This was my first show with Ensemble Theatre. I had the honor of costuming for this World Premiere show, I got to design for characters that have never been done before. For this show, I mainly focused on the characters in the show, putting together costumes that reflect who that person is and what kind of person they are, making them stand out in their own way. I used a mixture of old, store bought, and sewn costumes for this production.
Here are a few of the characters that I costumed.
The main character Carrie lost her son who was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. I wanted her to be the main focus, your eye is drawn to her because she does not dress like the rest of the cast. In Act One, everyone is in bright colors while she is in her black mourning housecoat. I made and modified it to fit the actor. In Act Two, she is in her normal housecoat while everyone else is in full Obama gear after he won the first election. I made and modified both of the housecoats to fit the actor.
Terrance is a high school senior in a private school so he comes out in his school uniform which consists of a red polo shirt and tan khakis.
Martha is the matriarch of the group. She is going to go vote so she need to dress comfortably but still look her best. I found a blue and white dress and paired it with a cream sweater. I also found an Obama hat to complete the look.
Sister Stallworth is the first lady of the church and she needs to dress her status while she is about the town. I bought a knee-length coral dress with a nice scalloped edge with a white cardigan and black pumps to emphasis her status.
