet the Eye

Let's say you're doing a production of Romeo and Juliet and need a beautiful old fashioned and period appropriate white nightgown. Impossible to find at a Salvation Army, right? Wrong. The first step in costuming a period piece on a small budget is completely changing how you look at clothing items. If I needed to find this piece, I would set out to find a white 1970's disco dress - they were very prevalent in that era and are floating around most of the second hand stores. Now, let's say I find one at a Goodwill, except it's covered in sparkly sequins. Most people wouldn't take it because they'd assume it's unusable, but most people haven't learned to be creative yet. Bleach will destroy the luminescence of most sequins - so what will this dress look like if it soaks in bleach water for twenty hours? Don't be afraid to buy a four dollar piece that needs some altering. Chances are that you will still save the most money this way.

Find an Unconventional Costume Sponsor

Most emerging theatres that need period costumes and want to seek a sponsored resource will attempt to obtain donated pieces from established costume shops. This is a big mistake, as most of these shops already have agreements with larger theatres and are bound from lending pieces to other companies. The best bet is to find a sponsor that isn't necessarily apparel related at all. A small mom and pop pharmacy may not have Elizabethean gowns in their inventory room, but would they be willing to fund the purchase of a second hand costume from Ebay? Chances are yes, if it will say in your program "costumes provided by Ed's Food and Drug". Funding the purchase of costumes that simply cannot be made or purchased at a second hand shop for under ten dollars is often times an arena of theatre where you must think outside the box and be willing to use unlikely sources.

Create Relationships With Other Companies

Unless you live in a small farm community with a population of six hundred, chances are that there are other theatre companies in your city that are on your level. You will most likely end up sharing actors and audiences with them, so why not create a relationship early on? Owning and maintaining a theatre company is not like any other business - you should never view your peer companies as competition, but rather as allies in what can be a very difficult and challenging endeavour. In the beginning, you should always offer complimentary tickets to other producers and directors in order to establish what could be a long lasting relationship. It is much easier to create a rich and useful inventory of sets, props, and costumes if there are four low budget theatres contributing to the pool instead of just one.

Hopefully this article will aid in your attempts to costume a low budget theatrical production. Remember to try to select shows that are well within your capabilities, but at the same time, don't limit yourself by what you can afford. It may sound corny, but if you can dream it, you can do it!