Entertainment, People, The Features, We Love Arts

Theater Spotlight: STC’s Costume Shop Sale

Some of the happiest moments of my undergraduate life were spent learning how to sew in the costume shop of CUA’s Hartke Theatre, under the warm tutelage of Gail Stewart Beach. It was an atmosphere of quirky calm, with bolts of fabric stacked by color and texture, drawers of buttons and hooks, and paper patterns hand drawn. The agony of getting that sleeve hung just right, the chiffon that simply won’t obey the needle – it’s sometimes hard to grasp the intense level of perfectionism that goes into garments audiences may see for just a fleeting minute on stage.

That perfectionism is apparent in every production by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. 80-90% of their shows are built from scratch by the costume shop, in a journey from designer’s rendering to draper’s pattern to stitcher’s needle. It’s an intensive, meticulous process that results in an enormous stock of costumes. Some of these are so show-specific they can never be recycled, and while many can be passed on to rental shops for credit, culling the stock and selling to the public is a necessity every few years.

This Saturday, September 29, your dreams of owning a once-in-a-lifetime costume can be realized at the STC costume shop sale. Held from 10am-3pm in STC’s rehearsal studios at 507 8th Street SE, prices will range from $1 to over $200, depending on the garment, and a number of props will also be sold. Halloween, Carnivale, everyday wearable art, or even an outfit for that mannequin in your living room – there are many possibilities from an artisanal trove of gorgeous treasures.

I was lucky to spend some time with Wendy Stark Prey, STC’s costume shop director, and Randi Fowler, floor manager, touring their sunny space and admiring the craft up close. The level of detail and dedication is simply amazing. Continue reading

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District

Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 3: Zombies

Photo courtesy of
‘Baby zombie!!!’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Zombies invaded DC last week and remained in town through the Halloween festivities. It seemed like everywhere I looked there was some sort of zombied out crew stumbling down the street or up to the bar for a drink.

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Adventures, All Politics is Local, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The District

Best/Worst Halloween 2010 Costumes Part 2: Politics

Photo courtesy of
‘Be Excellent to Each Other’
courtesy of ‘Collin David Anderson’

As we’re in DC, there’s no surprise that political costumes figure heavily into Halloween 2010 festivities and with the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in town politics-related costumes were in FULL effect. Continue reading

Essential DC, Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, The Features

Fright Night at the National Zoo


Krusty the Clown (and all other photos) by Max Cook

Usually the scariest things at the National Zoo are the lions, tigers, and screaming little kids, but as the animals slept in their cages Friday night, a different type of terror infiltrated the wooded hillside.  Clowns, zombies, skeletons, and other nightmarish creatures mingled together at the annual “Night of the Living Zoo”, a spectacle I felt compelled to document.  With live bands, freak shows, and loads of beer, it was a great way for hundreds of lunatics to let loose and kick off DC’s epic Halloween weekend.  As with most costume events that I’ve attended, people were more than willing to pose for my camera, the results which I share with you in hopes that you have a good laugh or better yet, a good nightmare.

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Petworth, The Daily Feed

Petworth Dog Walk Halloween Photos

washington dc by wayan
Photo by Wayan

Last night’s Petworth Dog Walk Halloween was such great fun!

Around twenty costumed canines, and a few costumed owners, came out to Domku Restaurant to compete for prizes in three categories:

  • Best Costume
  • Best Trick
  • Best Twin

Here we have the Petworth MPD – Metro Police Dog, winner of Best Costume and over on Flickr we have more Dog Walk photos.

Proof that this really is a Petworthian neighborhood.

A special thanks to the Dog Walk sponsors and PetworthDogs for making this happen

Petworth, The Daily Feed

Petworth Dog Walk Halloween

Photo courtesy of matthamm
Yoda Dog Costume, courtesy of matthamm

Those of us on the Petworth Dogs listserv would like to invite all our neighbours to the:

Petworth Dog Walk Halloween (flier)
a costume celebration of dogs and owners
Wednesday, October 29, 7pm @ Domku

Contestants – meet at the Clark School @ 6:30pm (7th and Alison) to wear out your favorite pooch, before suiting them up in a great costume. From there, we’ll walk our bedazzled best friends down to Upshur Street where they’ll be judged on:

  • Best Doggie Costume – the classic, dress ’em up!
  • Best Twins – celebrating how dogs and owners can look alike
  • Best Trick – Costume or not, show your dog’s skills

The Domku patio will be the reviewing stand and the post-parade party spot.

Feel free to print out copies of our flier and take them with you when you’re out walking through the city. When you see a dog + owner, hand them a flier and encourage them to come out as a participant or observer.

A special thanks to our sponsors: Domku, Brighter Days, Little Rascals, and Yoga House Studio, and the Petworth Dogs listserv for making this happen.