Winston
– the Bulldog:
White
or brown hooded sweatshirt (½ white and ½ brown would be ideal. Padded shoulders and chest would create
the illusion of a large upper body and short stubby legs. Bulldogs are known for being small but stocky and very strong).
Winston’s ears will be attached to the hood of his sweatshirt, and his tail will be attached to his jeans.
On his lower body should be blue jeans; boot cut and
snug, but not too tight. Definitely stay away from loose fit or baggy. Another option would be a pair of sweatpants
that match the sweatshirt.
On the feet,
he should have on black, square-toed biker boots if the decision to use the blue jean approach. The sweatpants should
have white tennis shoes.
(To add character
it would be great if the actor could walk with bowed legs, copying the bull dog’s cadence.)
Yippy –
the Pomeranian
The main colors
of a Pomeranian are gold and brown with orange highlights. So chose something that has several of these earth tones.
A fluffy blouse or angora sweater in a rust or yellow would be ideal. Highlights can be added using airbrush technique.
If you chose an actor or actress that has copious
amounts of hair that can be incorporated into the character, teasing the hair a little will create the illusion of the Pomeranian’s
gorgeous mane. Add the little pointed ears to complete the upper half of the look.
Brown pants (chords?) nice fitting.
Low heeled brown rust or tan boots.
Accessories could be used to create more fluffiness. A neck scarf of ostrich boa or fake fur. If those
can’t be located then just a knitted scarf with “homespun” will work and will probably be easier to find.
Leopold – the Sweet Kitten
Also a younger character. Use the same idea
as the puppy. A footed jumpsuit that is grey in color and a white front. Gray hood with grey ears and black tips.
Tail will also be attached to the back of the costume.
All that the sweet kitten wants to do is play, play, play, so it would be nice to have him or her walk around with
a ball of string or mouse constantly throughout the play.
Buddy – the Good Ole Dog
Buddy has lots of skin and is older and “saggier.”
To create that desired effect, choose a loose fitting turtleneck. The longer sleeves can be pushed up to create folds
of skin. The neck should be a turtleneck or a cowl neck sweater.
While other characters will have fitted pants, this will set buddy apart for the rest of the Dawgs.
His pants will definitely be loose fit/baggy pants. In brown or tan. He will have a long tail that slightly curls
up at the end. His tail will have black highlights.
Shoes for Buddy need to reflect the fact that he is older and experienced. Combat boots speak of
an era, and the dirtier and dustier the better. They should be old and worn like the character that will be wearing
them.
Claudette – the French
Poodle
This character should be
beautiful yet ditzy. A French maid would be an ideal costume for this character. The dress should be short, flared,
and trimmed with lace. Top it off with little poodle ears and a tiara. White tights underneath her maid’s
uniform and high heels will add more character.
Her fingers and toes are painted red or hot pink. Hair should be big, but neatly curled and coiffed.
Spray it heavily so it looks like a giant puff ball on her head and ears in classic poodle fashion.
Her accessories are a rhinestone collar and rhinestone tiara and earrings. And a pink
ribbon in her hair. Any detail that will take Claudette over the top with femininity should be considered.
Heels should be black with fur-trimmed or marabou-trimmed
socks to create the detailed grooming that standard poodles are known for. Matching black gloves trimmed in fur or marabou
will convey the illusion that this is indeed not a human character but a characterization of an animal – a French poodle.
Sparky – the Puppy
Sparky is a puppy – young and naïve.
So to convey that, he should have on a footed pajama set. The jumpsuit must have feet (hands, too, would be ideal) and
be hooded. His ears will be attached to the hood of the jumpsuit. The tail will also be attached to the jumpsuit.
Tuttle – the Depressed
Turtle
Green shirt – needs
to be, of course... a turtleneck. Extend the top of the turtleneck to make it gather even more around the neck area.
Highlight the fold with paint and airbrush technique. Use yellow or white highlights.
Green pants – spray the pants with bleach water solution to fade some color on the
thighs and calves and the back of the legs as well. Then use yellow to highlight these faded areas to create the illusion
of turtle skin.
Green hooded sweatshirt.
Green and yellow backpack crafted in the shape of
a tortoise shell. Harry Potter round eye glasses. Add detail to shell with hand painting and airbrush technique.
Shoes can be black or brown. Green rubber boots
would be ideal, or any rain boot.
Rasputin – the Snake
The creepiest of the characters.
He will be the only character
that will not resemble the costume style we have chosen for this production.
He will have on a black baltog – a dance suit that is basically
a lycra unitard with hands, feet, and a hood attached.
The baltog will be highlighted with hand-painted detail. A snake pattern or basic
reptilian pattern will be painted onto the black baltog, and the face will be painted to resemble a snake.
His movement will be deliberate
and smooth to resemble a snake.
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