How to Make Your Theater Quick Changes Not a Rip-Off!

  

    When you hear the words "quick change," what comes to mind? Perhaps Elsa's magical ice dress or maybe Lea Kyle's act on "AGT." Have you ever wondered how you could perform one of these spectacular feats yourself? In this post, I will be discussing some surefire ways to impress audiences everywhere with your fabulously fast costume changes.

Offstage Quick Changes

    In many shows, the costume changes occur offstage, typically to indicate either a different character or the passing of time. In most cases, these changes happen with only minutes to spare, so every little trick helps. 

            Trick 1: Velcro

• Sewing or sticking Velcro into button up shirts drastically reduces the time it takes to remove them. Instead of messing with all those finnicky buttons, you can simply rip the Velcro apart and you're good to go! 

            Trick 2: Layering 

• Perhaps the simplest idea on here is layering your garments. Have to change from one three-piece suit to another? Wear both pairs of pants and both vests so you just have to slip the tops ones off. Then, the only thing you have to worry about putting on is your new jacket!

            Trick 3: Get Help! 

• If a fellow actor or stage crew member is free, ask them to be your dresser for each show. Make sure they know the logistics of your costume change and what they can do to help!

                    What they can do to help: 

• Pooling: Pooling pants is when your helper rolls the pant legs around so you can see the floor through the holes. it is very helpful for slipping pants on in a jiffy.
• Shoes: Help with shoe changes is so important! If you have to switch from high buckled boots to heels in forty-five seconds, you'll want all the assistance you can get! 
• Shirts and Jackets: Have your assistant hold your jackets and button ups open so you can easily slide your hands into the arm holes. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to find the armholes in a pinch. 

 Onstage Quick Changes 

When done right, onstage quick changes are some of the most mesmerizing feats in theater. But the magic doesn't stop there, I've seen these in figure skating and drag shows.

            Trick One: Snaps and Magnets 

• A vast majority of onstage quick changes involve snaps. Snaps are little buttonlike clasps that pull apart very easily! If you're looking for that blink-and-you'll-miss-it wow factor, use snaps! Magnets are great for a smooth transition, just make sure they're strong enough. Magnets get sewn into the fabric and get attached overtop the underpieces. Both are perfect ways to quickly reveal a brand new costume.

            Trick Two: Tucking 

• When working with larger costume pieces, like a ballgown, it can be a bit more difficult to hide it, due to its bulkiness. In cases like this, pieces are tucked under larger garments, like a jacket.
• For more high-tech shows, entire costumes are designed around the fact that they will transform. A perfect example of this is "Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella." During the Broadway run, Cinderella's first transformation happened pretty slow, and not the greatest in terms of that magical element. For the Tony Awards,  a one-shot dress (which was used for the tour) was created.
• For this, the ballgown was tucked into a pocket of sorts, which attached to the bodice of the rags dress. Laura Osnes pulled a string, releasing the top bodice and pulling down the "pocket," thus revealing the ball gown underneath. Her bandana is attached to the back of her bodice and falls with it and her fancy wig sits underneath. 

In most onstage quick changes, one of these two elements is used, and sometimes even both! I hope this post was revealing, and maybe it will help you sometime in the future! Thanks for reading!