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Equity Costume Rules.


PagetoStage

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Hi, this is Page to Stage,

I am in pre production for a new musical, and my costumer is wondering about how many costumes to make for the leads. We have name actors and actresses slated for these roles, and are only for two or three days of shows. If the actors wear leo's under there costumes, and they are not touching the actors skin, are we okay with just having them cleaned, or do we have to have new costumes made for the actors taking over those roles. I know that shoes and underclothes have to be changed, but was wondering about the costumes themselves.

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to find out whether there is actually a rule about this that would apply in your circumstances, I'd suggest getting in touch with American Equity. As this is a largely UK based site, we might not be too reliable on the specifics.

 

That aside, I can't see anything wrong with the practice of re-using costumes when one actor replaces another if they are cleaned between uses. Wardrobe Departments (certainly on this side of the pond) are full of costumes from previous shows waiting to be reused, and costume hire companies do a roaring trade when it comes to costume dramas. Indeed I believe there is even a website which tracks frocks from the various hire companies as they make guest appearances in various movies / TV shows. How sad is that?

 

Practically speaking, good luck in finding replacement actors who are exactly the same size as their predecessors. You may find you have to replace the costumes anyway, or heavily alter them.

 

However, I would say that if there are different actors playing the same roles "in rep", so to speak, (by which I mean each actor does half the weekly quota of performances in turn, rather than one actor doing a run of shows followed by another doing subsequent performances)I would say it would be good psychology to give each actor their own personal costume if your budget will stretch. Especially if they are "names" and the question of who gets top billing is likely to arise. One of the strangest things I've come across in my experience was the prospect of the cast refusing to perform on the second night unless the hastily choreographed "company line-up" style curtain call was reblocked as a walkdown call with actors appearing in reverse order of billing ...

 

I've no idea how the question of understudy costumes is dealt with, having never in more than 25 years worked on a show with that luxury. Perhaps someone with a bit of west end / broadway experience can advise? Do understudies have their own costumes? That must get quite complicated if the understudy is covering several roles ...

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I have in on good authority that some of Michael Crawford's old threads are stil being used in the current PHOTO. However all joking aside as far as costumes go, according to Equity UK, foundation wear and shoes should be personal to every cast member. There is nothing to suggest that a ''named'' lead couldn't wear a ''cast-off'' but if it's a true ''name'' then they will have a contract stipulating such. time to contact the production manager I say.
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All the above is true, but GB specific.

 

In answer to Andy's question, yes understudies will have their own set of costumes, though these are often not sorted out until the show has opened. If there is more than 1 understudy for a lead then they may share a costume and some bits (coats etc.) may be shared by all if they are the right size.

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