Student Blog: THE Costume

Yes, it is I in these photos. Yeah even that one. I don't write this only to laugh at myself but to acknowledge the importance of wearing THE costume. My definition of "THE" costume is a piece that speaks without speaking, there's something unexpected and interesting about it and maybe even a little strange. This is not a bad thing, there's one in almost every show. The ensemble in Shrek, Madame De La Grande Bouche from Beauty And The Beast, or even Green Goblin from Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the list goes on. I was a sophomore in high school auditioning for our production of Mary Poppins. I was expecting to be casted as a "Kite flyer" or a "Super-Cal dancer"...and I was.

I was also given the role of Valentine (the doll). In this scene Jane and Michael Banks' toys come to life and say their piece. "Treat the toys nicely and maybe they'll treat you the same, playing the game." You get the picture; dolls, bears, tin soldiers. I was embarrassed. No, I was mortified. I stuck out and not in the way I wanted to. I didn't look cute; I couldn't make myself look cute no matter how hard I tried. But I came to the realization that that wasn't the point. I was supposed to be a scary doll with some killer hips that comes to life to get my revenge on the children who so roughly played with me. I wasn't supposed to look flawless; I had stuffing coming out of me. I did some research, watched trailers with the original Broadway cast and I thought if Tyler Maynard could do it and all of the Valentine's before him could do it, I could too. I was able to cope with the thought of wearing something a little less glamorous. Tyler brought power, intention, and high stakes to this character, which was inspiring.

I was so caught up in wearing the costume that I wasn't even thinking about giving Valentine the performance he deserved. There were of course gasps and murmurs and the occasional "Mommy what is that?" as I slithered out of my tiny wooden dollhouse. But honestly that felt kind of cool and I got over feeling embarrassed. I stepped out of my comfort zone and I scared my brother. I thought it was going to be a horrible experience but it was a growing experience. I guarantee that there will be a time where I again wear THE costume. A few months ago I was cast in a virtual musical where my character wears a clown costume. This was absolutely no sweat and I didn't even flinch. I embraced it because theatre is more than looking fabulous. It's giving life to these oddballs and sharing them as honestly as possible with the world. Their stories matter too. People ask me if I wished I would have been cast as a different character and my answer is always no. I wouldn't trade Valentine for the world because of what he taught me. Though I never thought I'd actually say this, thank you Valentine. If you ever find yourself wearing THE costume, remember it is so much more. This is a character with a soul, a past, a story and it's your job to tell it.