Please see the post Drama!Drama!Drama! for the beginning of this series.

Costumes. Where I am “light” concerning props (see this previous post) I am an advocate of great costumes. Why is this? Hmmm….not sure….it is just the way I am wired I guess

I certainly feel blessed that I have a sister in law who is passionate about costumes and she just runs with it which leaves me little worry about in the back of my mind. She takes inspired ideas and creates them in a visually stunning vista. I have had several cast members ask if they could take their costumes home with them.

But for those of you who do not have this available in your immediate family portfolio, then there are still avenues of hope.

For one, search through your church body to see if there is someone waiting to be discovered as a passionate wardrobe specialist, or maybe a team of seamstresses. If not, rentals are readily available for most seasonal Christian productions, just don’t wait until the last minute. There are others who are putting on Easter and Christmas plays, you  know…..

We have chosen to create and store our own. I have found a local store in Orlando called Party World that has great and inexpensive costumes of enough quality to pass for a good production. Often we gather, Roman shields, spears, head dresses, etc from this place.

Also, I raid the seasonal Halloween costumes stores (Spirit, Halloween Express) when they pop up. (I do a production based upon “A Christmas Carol” entitled Scrounge, remember?). So for Christmas Past or Jacob Marley I just found the most exquisite costume for just 39.99! That was a Godsend. Also for the Third Spirit, Christmas Future, who looks like a Grim Reaper character, we are able to find face masks, and gloves, etc… for that in these halloween shops.

Costumes can be your single most expensive item in a production, even a low-budget one like ours, and routinely, costumes make up, and sometimes over, 50% of our budget.

Material can be found in bargain bins at Walmart, Joanne Fabrics, or other stores. Michaels or other art and crafts store can be a joy to go through if your looking for inspiration, ideas or something specific.

Finally, humble thine own self and go to flea markets and garage sales. You never know what treasures you may come across. Pray about where you should go and that GOD guide you to the right place at the right time. Spend wisely and be good stewards.

Remember that costumes are just great additions to a play. Here is a “Wrap Party” Video I did for the costume team of our Easter production. You just gotta have fun, ya know? But I think it gives you an example of what you can do by hand. Notice the red garment of the Roman soldier that was hand made then later in the video you will see store bought accessories that really brought it together.)

A word of caution though. If you are doing an annual production, as we do, such as the same Easter or Christmas production, be careful about investing too much money in costumes designed to fit one person. Sometimes your casting will fluctuate, and the person that portrayed last year’s king may not be the one doing it this year.

Put your money into robes and loose fitting clothes, accessorizing with belts, ropes or specialty pieces you may find at one of the stores mentioned above.

Follow GOD and just have fun. You will see how much costumes can over come the lack of scenery and props. It just makes a production.

Til next post.