Details - Makeup, etc.

Once you have your costume ready and checked off, here are some more details to consider as the performance gets closer...

Skeletons - Girls, please have your hair pulled back in a low pony tail and out of your face. Wear black shoes and come ready to have your face painted. (o: (We will not do the face paint for dress rehearsals, except one or two for practice.) We will need our skeletons to come a little earlier than everyone else to the performances so we can have plenty of time to get their makeup done. PLEASE let me know if you can help apply makeup on our skeletons for the performances! (jen.t.preece@gmail.com)

Mesopotamian Farmers and Two Rivers scene - See the note about "stage" makeup at the bottom. Wear neutral colored sandals or slip on leather-looking shoes. Try to avoid running shoes, bright colors, or anything with laces.

Tomb Builders - Dirt smudges would be great, not too over the top. Wear neutral or brown colored sandals or shoes. Old, dirty, worn out is good - but try to avoid anything with shoelaces.

Peasants - Brown shoes or neutral-colored sandals. You can do "dirt" on your faces for makeup if you like. Don't go too crazy, just enough to look pathetic. (o: You may also have your hair a little messy for the same reason.

Mummies - As with the skeletons, please pull your hair back in a low pony tail and out of your face as mummies are usually pretty bald. (o: Wear shoes that are as close to the color of your costumes as you can. (White shoes are fine.) If you would like, you may wear a little makeup like gray circles under your eyes, and maybe some wrinkles around your eyes and mouth. You could also make your face look a little pale. Keep the look fairly subtle and NO blood. If you plan to do a little makeup for the performances, it would be nice if you could wear it for one of the dress rehearsals or at our Wednesday afternoon performance so we can have you make changes if necessary.

Greek Choristers - If you would like, you girls could wear a little more bright makeup since we are going for the "pretty" look. I've talked to the girls about this, but just FYI for parents, I told them that it would look great if they had a pretty up "do" with loose curls. The look below is kind of what we are looking for. It doesn't need to be exactly like this. I may or may not have a gold headband or ribbon for them at our dress rehearsal on Monday. I'm having a hard time finding something and may just not worry about it. Have your daughter wear a white short-sleeved shirt and leggings under their dress as it is fairly see-through material. And don't forget sandals.

Toga Wearers - Wear neutral colored sandals and if you want you can do some "stage" makeup as mentioned below. No special instructions for your hair. Just remember you'll be putting on a toga and a ponytail or other up "do" may get messed up.

As for everyone else, we've talked to the kids a little bit about wearing "stage" makeup. If you would like to put on a little bit of blush and mascara or eyeliner and a little lip gloss or chapstick to make your child's face stand out on stage a little bit that would be great. Most of the boys cringed, understandably at this, so we aren't going to be strict about it by any means. Please keep it subtle - we don't want the girls getting all painted up like they do for dance recitals with bright lipstick, etc.

If your child has a more specific role that I didn't mention, you may e-mail me at jen.t.preece@gmail.com. Basically, just try to keep the details in "tune" with the rest of your child's costume and or scene they will be in. (They know what their scene is.) We will let you know if there are any minor changes that we need after our first dress rehearsal.

Props for the Musical

There are a few cast members who will be using props in the musical. Our Mesopotamian farmers will all have a small prop. Last week we let the student's pick what they would like to bring to pantomime in the background during their song. They chose small items like: a basket, a washboard, a piece of cloth to pretend to wash, a stick to pretend to beat a rug, a small shovel (not bright colors), a leather pouch that holds seeds (not really, but they will be reaching in to grab invisible seeds pretending to plant them).

We also have some cast members in charge of bringing items like a wheel, money holder, a crook, sandwich, a stone with hieroglyphics, etc. We will try to communicate these specific needs to the parents of the characters using them.

We would like to have the props checked off along with the costumes by January 15th.

Remus, Romulus, Romans and Togas

Here is a picture with Remus and Romulus, our two Roman brothers who had a fight to the death over who should choose where Rome should be built. As legend tells it, anyway.

We probably don't need to have our Roman brothers in such skimpy "mini skirts", but the sandals and a large loose fitting shirt might do the trick. Here are a couple more pictures for inspiration. If our Remus and Romulus do wear the shorter skirt like the ones below, please have them wear shorts underneath. (o:

I have seen a few tutorials on how to make the Roman-looking sandals on Google.

Our Roman #1 and Roman #2  and Toga wearers can be dressed in costumes similar to the costumes below...

For the "underclothing", a very large, white/light colored solid shirt , something simply sewn like the underclothes above or one mom had a GREAT idea to get a king sized pillowcase and cut a slit for the head and arm holes. Whatever you choose to make the underclothing have your child wear light colored shorts underneath and a light T-shirt depending on how good of coverage the over sized T-shirt or pillowcase has.

You will also want to find something to use for a belt that doesn't look like a modern day belt. Golden rope would look great or something similar. Since the kids will not wear the togas until later, they will need a "belt" to hold the baggy "underclothing" together.

