Omar Leos

Name: Omar Leos

Title: Theatre Educator

Thoughts on thrifting:  I started thrift store shopping in college where I always found one-of-a-kind, unique items. I especially shopped for shoes, clothing & artwork for my apartment. Thrift store finds became part of my style. After college, I became a secondary  theatre teacher. I shied  away from selecting period plays to perform  because I could not afford to rent or have costumes made for my student actors. This was very limiting.

Leos at Boysville Thrift Store

My entire perceptive changed when I came across Costuming Made Easy: How to Make Theatrical Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing by Barb Rogers at a Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA) conference. I looked at the book, thought it could be relatively easy & I decided to try some of the techniques out. The first play I created my own costumes for was Lapis Blue Blood Red by Cathy Caplan that takes place during the Italian Renaissance period. Ever since then, I truly believe you don’t have to spend a lot of money or buy anything new for costuming a play. It was empowering & exciting: I combined my love of thrifting with theatre education. Now, I present at theatre conventions & workshops on how to create period costumes from thrift store finds.

How do you thrift like a theatre educator?

All types of formal, informal, prom or wedding dress can be manipulated to suit your costume need. You can dye dresses a& add on the upholstery fabric,bedskirt, etc. to fit the time period for your play.

Curtains, upholstery fabric, bed skirts & table cloths can be used for Renaissance, Medieval & Restoration-period costumes. I look for these items first because I can cut & sew pieces to existing clothing items. I always research the type of clothing for every show I’m doing & create a costume “bible.” I find pictures of costumes I’m looking for. Remember: when you go thrift store shopping, you won’t always find the exact costume you’re looking for. I have to constantly remind myself of this. Always be flexible, creative & open to interpretation!

This is an Old Navy summer dress I found at a thrift store. Because I added a lace curtain collar around the neckline & I instantly created a 1930/40′s-style dress. Disclamer: I do not know how to sew. My sewing skills are very minimal. I hand sew & use a glue gun quite a bit.

Always select women’s suits for male period costumes. Why? Women’s pants & jackets are more fitted than men’s. Men’s clothing between the years 1600-1900 generally had higher waists, weren’t baggy & were more tailored to the body. Women’s suits help with this silhouette. It’s another shortcut I use that saves time & money.

I always grab petticoats when I see them at thrift stores because they are cheap (over $100 retail/new)! You can use them for any period piece to make dresses fuller. In West Side Story at Edison High School, we shortened thrift store dresses, added petticoats underneath & presto– we had mambo dresses!

Here’s a picture from our performance Lapis Blue Blood Red by Cathy Caplan. The girl’s costume in the foreground has multiple components. The dark brown sleeveless top is the from a prom dress I dyed. Her skirt is floor-length & velvet. I added a bed skirt and upholstery fabric to the front of the skirt. The white long-sleeved blouse was used as a pirate shirt in another play.

Here’s another costume from the same play. The pants found at a thrift store are women’s Gap khakis that I cropped. The red jacket comes from a women’s skirt suit–I took off the sleeves. Underneath this coat is another black women’s suit jacket that I slit down the sides & then added green table cloth for trim. The ruffled collar is curtain trim we fastened around his neck (it’s a separate piece from the shirt). A leather belt was added on top of the costume (it’s hard to see in this picture) to make the costume more fitted to the actor’s waist.

Boysville Thrift Store: 307 W. Olmos Dr. – San Antonio, 78212

We’re having a materials & supplies drive for San Antonio educators! The location(s) will be announced next week. Thank you to everyone who reached out & helped us find a space. The response was overwhelming & we are grateful for your support.

On your mark, get set…collect! Clean out closets & school lockers, go through storage, keep cast-offs from making their way to the dumpster & save every spare part! Here’s the list of everything spare parts happily accepts. You can even print out this sign, slap it on a cardboard box & hold a mini-drive at work. Donation drop-off schedule to be announced.

This summer, we plan to have the largest materials & supplies drive in our history. Teachers, be prepared & save the date: July 26 (registration to come).

As you know, spare parts relies on volunteers & interns in June & July to collect, organize & sort donations. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals & groups of all abilities & talents to participate. Youth can help, too! Click here for information about our internships—the application deadline is May 29. Volunteers, we’ll get a schedule out ASAP.

