COSTUME DESIGN
THE LITTLE MERMAID JR. (SPRING 2013)
COSTUME PLOT
CONCEPT
Rather than hardcore FISH costumes, my concept is fish-INSPIRED costumes. I’m hoping this will
make the process of costuming thirty-four actors much simpler! The majority of the items should be
able to be pulled from the costume loft and off-site.
COLOUR PALETTE
Sea creatures/fish/merpeople: brights and neons
Humans: pastels and muted colours
IMPORTANT ITEMS
• Ursula’s tentacle belt
○○ Black waistband or belt with EIGHT long boas, strips of fabric, or plastic chains for the
Poor Unfortunate Souls/Tentacles to hold on to. The Souls are extensions of Ursula,
former sea creatures/merpeople under her spell.
○○ Can be shared between the two Ursulas.
• Mersisters’ fishtail skirts
• Ariel’s removable fishtail skirt and fishtail miniskirt/shorts
• A simple fish costume for every single actor who isn’t already a fish or sea creature.
DOUBLE-CAST ROLES
• Ursula (Natalia M. & Rachel T.)
• Scuttle (Delaney F. & Grace J.)
• Flounder (Nicole B. & Payton S.)
CAST FACTS
• We have 34 actors: 9 boys and 25 girls.
• We have two Graces (Grace J. and Grace H.).
• We have two Edens (Eden H. and Eden R.).
• With the exceptions of Ariel and Sebastian, every single actor in the show plays more than
one part.
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COSTUME GROUPS
SAILORS
• White T-shirt or button-up shirt (OR striped shirts from Carousel?)
• Pants: black or navy
• Black shoes or jazz shoes
• White sailor cap (I know we have a bunch of these in off-site)
○○ Pilot needs a captain’s hat instead of a sailor cap
• Navy blue bandana (worn around neck; we have a bunch in the loft)
• Hair: neatly combed. Long hair should be in a ponytail or bun.
• Clean fingernails
MERSISTERS
• Tank top (I’d like it if each sister has a different colour: red, orange, yellow, blue, green,
purple. Ariel’s colour is lavender.) No shell bikinis in this show!
• Mermaid “tails”: coloured leggings to match tank top with “disco ruffle” bottoms
• Nude or light-coloured ballet slippers
• Hair accessories: flowers or ribbons (like coral or seaweed?) colour-matched to their tank top
• Jewelry: shells or pearls
• Hairstyle: long, loose, and wavy. I suggest that the night before, the girls should wet their hair,
braid it, and sleep on it, so it’s wavy the next day.
• Makeup: lip gloss and body glitter if they’d like. Nail polish: only if it matches their tank top.
FISH & SEA CREATURES
• This is where we have some room to play! We have a variety of fish so you can be creative
when it comes to costumes. Please focus on bright and neon colours. All items need to be
easy to move/dance in and not overly complicated as many actors have quick changes.
If some actors are wearing skirts or dresses, the actor must wear booty or bike shorts
underneath.
• If the actor is doubling as a Sailor, Poor Unfortunate Soul, or Chef, it might be easier to start
with basics (black pants/leggings and black top) and add/layer colourful additions on top.
• Items can include:
○○ Bright-coloured, loose T-shirts or tank tops
○○ Board shorts or bathing suit trunks
○○ Shiny materials and sequins
○○ Hawaiian print items, such as button-downs and dresses
○○ Hair accessories and small hats that don’t obscure the eyes
○○ Shell jewelry
• Simple shoes such as jazz shoes that are easy to move and dance in
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POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS (TENTACLES)
• Either all dressed in the orphan rags from Oliver/Les Mis or black pants/black T-shirts.
Whatever is easier.
• Simple black shoes
• Hair: tied back in ponytail/bun
CHEFS
• White lab coats (from Willy Wonka) or white T-shirt
• Black pants
• Simple black shoes
• Red bandana (worn around neck; we have a bunch in the loft)
• Hair: neatly combed. Long hair should be in a ponytail or bun.
PRINCESSES (DOUBLED AS THE MERSISTERS)
• Fancy pastel dress (that can fit over their mersister tank top)
• Tiara
• Can wear their ballet slippers here as well
• Hair: long and loose
GROTTO STATUES
• A simple white, grey, or green toga or sheet draped/wrapped around their fish costume.
SEAGULLS
• Think beach bum!
• Loose-fitting white T-shirt
• Loose-fitting white or khaki shorts
• White cap or baseball cap
○○ Scuttle doubles as “Gull 3” when not playing Scuttle, so they need a cap as well.
○○ For Scuttle, a battered white or grey top hat would be amazing if it could be found!
○○ Also for Scuttle, a gray vest
• Simple black shoes
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ACADEMY
