The Rover - Costume rehearsal

For my character Florinda I wore a long black skirt that covered my ankles as that was seen as indecent to show off ankles in the restoration period. I also wore a front lace up bodice that had a front corset, puffy sleeves with sliver lace on the shoulders and it had very large hips that fell down to my shins. I think doing rehearsals in this costume was incredible helpful for getting into character. The corset meant that I was naturally sitting and standing up right were as when I was releasing in normal clothes I would have a tendency to slouch in my scene. The large hips also help me know where to place my other hand. My right hand would usually hold my fan but I never knew what to do with my spare arm so having the hips meant to could rest my arm on the hips. There was also some body restriction due to the costume as the corset made it harder to breathe through so I had to be very calm on stage and remember to take long deep breaths in order to feel comfortable on stage. It also meant that the fan became very useful in keeping me cool with in the costume as well as heightening the character.