Don’t forget, this will be spare parts’ greatest donation drive. Maximize education & reduce landfill waste. Help us get the word out. Let’s show our PreK-12 grade teachers how a community comes together to celebrate creativity, eco-consciousness, cultural sustainability & the arts.

If you are serious about realizing year-round programming & efforts focused on creative reuse, spare parts will hold regular meetings beginning in August for those interested in working together to find a permanent location.

Have a wonderful weekend! We’ll be in touch soon.

Very sincerely,

Mary Elizabeth Cantu
spare parts Founder

ABOUT SPARE PARTS
spare parts inspires & supports the growing San Antonio creative community & our schools through environmental accountability.

spare parts believes partnerships & programs centered on creative reuse lead to smart initiatives that increase the creative & cultural energy of our city.

spare parts’ purpose is unprecedented in San Antonio. We are the leader in reuse education through the arts.

This summer, spare parts is organizing a large materials & supplies drive for San Antonio teachers (Pre-K through 12 grade) who are devoted to enriching their curriculum using dance, music, theatre &/or visual art. spare parts will collect materials & supplies to be distributed in late July.

ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP
The spare parts internship is unpaid, a summer opportunity, begins in early June & runs through early August (minimum 50 hours). The intern directly reports to spare parts Founder Mary E. Cantu & works closely with volunteers & partnering San Antonio organizations.

The ideal candidate is familiar with utilizing social media, has exceptional verbal/written communication skills & is a strong creative & critical thinker. She/he will help organize donations, research new trends in environmental sustainability through the arts & in education & assist with daily organizational operations.

Learn more about last year’s interns here.

APPLY
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume & contact information for 2 references. Email your application in PDF format & ATTN: Mary E. Cantu to sparepartstudio@gmail.com by Wednesday, May 29 at 5pm. Incoming High School Seniors, Undergraduate & Graduate Students are invited to apply. All applicants will be contacted by Friday, June 7 at 5pm.

PDF VERSION_spare parts 2013 summer internship announcement

As you know, the cornerstone of spare parts outreach is our summer materials & supplies giveaway for Pre-K through 12th grade teachers. We collect donations from community members in June/July & give it all away for free before the school year starts.

This summer we need your help locating a space to host this drive for San Antonio educators. If we don’t secure a spot by Friday, May 3, 2013 we’ll have to postpone the giveaway. In years past we have partnered with schools & non-profit organizations. This summer, we would be excited to work with any school, business, parish, temple, community center, property owner, agency or organization. The larger the locale, the more teachers we can serve.

Our timeline includes scheduling donation drop-off times throughout June & July & then having a materials giveaway in late July or early August where everything we collect & organize gets picked up by teachers. Our ideal space this summer is safe, has access to a bathroom & is air conditioned (or is cool) with available parking for loading/unloading.

Spare parts supplies & materials giveaways for educators are commonly called “Christmastimes” & are considered dreamlike shopping sprees but everything is free! We know teachers spend their own money on curriculum enrichment. Our giveaways encourage more art experiences & cultivate creativity in the classroom while helping the environment.

All of our efforts are not for profit & we volunteer all our time & resources. Spare parts, our founder, Mary E. Cantu & our partners have received local & national attention for these anticipated events.

If you know of someone who can help us find a space this summer, please forward this message. If you have a location to offer or have any questions please contact us.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Very sincerely,
spare parts & Mary

Chris Castillo

Name: Chris Castillo

Title: Photographer, nonprofit arts industry receptionist, volunteer archivist, new media artist - http://www.thatchriscastillo.com

Thoughts on thrifting:  I’ve been thrifting for almost half of my entire life. I started frequenting thrift stores with my best friend back in high school. I was very interested in the idea of thrift stores’ access to instantaneous history & the commerce of memories. Everything can be so one-of-a-kind. (Well… almost. You can walk into any thrift store & find a Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass record- it’s a thrift store code compliance requirement!)

Point & shoot Vivitars and a Yashica camera

spare parts Founder Mary E. Cantu & Castillo on a thrift store excursion.

Finally, remember  thrifting is part of creative reuse! Cheers!