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Audio Description- Costume Swatches
COSTUME SWATCHES
Item description:
Different costume swatches are gathered on a ring. Each of them represents a costume used in Waitress, and all of them provide a diverse range of bright 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:
As this production of Waitress takes place in the early 1990s and ends in the late 1990s, much of the clothing shown on stage is actual vintage clothing. However, we did build a few things for the show including all the waitress uniforms, the Betsy Ross dress Dawn wears, Dawn’s wedding dress, and the finale aprons. When swatching, or exploring fabrics to use in this show, we intentionally looked for fabrics that weren’t high end because the characters in the musical would not have had access to those fabrics and/or the means to buy them. One of the most important choices was the color for the waitress uniforms, as it needed to meld with the diner colors; the uniforms also needed to look like they had been around for years and years. We actually ended up using the backside of the waitress uniform fabric because it is dusty-looking and slightly faded. If you flip that swatch over you will notice the “right” side which has a more satin look to it. The costume designer, Danielle Nieves, designed the waitress uniforms with a nod to the waitress uniforms in Twin Peaks, the classic David Lynch 1990s TV series that takes place in Washington.
Also part of this display is a mini apron like the ones used on stage. They are the exact same design, just a smaller scale, so you can see the binding on the edges and the pockets that are used constantly by the actors in the play. A fun fact, there are seven waitress uniforms in the show (for the primary cast, understudies, and swings) and there are 14 waitress aprons! Almost every actor has two or three aprons because they have to be used in different ways in different scenes. The ways that the aprons get taken on and off stage also change from scene to scene so they have to be “rigged” or fastened in specific ways, to help the actors remove them or put them on quickly.
You can access the names of The 5th’s costume and wardrobe team members in your show program.
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By ClaireCOSTUME SWATCHES
Item description:
Different costume swatches are gathered on a ring. Each of them represents a costume used in Waitress, and all of them provide a diverse range of bright 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:
As this production of Waitress takes place in the early 1990s and ends in the late 1990s, much of the clothing shown on stage is actual vintage clothing. However, we did build a few things for the show including all the waitress uniforms, the Betsy Ross dress Dawn wears, Dawn’s wedding dress, and the finale aprons. When swatching, or exploring fabrics to use in this show, we intentionally looked for fabrics that weren’t high end because the characters in the musical would not have had access to those fabrics and/or the means to buy them. One of the most important choices was the color for the waitress uniforms, as it needed to meld with the diner colors; the uniforms also needed to look like they had been around for years and years. We actually ended up using the backside of the waitress uniform fabric because it is dusty-looking and slightly faded. If you flip that swatch over you will notice the “right” side which has a more satin look to it. The costume designer, Danielle Nieves, designed the waitress uniforms with a nod to the waitress uniforms in Twin Peaks, the classic David Lynch 1990s TV series that takes place in Washington.
Also part of this display is a mini apron like the ones used on stage. They are the exact same design, just a smaller scale, so you can see the binding on the edges and the pockets that are used constantly by the actors in the play. A fun fact, there are seven waitress uniforms in the show (for the primary cast, understudies, and swings) and there are 14 waitress aprons! Almost every actor has two or three aprons because they have to be used in different ways in different scenes. The ways that the aprons get taken on and off stage also change from scene to scene so they have to be “rigged” or fastened in specific ways, to help the actors remove them or put them on quickly.
You can access the names of The 5th’s costume and wardrobe team members in your show program.