TOP HATS 

Item description: 

Two miniature copies of the hats used in A Chorus Line. One is unfinished to help display the details of the construction including the stitching and boning, and the other is finished with a silver hammered stretch satin. 

Top Hat Construction Process: 

The costume shop here at the 5th Avenue Theatre Company built every top hat in the finale scene from scratch (there are 28 of them!) Our Head of Crafts worked up prototypes first in paper and then in foss shape (a heat activated thermoplastic material that is pliable and shapeable into custom designs). From there we looked at these prototypes to gauge what size and height we needed them to be. Once that was achieved, she began the process of patterning the brims, crown, and top of the hat. Each actor was measured individually so their hat could be custom sized to them. For anyone wearing a wig in the show, this meant they needed to be in their wig prep and wig before we could fit the hats, as a wig generally can add at least 1-2” to the head circumference. We also had to make sure they sat securely enough on actors’ heads so as not to interfere with the microphones the actors wear on the top of their foreheads. The brims, crown, and top of the hat are then cut out of foss shape and stitched together by hand to create the structure. The edge of the brim is wired to help it hold its shape better. The right front side of the hat was also reinforced with boning to make sure the foss shape does not soften and break down as the actors do hat choreography holding the brim in the finale. The foss shape structure was then covered with a silver hammered stretch satin. Part of this assembly can be done on a sewing machine, but much of it is done by hand. The edge of the hat is then bound off with a rayon grosgrain ribbon which seals in the cut edges, making sure nothing comes unraveled. The hats are all finished with hat bands around the crown to give them detail and lined with a silk lining, so the edges do not catch actors' hair and wigs and do not mess up their hair style. You will notice in the mini versions of the top hats one that is the foss shape structure (down to the hand sewing and the wiring) and then a finished version so you can see the detail and expertise that went into each one. Please feel free to pick them up, notice how the shapes are connected, where things are hand stitched, and what can be done on a machine, and the number of layers and pieces that go into each hat.

SCENIC ART 

Item Description:  

A sampling of scenic art is displayed, created for our production of A Chorus Line. Elements on display include a sample of Painted Cinderblock Pulp Art, a sample of different floor finishes, and a sample of polished polycarbonate.  

Sample of Painted Cinderblock Pulp Art: 

The Painted Cinderblock Pulp Art is what forms the back wall of the stage. Pulp Art is made of 100% post-consumer products and feels like very sturdy cardboard. This product comes in a variety of looks, Cinderblock being the one used in our production, but also brick, flagstone, rock and more! It is flat and mounts easily to wooden flats. 

Sample of Different Floor Finishes: 

This is a sampling of the different sheens we are asked to render on stage, including Dead Flat, Satin, and Gloss.  For items that need to have some protection from wear and tear but don’t want to be shiny, we use Dead Flat Varnish. Satin is a very common sheen requested by designers as it has some luster without being overly reflective. And Gloss is a less common sheen, as it is usually too reflective. For A Chorus Line, the designer wanted a high gloss floor with a mirror finish. To achieve this, the floor has three coats of Gloss sealer! 

Sample of polished polycarbonate  

The polished polycarbonate is what forms the bands of light on the stage floor. The edges of the polycarbonate in the floor had to transmit light and not mute it, so each piece that was cut was polished by hand with three different levels of sandpaper to remove the cloudiness and make it crystal clear for light transmission.

You can access the names of The 5th's production team in your show program.

DANCE SHOES 

Item description: 

A variety of dance shoes, both women's and men's, in various colors including tan, black, and pink. 

Variety of Dance Shoes and Different Sole Surfaces: 

As A Chorus Line is one of the hardest shows to dance in the musical theatre canon, footwear is key to this show being successful and safe for the performers. When we first see the performers in A Chorus Line, they are all auditioning to be in a musical. They all arrive in various forms of rehearsal wear that suit their personalities and styles. We see sneakers, character shoes, dance boots, jazz shoes, jazz oxfords etc. Most of these shoes are what we call "soft sole" and "split sole". Soft sole means that there is still structure from the heel of the foot through the arch of the foot, but that the ball of the foot and forward is bendable. Split sole means there is no hard support through the arch of the foot, so the shoe can bend fully in half giving dancers more arch when pointing their toes. This gives them total control of their feet as opposed to a hard sole dance shoe which keeps the sole of the foot rigidly flat. The other variation in these dance shoes is the type of sole surface on them.   

Typically, a hard sole dance shoe comes with a smooth leather sole that does not give the dancer much grip on stage; this can be dangerous as it is easy to slip when jumping or turning. We use a few different products to make the dance shoes safer for the performers. First is a product called “dance rubber” or “cats' paw”. This is a textured rubber surface that comes in various thicknesses and grips which are glued to the sole of the shoe and the heel. It helps the shoe grab the stage, avoiding unintentional sliding or slipping. We also use “dance suede”, which is sueded leather that can be applied to shoe soles to give dancers the ability to have some grip but still be able to spin and turn with precision and without sticking to the floor surface.   
 
You will also notice all the different styles of basic dance shoes. There are Character shoes (both male and female presenting): a classic T-strap shoe with a heel, and a classic men’s style dress shoe; Dance oxfords: a lace-up men’s style dance shoe; Jazz shoes: a unisex pull-on elastic sided shoe with little detailing that really gives the foot a clean line when you don’t want to focus on a specific style; and Ballet slippers: a classic, low profile shoe that does not add weight or bulk to the precise foot movements needed for ballet and other dance. You will notice as you pick up all these shoes, the differences in sole flexibility and grip on the painted stage surfaces. Try moving the hard sole character shoe with no dance rubber and then try bending the soft sole character shoe with sueded soles and rubbing them on the floor surface to see how differently they feel on the stage. Do the same with various other styles of shoes and soles.  

You can access the names of The 5th's costume and wardrobe team in your show program. 

COSTUME SWATCHES 

Item description:  

Different costume swatches are gathered on a ring. Each of them represents a costume used in A Chorus Line, and all of them provide a diverse range of colors and fun textures. Each swatch is stapled to a corresponding card that lists the associated character or moment in the show.  

About the Item:  

Paramount to the design of A Chorus Line is the need for all the clothing to be vigorously danced in. This means that most of the pieces of fabric we used have stretch in them of some sort. This show is set in 1975, and so all fabric needed to look like it was of the era, both texturally and color wise. Some of the costumes in this production were part of an existing costume package we purchased, and some of the costumes were built by The 5th's costume shop. We built a few leotards, rompers, jumpsuits, and pants for the rehearsal looks for various performers, using terry cloth, velour, textured knits, etc. The big finale costumes are a combination of pieces from the costume package and ones that were newly built in our shop. Denis Jones, director and choreographer of A Chorus Line, originally had these costumes designed for a production he directed at the Signature theatre, but their house is more intimate than ours, so we needed to amplify the details and the sparkle so that they will read better for our stage. We looked in New York and Los Angeles for fabric to match the existing jackets and bodices but were unable to find exact matches, so we layered two pieces of fabric together to get an incredibly similar effect. We were able to find similar vest fabric, trim fabric, and the exact same pant fabric for the finale looks. We also purchased detailed mesh beaded lace yardage in shades of silver, and the costume shop cut that into hundreds of smaller design motifs and hand applied those pieces to the sleeves of the female-presenting leotards to give them extra sparkle and detail so they look more finished and polished for our stage.