plate. Costumes to be dyed must be cut sufficiently large to allow for the shrinking effect of dyeing. There are certain advantages in such a proceeding. Undyed material is much easier and much pleasanter to cut and to sew; and, when the garment is put together before dyeing there is no danger of the parts not properly matching, as is sometimes the case in amateur dyeing. Dyeing What is true of the cutting and sewing of costumes is also true of the dyeing: smooth, even, professional work is entirely unnecessary for the stage. In fact, materials that are dyed so that they are rough and uneven often give better effects under stage lights, as they have the roughness of fine fabrics. The lights give them life. There are all sorts of dyes available, but probably the safest and the easiest to use are some of the commoner commercial dyes that are sold all over the country. They give good colors, as a rule, and each package gives specific directions. It is wise to follow these directions explicitly. For example, the garment or the material to be dyed should always be soaked with water before being placed in the dye. Some setting agent, salt, or vinegar, or whatever is directed, should always be used. Sometimes, even if colored material is used to make the costumes for a scene, it is wise to dip them all in a weak solution of the same dye to give them artistic unity. A set of calico dresses and shirts for southern mountaineers, for example, might well all be dipped in a weak solution of a red-brown color, to give them all the earthy, worn appearance demanded by the play. This weak solution should not change any of the original colors, but should give a universal tint to all of the costumes. The results of theatrical dyeing must always be judged from the distance. It is not how the costume looks to the other characters that counts, but how it appears to the audi ence. Painting The painting of costumes is an interesting field for experimentation, also. All sorts of decorations and designs may be made with paint. The paint used is similar to that used for making scenery: that is, it is made with hot water, glue or mucilage, and dry pigment. Aluminum or gilt radiator paint may be used for silver or gold color. The material to be painted may be placed on a flat surface, like an old table covered with paper, and the design painted on with a stiff brush. The paint should be rubbed into the cloth as much as possible. Collars and cuffs and borders may be painted on Elizabethan garments, for example, or the entire surface of a tunic may be covered with a pattern which will give the effect of a fine brocaded surface. Effects, to be of any value, must be large. Finicky and exact work is invisible and useless. Miscellaneous Articles Certain necessary articles are unusually difficult to make, and task to the limit the inventiveness of the nonprofessional costumer. 1. Tights.-Tights are an important part of men's costumes for many centuries, and they are exceedingly difficult to manufacture. They may be made by putting feet in underwear, or by getting large sizes and taking in the leg along the leg seam, but the results are rarely satisfactory. It is much better to purchase the real article. Undyed tights can be purchased at reasonable prices from theatrical costumers, and a number of pairs might well be in the costume closet of every group. The white ones may be dyed light colors; the light colors may be dyed a darker color for the next use, and so on. A satisfactory collection may be soon built up. Medieval characters such as shepherds, farmers, etc., may often have bare legs, or they may have dark trousers or natural-colored coarse underwear crossgartered or bound to the knee. 2. Shoes.-Shoes sometimes are a problem, too. Heavy stockings, cut, or laced, or rolled to suit the occasion, with an inner sole of cardboard, may sometimes be used for medieval cloth shoes. Sandals may be made with inner soles and lacing; or old shoes, with the heels removed, may be cut into the desired shape. Felt, or other heavy material, may be cut and sewed to represent any sort of shoe. The shoes of ladies and upper-class women do not represent so much of a problem, for they seem to have changed very little in the past three hundred years. 3. Hats.-Hats may be made of buckram, and covered with cloth or felt, or painted. 4. Armor.-Armor is one of the most difficult problems of the nonprofessional costumer. Many times he can dodge the problem by dressing the characters in surcoats, or in tabards, or in some other long overall garment. Breastplates, or other pieces, may be made of buckram, however, and silvered or gilded with paint. Pieces of tin or other metal or metal pan cleaners, may be sewed on tunics, and painted. Knitted material, like a sweater, may be silvered to make excellent chain mail. Helmets may be made out of buckram, or out of old felt hats, shaped and painted. Armor can always be contrived, if the costumer has the ingenuity to make the proper shape. 5. Cloaks.-Long cloaks of some sort are very useful for giving a finish to armor, or to other costumes, that do not seem to be entirely satisfactory. An assortment of cloaks and capes is a useful addition to any wardrobe. The Wardrobe Closet Just as scenery should be saved to be rebuilt and reused, costumes should be saved. A growing costume wardrobe is a useful thing for the nonprofessional group to build up. Costumes may be remade, and redyed to fit the new designs. The problem of designing and making costumes that will be a harmonious part of the whole artistic and dramatic scheme of the play is an interesting one. The most satisfactory results will be attained by broad, simple effects. Make-up may be considered as an extension of costuming. Its purpose is to make the face and head assume the desired characteristics, in the same way that costuming does the body. It has the added purpose, on the modern stage, of overcoming the effects of the strong lights that are used. The natural color of the face is killed by the glare of stage lighting, and the face becomes dull and ghastly. Varieties of Make-up It is useful, though perhaps not strictly true, to consider that there are two varieties of make-up: (1) straight, and (2) character. In a straight make-up, a person retains, more or less, his own characteristics. That is, a young man plays the part of a young man, or a young woman plays a young woman. The chief purpose of a straight make-up, therefore, is to overcome the glare of the lights, and to increase beauty. Character make-up requires the actor to change the appearance of his face and head; a young man plays the part of an old man, or a girl assumes a Chinese |