The toga part will be the piece of the outfit that the kids will put on at the very end of the musical when we sing their song, "Toga Party". The size of the togas above is perfect. Just a square yard (or a little less depending on height) of fabric sewn at the edges to prevent fraying and then two corners of the square sewn together. (You can add embellishments at the shoulder like the kids above if you like. A gold button or something. It's up to you.) The idea is that during their song, the toga wearers will be able to reach under the risers for their toga and slip their head and one arm through. We want our togas to be jewel/dark tones. The boy's color above is fine or red, maroon, blue, dark purple, etc.

Last of all, an ivy wreath for his/her head and leather-type sandals. Just a neutral color like white, cream, brown, tan, etc. Mainly something that won't call attention like hot pink. (o: (No flip flops!)

Greek Choristers, Greek Solo and Heradotus

We have about ten Greek choristers and we are looking for a mom, grandma, dad, etc. who can help us design and sew a very simple flowy "dress" to wear over a white shirt and white leggings. We want it to look similar to the above costume.
The material of the dresses will likely be very sheer, to keep costs down. Choristers will wear a golden ribbon around their head and have a gold ribbon or rope belt. The colors of the chitons will be sea greens and blues. You will not have a lot of prep work, but we may need everyone to help pay for their portion of the materials. (Last time it was only $5) We will keep costs down to an absolute minimum and will let you know the cost after we do some shopping.

Our Greek choristers should also plan on wearing leather looking sandals without socks and a pretty updo with their hair would be a nice touch as well. (Like the picture above.) Nothing too fancy.

KHNUM and Pyramid Builders

KHNUM is the ancient God of the Nile River, he speaks to King Zoser in a dream during his scene. He should wear a large, flowing robe, an Egyptian looking round collar and maybe choose colors in blue since he is a god of the river. KHNUM should also have a cool staff, like a shepherd's crook. It could be decorated with shimmery, dangly blue ribbons that look like water. Here are some pictures for inspiration. A reserved headpiece like the one first below would be okay, but not the big, regal headpieces shown on the last two pictures. If you have any questions, you can e-mail jen.t.preece@gmail.com

Our Pyramid builders are basically the slaves of the Egyptian king. They can wear something similar to this...

It can be made from a king size pillowcase. (Just cut holes for their head and arms.) The costume needs to be white/beige/tans/browns and would look great with some dirty smudges and rough edges at the bottom. Brown leather-ish sandals (not flip flops) or slip on brown-ish shoes would look best. Please be sure that the costume is modest - not too short, and your child is wearing a white undershirt or shorts underneath if needed.

Confucius

Here are some ideas for our Confucius to wear. Either a big shiny robe with large sleeves or an oriental looking top with black pants and black shoes. Red is a very popular Chinese color and would look great on stage!

Mrs. Kartchner has a Chinese straw hat like the one below that you may borrow.

Mummies!

Our mummies will be another fun costume to put together. The pictures above are exactly what we are looking for. Please NO TOILET PAPER! It will not last through the whole musical and will leave a mess behind. You can use muslin or a ripped up old sheet stained with tea bags to give it an aged look. Have your child wear light colored thermals or other light colored, thin clothing underneath. Leave a few pieces hanging here and there. The most important thing is that we need these mummy costumes to stay together during the whole musical (3 performances) and keep in mind that our mummies will be doing a little dance during their scene so they need to be able to move and sit/lay down on the floor without everything coming unraveled. It would be ideal if you could sew or otherwise permanently attach the material to their underclothing so we don't have mummies spontaneously unraveling! You don't have to be a good sewer, in fact, the messier the look, the better! As I keep mentioning on all these posts, remember that it will be quite warm on stage with all the bodies and lights. Make this costume as lightweight as possible. And we do not want any of our mummies faces covered so they can breath and you can see their cute faces singing the songs. (o: 

Egyptian Peasants, King Zoser, and Imhotep

Our Egyptian peasants can have a little fun with their costumes. We're looking for earthy brown tones, ripped, "dirty" looking costumes; big, ill-fitting clothes with a rope (or similar) belt. You could use some sackcloth/burlap if you can get your hands on some to make a vest or shirt. You could also get a king sized pillow case and stain it in tea, then rip out a hole for the head and arms. An over sized tea-stained T-shirt and sweats ripped into shorts would also work. These peasants are on the brink of starving and need to look really pathetic. (o: Dirty faces would be a great touch. Their hair could be a little messy as well. They could be wearing a ripped square piece of fabric on their head (similar to the shepherd look in the nativity). Leather-looking sandals without socks or other non-modern looking shoes should be worn. Here's another picture for some inspiration:

King Zoser, on the other hand is going to be the polar opposite of his poor, starving peasants.

We would like King Zoser's costume to be this regal black and gold. This draped crown (not sure what it is called) is just the shape we are looking for. We don't want his head wear to be too over the top and huge like some costumes are. He will have to be wearing this in the chorus during the whole play and we don't want it to block anyone behind him or be cumbersome to wear. Leather looking sandals would look best for all of our Egyptian footwear. 

