Beastmaster

My first taste of costuming.

In 2006, as a senior in highschool, my brother Dave auditioned for and landed the role of the Beast in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" at his school. He had the build to overpower, the voice to woo, and a roar to clinch the deal. The whole family was tremendously proud of him.

When we heard about their plans for his mask, mom and I decided that we could do better. Mom sewed all his clothes, and did the sewing necessary on the mask, gloves, and feet.

I made the mask from scratch, using plastic canvas and heavy duty wire for the base, vinyl for his nose and horns, faux fur on the brow and back of the ears, 3 kinds of yarn and hair harvested from 2 wigs and twine for that thick mane, felt inside the ears, and lightweight work gloves and a pair of "slipper-socks" for obvious uses.

The show, and Dave, were a huge hit. At the first performance, a matinee for the elementary students in the district and the residents of a local nursing home, in the opening sequence, the beast let out a roar... Something to do with the narrator saying "For who could ever learn to love...[dun-dun-DUNNN] a beast," I think. I know I probably shouldn't feel this way, but I took a perverse pleasure from the screams of the little kids. My brother rocked. He was a celebrity amongst the little ones, and a big man on campus with his classmates.

And after all his hard work and general awesome-ness, he didn't get to kiss the girl. When it was time for the transformation back to human, he disappeared under the stage, and one of the chorusboys popped out and did his best to deliver a finale up to par with Dave's performance.

In addition to being a great show for Dave, this was my first real taste of costuming, and I haven't stopped since.