One of the most active clubs in the high school, the Drama Club, is the outlet for many students to express their theatrical talents and interests. There is a place for everyone in Drama Club, whether it’s acting, directing, costuming, tech/stage crew–the list goes on and on. As musicals come and go, the audience’s focus is on the actors and the talent on stage, forgetting the talent that goes into making the actors look their parts: the costumes! Haverford’s theater department works like a machine; the way each part of it operates matters. Here’s the operation behind the costumes for the spring musical, SpongeBob.
The Costumes Department of the Drama Club is co-led by two student liaisons, Becca Vitale and Emerson Simmons. They are the backbone of Costumes! Both have been involved in Costumes since freshman year. “I loved sewing, and during COVID, I would sew a lot because I had free time!”
The Costumes team meets sporadically to prepare for a show and lately, they have been meeting on Thursdays. A Costume meeting at the beginning of a new show looks a little different than it does as opening night gets closer. Initially, meetings involve looking through the extensive costume closet in the drama room for anything that looks like it could work for the show. As the preparation for the show progresses, any specific Costume projects that are needed are worked on. And then, costume fittings start! Each cast member comes in and the members of Costumes look through the items they had previously pulled to find the perfect items for each cast member!
For SpongeBob, costumers started by picking out items they thought would work for most ensemble members. Now that Costumes have started fitting, the department is assigned a new project: decorating choir robes for a special number in the show. Once the show was complete and ready to open, costumers participated in run crew, where they helped with quick changes. Run crew offers a way for the club to bond as well as stay involved.
All in all, Drama Club wouldn’t be the same without the hard work of the Costume Department; costumes are what bring cohesion and life to each show. Costumes allow for new people to meet and let everyone express themselves. It is such an amazing experience to participate in!
