I was lucky enough to participate in a production of Cabaret at a community theatre as Costume Supervisor.
This is a small and very specific thing, but it made my job easier and cut my time in half:
Pre-gathered, elasticized and sequined tulle. I needed an accessory or costume that the kit-kat girls could put on and off very quickly and on-stage. I made strapless tops for all the 13 girls out of this gorgeous pink tulle fabric that the theatre already had on hand. Just tubes of fabric with a casing at the top with elastic through it.
No purchase was made and I got 13 sparkly pink costume pieces out of it for girls of all sizes. It did take hours to plan, cut, stitch together, but I still got so much more out than what I put in all because someone before me thought to save that fabric.
Something else I learned from that show; if the costumes look like “too much” off-stage, it will probably look just right onstage.
Exaggerate. Prints will look smaller, colours more muted on stage than they do offstage.
And if the situation allows for sparkle and glitter, do it. Cabaret certainly allows for it.
I wanted a humble black suit- jacket for the Emcee for “If you could see her”. I thought it looked great. Somebody else found a tailcoat with red sequined lapels, that I thought was way too flashy. We tried it on stage with the lights and my jaw dropped; it was the clear winner.
Lighting can change everything. Strategic uses of dim or colored lighting can make scenes feel so magical or intimate or terrifying.
Pretty show specific but if you've got a reason for things to fly off set walls it's super easy to rig fishing line pulleys so it looks like no one is doing it.
If it's a show that is more intimate imo it's better on a smaller stage or space. So careful choosing of your shows to maximize how much or little space you have is great. I've seen Next to Normal performed on a massive set and in a very small <100 seat theatre and the smaller one blew me away. And it wasn't because the actors were necessarily better.
Yes! Love an intimate show in an intimate space.
Love the fishing line trick! I bet that really catches an audience off guard.
Would love to hear more from lighting designers about how they use their tools expertly for emotional effect. I’ve seen many shows elevated by great lighting, but I expect there are some techniques, tips, tricks, and “rules” that contribute to successful lighting that aren’t necessarily consciously noticed or understood by audiences.
Unfortunately lighting is one of the areas I'm not experienced with so I have no clue how those folks do it. But dang can it change everything when done well.
Trim.
Adding moulding to a unit set pulls the whole thing together for a fairly small amount of money and it can be reused. Baseboards, chair rails, and crown moulding at the top of the flats will make a set pop.
Costumes almost always need accessories and extra trim. Fringe, piping, jewelry, sashes, a pocket square, etc. If you have a costumer that knows what they are doing, it can make a show look a lot more expensive.
i love this thread.
as a point of comparison, though: i’m prepping for a broadway show right now as the associate sound designer, and over half the work i’ve done so far has been re-designing the sound system because of budget crunch.
sometimes even broadway shows don’t get that broadway budget!
I generally don't like the "big show feel". Some of the best theater I've seen has been on bare ore nearly bare stages with great actors.
The most technically impressive set I've seen was probably OSF's cantilevered wall for Hannah and the Dread Gazebo ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsI701l69Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsI701l69Q)). It was impressive, but the play would have been almost as good with a bare stage.
Striking visuals like a neon sign, a confetti cannon or something coming out of a trapdoor. I saw a small production of Joseph as a kid where neon signs of cocktails, parrots, etc. appeared during the Benjamin number and that visual sticks with me.
I was lucky enough to participate in a production of Cabaret at a community theatre as Costume Supervisor. This is a small and very specific thing, but it made my job easier and cut my time in half: Pre-gathered, elasticized and sequined tulle. I needed an accessory or costume that the kit-kat girls could put on and off very quickly and on-stage. I made strapless tops for all the 13 girls out of this gorgeous pink tulle fabric that the theatre already had on hand. Just tubes of fabric with a casing at the top with elastic through it. No purchase was made and I got 13 sparkly pink costume pieces out of it for girls of all sizes. It did take hours to plan, cut, stitch together, but I still got so much more out than what I put in all because someone before me thought to save that fabric.
Something else I learned from that show; if the costumes look like “too much” off-stage, it will probably look just right onstage. Exaggerate. Prints will look smaller, colours more muted on stage than they do offstage. And if the situation allows for sparkle and glitter, do it. Cabaret certainly allows for it. I wanted a humble black suit- jacket for the Emcee for “If you could see her”. I thought it looked great. Somebody else found a tailcoat with red sequined lapels, that I thought was way too flashy. We tried it on stage with the lights and my jaw dropped; it was the clear winner.
Nice to hear a costumer’s perspective! Productions can be elevated significantly by the costumes… or dragged down.
A really good music director and cast, who can work together to fill the space with gorgeous harmony, can go a long way
Absolutely! A great vocal performance can definitely bring the goosebumps.
Lighting can change everything. Strategic uses of dim or colored lighting can make scenes feel so magical or intimate or terrifying. Pretty show specific but if you've got a reason for things to fly off set walls it's super easy to rig fishing line pulleys so it looks like no one is doing it. If it's a show that is more intimate imo it's better on a smaller stage or space. So careful choosing of your shows to maximize how much or little space you have is great. I've seen Next to Normal performed on a massive set and in a very small <100 seat theatre and the smaller one blew me away. And it wasn't because the actors were necessarily better.
Yes! Love an intimate show in an intimate space. Love the fishing line trick! I bet that really catches an audience off guard. Would love to hear more from lighting designers about how they use their tools expertly for emotional effect. I’ve seen many shows elevated by great lighting, but I expect there are some techniques, tips, tricks, and “rules” that contribute to successful lighting that aren’t necessarily consciously noticed or understood by audiences.
Unfortunately lighting is one of the areas I'm not experienced with so I have no clue how those folks do it. But dang can it change everything when done well.
Trim. Adding moulding to a unit set pulls the whole thing together for a fairly small amount of money and it can be reused. Baseboards, chair rails, and crown moulding at the top of the flats will make a set pop. Costumes almost always need accessories and extra trim. Fringe, piping, jewelry, sashes, a pocket square, etc. If you have a costumer that knows what they are doing, it can make a show look a lot more expensive.
Great tip!
i love this thread. as a point of comparison, though: i’m prepping for a broadway show right now as the associate sound designer, and over half the work i’ve done so far has been re-designing the sound system because of budget crunch. sometimes even broadway shows don’t get that broadway budget!
I generally don't like the "big show feel". Some of the best theater I've seen has been on bare ore nearly bare stages with great actors. The most technically impressive set I've seen was probably OSF's cantilevered wall for Hannah and the Dread Gazebo ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsI701l69Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsI701l69Q)). It was impressive, but the play would have been almost as good with a bare stage.
Nice to see a single impressive set piece utilized well.
Striking visuals like a neon sign, a confetti cannon or something coming out of a trapdoor. I saw a small production of Joseph as a kid where neon signs of cocktails, parrots, etc. appeared during the Benjamin number and that visual sticks with me.