Imhotep is King Zoser's advisor. He or she should be dressed far above the peasant look, but not nearly as fancy as the king he/she serves. A nice white, medium length garment for underneath (similar to what the Pharaoh above is wearing, but white and not floor-length). We would like Imhotep to have a similar belt and round collar like the examples below and a little more conservative head piece like the men on the right and left of the king below. (The headpiece on the bottom photo is a bit much, as it is probably a king's costume, the shape is fine if it is half as tall.) And, of course, leather-looking sandals would be a good touch.

A hat this shape would work as well.

King Zoser will also have a wife and a guard. King Zoser's wife is an Egyptian queen so a pretty costume would be great. There are lots of options easy to find on Amazon or to borrow from friends. The guard could wear something similar to Imhotep, a mid-calf, white "dress/robe" with a smaller, round, gold collar and a simple gold belt that hangs down similar to the three men above.

Mesopotamian Farmers and Enkidu

This is the look we are going for with our Mesopotamian farmers.

It is similar to a shepherd in a nativity. However, as I have mentioned on other costume posts, it will be hot on stage so a big, fluffy bathrobe would NOT be ideal. Try to keep the clothing very lightweight like the clothing in the picture above. If you would rather not sew, you could use over sized T-shirts or over sized scrubs with a rope or other similar "belt" and khaki shorts or pants would work fine. The head wear could be any of the styles above. Also leather-looking sandals without socks would be a nice touch.

Try not to pick dark jewel tones like bright red, purple or black. Remember these are farmers so more earthy or less bright colors would be best. All of our cute farmers will be down on stage during their scene pantomiming things like farming, scrubbing clothes, cleaning pottery "dishes", cooking, caring for a baby, etc. It would be a good idea to have your child wear shorts and a plain T-shirt under their costume.

Enkidu is King Gilgamesh's right hand man. He will be dressed similar as above, but could wear a more bright, jewel toned or shimmery fabric to show that his "rank" is higher.  A fancier belt would be great as well (not a rope belt) and maybe a nicer hat like the red one above - or one in a similar shape.

Here is another picture for some inspiration. Enkidu should not be quite this fancy, but the draped material over the shoulder is a nice touch.

Taki and Tut

Taki and Tut are exploring in modern day Ethiopia (1974), when they find an archaeological dig where the 3 million year old skeleton "Lucy" was discovered. She surprises them when she comes to life and takes them on a journey to visit many ancient civilizations.

Above are some ideas of what Taki and Tut might be wearing. Because it can get hot on stage and the scene takes place in a desert setting, a short sleeved "safari" looking shirt and short khaki pants might be more comfortable. A pith hat would look great. (I believe Taki has found one, Tut we may have access to one if you need one.) Don't worry about finding a whip! (o:

Skeletons

Skeletons, here's what you need to be on the lookout for.
1. Long-sleeved, solid, BLACK shirt (not baggy)
2. Long, solid, BLACK pants (again, NOT baggy) You might want to avoid sweatshirts or pants as these would be very hot for the kids to wear during the performance. Lightweight shirts and pants would be more comfortable.
**we will be ironing on bones, so these will not be usable after the performance, just FYI - except for a Halloween costume!
3. WHITE gloves - we will be looking to purchase these for the costumes, so don't worry about this yet. If you know a great place to get them for a good deal let us know!
4. BLACK shoes and socks

If you can help with cutting and ironing on the bones we need HELP with this! (O: We will have all the kids bring their black clothing in and then ironing on bones.

Our skeletons will not have masks like the picture above - we won't be doing any scary masks, but plan to have your hair pulled back. We would like to paint our skeletons faces white and around their eyes, mouths and nose black. ***If anyone has white or black face paint they would be willing to donate that would be great. We will have about 10 skeletons and 3 performances.

LUCY - Lucy will have a more detailed skeleton costume. We would also like to have your face paint be more detailed and unique so you really stand out as our main character.

Attention Cast Members With Speaking Parts!

We know many of you have already started working hard on memorizing your lines. Thank you so much for your hard work! We have just a couple more weeks before we start rehearsing with speaking parts. Please have your lines memorized after Christmas break!

Costumes!

We have a lot of different characters in our musical: skeletons, explorers, ancient kings, mummies, etc. Every student gets to be a character, and will therefore, need a costume. This is where we will need your help, parents. We would like you to find out what your student will be (they should all know, if not send me, Jen, and e-mail at jen.t.preece@gmail.com) and look to the blog for the costume instructions for your child. I will try to have pictures, hints, ideas and a basic overview of what we would like to see. The sooner you get started, the more money you will save by keeping your eye out for good deals at Walmart, D.I. or even free items borrowed from friends. We would like each student to bring in their costume by January 15th to have it approved and make sure we don't need to make any changes. (If you have everything ready before, by all means, send it in for earlier approval! (o: ) Please look in the Recent Posts for your child's character and let me know if you have any questions!