How to Create a Costume Plot

One of the most important aspects in a theatrical production are the costumes. They help identify characters, emotions, and common themes as the play progesses. However, they can also be very difficult to organize, and this is where the costume plot comes into play. By making an organized chart of what the production requires, it will save yourself a lot of time and energy down the road.

Open Microsoft Excel and start a new spradsheet. Name it whatever you wish, but something with the phrase "costume plot" would be helpful for future identification.

In the first colum, list list the name of each character. The list should move in a downward direction. Don't be afraid to resize cells in order to fit the entire name.

In the first row, enter each scene. It is often useful to include a description of what happens in each scene as well, so that you can keep the storyline in mind once you start sewing. As always, play with the height and width of each cell in order to include all the necessarry information.

Simply line up a scene in the first row with a character from the first colum and then fill in the cell with what they will be wearing in that scene. Repeat this process for each character and each scene, so that you have a complete listing of what each person is wearing in each scene.

Save the spreadsheet and you're finished.