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Billy Elliot- Ocean State Theatre Company, 2016

Photos by: Mark Turek Photography

Duties: Stitcher, wardrobe

Designer: Eric Griffis

Billy Elliot Opening shot of Billy Elliot, with Billy in the middle. All items in this shot were purchased by the designer.	Billy Elliot Early shot of the miner chorus, including Jack, the father, and Tony, the brother. All miner uniforms were purchased by the designer and then distressed by myself and my coworkers. They were washed multiple times with borax, spray-painted, and broken down with hard brushes. The designer wanted the unified miner color to be orange, which can be seen in later scenes.	Billy Elliot Early image of Tony and Grandma, with two miners. Tony's outfits all had a militaristic inspiration, while Grandma's clothes were all vintage. Some were pulled from stock and some were brought by the actress from her personal wardrobe.
Billy Elliot The first shot of Mrs. Wilkinson. All of her outfits were purchased and then fitted to achieve a glamorous dancer style. The designer wanted her in jewel tones to set her apart from the rest of the cast, as she was portrayed as an outsider, and because she was supposed to be more glamorous and better off than the rest of the town.	Billy Elliot Another image of the dance studio, where Billy is first introduced to Ballet. Billy is in his boxing clothes while the girls are in their dance uniforms.	Billy Elliot The end of 'Shine,' the song sung my Mrs. Wilkinson. The girls all have a quick change into the yellow leotards and tutus. The designer wanted to show the unity of the ballet class through a uniform and contrast that with Billy's boxing costume. This demonstrates the divide between Billy and his future classmates. This also provides a comparison for the audience of Billy before and after he decides to do ballet.
Billy Elliot 'Express Yourself,' the song where Billy learns his friend likes to wear women's clothes. The designer wanted these costumes to be very lively and colorful, while also being able to be danced in. The actors had to be able to quickly get them on and off while onstage.	Billy Elliot The end of the second dance class. Billy is now in nicer clothes that are easier to dance in, and Mrs. Wilkinson is once again in jewel tones, visually reenforcing the idea that she is an outsider.	Billy Elliot The beginning of 'Solidarity.' The designer was very interested in creating a juxtaposition between the miners in colorful clothes and the police in black uniforms.
Billy Elliot The scene where Billy's family finds out he's been dancing. Tony still has a militaristic inspiration in this scene, and the rest of the miners are wearing warm tones in yellow and orange, to fit with the miner scheme. Mrs. Wilkinson is wearing purples to set her apart.	Billy Elliot The beginning of the second act. The show has now transitioned into Christmas, so everyone has to be in winter clothes. But the strike has been going on for months, so people are running out of money. The designer wanted the clothes to be worn and mismatched.	Billy Elliot At the ballet school. The designer wanted Billy and his dad to stand apart from the rest of the characters in this scene, since they are from a poor mining town. Their clothes were slightly ill-fitted and worn, while the other characters wore clothes that were newer and polished.
Billy Elliot The soup kitchen. Everyone is once again in winter clothes, and everyone is bedraggled.	Billy Elliot The strike was lost. The miners are in drab colors to visually demonstrate that they are upset that they lost the strike and have to go back to work. One of the miners is holding his work uniform to bring that bright orange back into the scene.	Billy Elliot The final dance number. The different groups of characters were visually identified by different colored tutus and came on stage at various points in the curtain dance. The family members wore white tutus, little dancer girls wore yellow, miners wore light pink, dance teachers wore hot pink, and chorus women wore orange.

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