Don’t Serve Us Purple Gravy

By Cathy Conley, Chapter-at-Large, Region 24

How does the costume fit into the 30 percent preparation of the Showmanship Category?

A costume is a tool used to create an illusion to precondition the audience (judges are audience, also) to know what to expect from the performance. We have all been preconditioned from birth to accept visual triggers on which we accept every aspect of our world. For instance, the grass is green, the sky is blue, white fluffy clouds give happy images; black thick clouds are ominous. If you should present your children with green mashed potatoes and purple gravy, it would probably be met with disgust and they wouldn’t eat it. Preconditioning.

Costumes can also serve this purpose. For instance, a white coat and a stethoscope will raise our blood pressure, and your neighbor is viewed entirely differently wearing his police uniform, rather than his usual pair of jeans. Preconditioning. Costuming is considered so important in the entertainment industry that the costumer is given special awards for creating the right illusion. We all know that the good guy wears the white hat, and the bad guy wears the black hat. Preconditioning. Shirley Jones appeared as an innocent ingénue in a long precious dress in Oklahoma. She also appeared in Elmer Gantry as a scantily clad prostitute. How would you have perceived her, or how confused would you have been if the costumes had been mixed up? It’s all part of the planned illusion.

The costume you choose is a very important part of your plan and preparation. You must decide as a group exactly what image you want to project from your first footstep or the opening curtain. What do you want the audience to perceive? Do you want to express a particular personality, personal attitude, attitude of the era and/or the music, or a definitive persona? Any of these can enhance your image, or express the characterization of your show or performance, or performance package.

Color, of course, also has a psychological influence on your audience, and is also affected by preconditioning. (Yellow = sunny; white = angelic; black = dramatic, etc.) And naturally, the style is also important.

Do you want to be perceived as bright, upbeat, youthful, exciting or elegant? It’s hard to sing your way out of a somber, matronly costume if your goal is to achieve the excitement or level of sophistication you had planned. And of course, you will sing with more freedom if you have the freedom to move around comfortably and think of yourself as a certain image when you look in the mirror. You also are affected by your perceived image — look good, feel good.

If you want to make a good first impression, don’t confuse us by “serving us purple gravy.” Precondition your audience by showing them exactly what persona you want them to see. Don’t make the audience spend the first half of your song trying to figure out why the costume doesn’t work, or why it doesn’t fit you or your image.
And last but not least, the costume is just that — a tool to create an illusion. This can be done expensively or inexpensively, as long as you get the right result. It should enhance, not detract from your presentation. Plan carefully so that the main impact of your performance results from the sound and musicality of the singing group.

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