Two massive closets. Three levels of clothing. Racks of shoes. Containers stretching from the floor to the third floor ceiling. All contain the many props that help transform actors into characters as they take the stage.
And even with two huge rooms, the closet is full to capacity.
Located in the Center for Dramatic Arts, the costume collection is available for campus productions for both student and professional casts.
Drama productions at UNC rely on the wedding dresses, wigs and green wool capes in the closet to bring out the life in their shows.
Old and new pieces
The costume collection is split into three different collections: the pre-1900 costumes, the vintage and the 20th century clothing collection.
The modern costumes account for the largest portion of the collection and include everything from medical scrubs to party dresses.
Period-piece costumes, which are modern but made to look pre-1900, and vintage clothing that is actually from the 1800s are in a separate room.
The two special vintage collections, the Costar and NowesArk, contain 19th century clothing and non-Western traditional clothing, respectively. They are no longer worn, but are used as models for clothes of the periods.
Cultural shifts have moved some costumes into disuse. The collection includes 100-year old tiny shoes made for women whose feet were bound to make them smaller, a practice that no longer exists.
More than just suits
The closet also has some surprising costume accessories, such as bustles and corsets.
Some plays also require actors to change their physical appearance.
“The bum rolls go around your hips basically and add a bit of extra in the hips/butt region. They are for 17th and 18th century dresses, because you know how they go out a little bit instead of straight down,” said Erin Rodgers, costume technician for PlayMakers Repertory Company.
“We have regular body padding for if somebody needs to be fat,” Rodgers said, adding that some will be used in an upcoming play. “A couple guys are getting fat pads so they can change their body shape.”
Other clothes create challenges just to store. Hats must be stacked strategically in bins. Costumes are in acid-free containers to keep them from deteriorating.
Adding to the collection
Costuming officials could not pinpoint the birth of the collection, but UNC has hosted plays for more than 80 years.
Some costumes added to the closet through commisions, while others are donated.
“People donate their wedding dresses and hope to see them onstage someday,” Rodgers said.
Graduate students work on every step of costume design in their classes — sketching, fitting the actors, making the costumes and helping the actors in and out of the costumes during the performances.
Undergraduate students can also participate. Sophomore Michelle Bellamy serves as the costume coordinator for undergraduate productions.
“It is really fun, everybody working together, and all the actors and the director are really appreciative,” Bellamy said.
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Bursting at the seams
Giant costume closet is stuffed with characters’ clothes from past plays
The closet features much more than just costumes; accessories also litter the space.
