Mens Clothing for the Stage

Overview: Men’s Clothing for the Stage

Even at the dawn of theatre, it was understood that the togas actors wore couldn’t be exactly the same as what was worn every day. Starting then and carrying on through today, stage costumes are designed to define a character and be an integral part of the play. Clothes don’t just make the man, in this case, they tell part of the story.

However, whereas in a film a lot of time and money can be spent in creating a perfect costume, even the most lavish Broadway production will have a strictly limited budget and severe time constraints. Theatre tends to involve quick changes, so designers often need to incorporate hidden zippers or Velcro into clothes as basic as business wear and careful planning has to go into an entire outfit to be sure it will come apart easily.

The practicality doesn’t end there. A costume, even a snug-fitting period piece, must be comfortable and allow for maximum movement. The fabric should look good but must be easily washable. It must also be lightweight and breathe well. Actors work under hot, bright lights and if the role is physical to boot, a man can work up a serious sweat. As much as possible, a costume should accommodate this.

Costumes as Part of the Story

When a designer prepares clothing for the stage, he or she works closely with the director, set designer and lighting designer to help create a whole look for the piece. Innovation is required, even when doing something deceptively simple, like a play set in the 1920s. Stage wardrobe should have a heightened, stylistic quality, even in the most straightforward story. Much more innovation needs to be used when an entire piece is stylized. A recent production of Macbeth, for example, used clothing from World War I, the 1940s and the modern era as a way of projecting the timelessness of political corruption and war.

The edgy and eclectic 2005 staging of Sweeney Todd eschewed the Victorian clothing commonly used for comparatively modern clothes – most of the men wore white shirts, black ties and suit jackets, except for Sweeney who occasionally sported a black leather coat. The look was cohesive and added to the show’s underlying sexiness and creepiness. A designer for the stage can often play with form and function far more than a costumer for film.

Men in Women’s Clothing

From the days when women weren’t allowed on stage to the most broad comedies, men often don women’s clothing on stage. Since it’s now done for comic effect, accuracy isn’t as important as impact. However, this style of men’s clothing for the stage can be very difficult for a designer to achieve. In a play where an actor spends much of the time in drag, the visual joke wears off quickly and it’s all up to the actor and playwright to keep things funny. Since drag comedies tend to be farcical and thus physical, a costumer’s work is really cut out in devising clothing that is comfortable and moves well so that the actor can give a stellar performance without being overcome with heat and discomfort.

Choosing Men’s Clothing for the Stage

If your theatrical production needs to buy or rent clothes, you should still have a costumer on hand who can help select garments that will fit the bill and the budget. Stage acting is hard work – the clothes should be a help, not a hindrance.