"Who is here? Weeds of Athens he doth wear"

As of last Friday, the costuming for the afternoon cast has finally been decided. There was a lot of discussion, with quite a bit of argument as to how we should theme the costumes. Many of us wanted near authentic greek clothing, while many others wanted the more traditional costuming that we usually do year by year. There was also a lot of consideration put into how the fairies should be costumed and coordinated. Although most of the specifics remain undesignated, most of the more broad decisions for costuming have been decided and assigned.

{(Please keep in mind that these are the costuming desicions for the afternoon cast, which have nothing to do with the costuming for the morning cast. If you are wondering as to what the morning cast will be wearing, check out this blogpost published a couple of months ago by Coach McPherson. Thanks!!)}



Costuming for the play can be split into four separate groups: The Lovers (Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena), the Courtiers (Theseus, Egeus, Philo/Strate..), the Mechanicals (Bottom, Quince, Flute, Snug..) and the Fairies (Oberon, Titania, Puck..)

The lovers and courtiers are going to wear our generic tunics/cloaks/dresses that we usually costume in our plays. In some ways, it similar to clothing to the medieval renaissance. Be that as it may, this isn't to say that we're without the greek; we're strongly encouraging those of the lovers and the courtiers to at least try to give some athenian aspects to their costume. Coloring has yet to be decided, or even if we want to coordinate any colors at all.

The fairies will be more earthy, being born as embodiments of nature. There were dozens of different aspects that we could have the fairies portray, but as we're hoping to set this in a more greek theme, we're going to have more dryads and nymphs than sprites and pixies. This has been quite a topic of discussion, and if you want some more details on the debate, you may want to check out our most recent blogpost about fairies. All the same, we're hoping to have each fairy embody a different piece of nature, from flowers to animals. Besides the fairies of Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed and Moth, we're still not what each fairy will be representing and embodying, with Titania and Oberon ranging from the Sun and Moon to Earth and Sky.

As for the Mechanicals, they'll be wearing something between peasantry rags and working clothes. It's encouraged to show your profession and occupation within your costume, as subtle as it may be. Would Quince, Snug, and Pug be covered in sawdust after a long days work at the woodbench? Maybe Starveling and Bottom have some spare spools of thread hanging around in case they need it. Just what would a bellowsmender have with them?

All in all, costuming is only to accent the character on the stage, and to separate him from the other characters, making him unique and memorable. Put some thought into your costumes, and try to think up something that will make your character somebody the audience wants to see!! Don't be afraid to share your ideas in the comments!! We'd love to hear them!!