Asolo Rep Holds Costume Sale, 9/30 & 10/1

The Asolo Repertory Theatre will be holding a costume sale on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 at the Asolo Rep Scenic Studios on Tallevast Road, Sarasota. The sale will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days, just in time for finding the perfect Halloween costume.

Costumes that span more than four decades of clothing plus one-of-a-kind specialty and surprise items will be available for purchase. Items offered include dresses, novelty costumes, armor, vintage and contemporary men's and women's wear, hats, fabrics (sold by the yard), uniforms, period costumes and accessories. Costumes for purchase are from productions such as The Imaginary Invalid, Ariadne auf Naxos, Equus, Julius Caesar and Oh , What a Lovely War. Prices will range between $1 and $400.

During the 2010-2011 season alone, the Asolo Rep Costume Shop produced nearly 300 different costumes. 62 were built from scratch, 102 were recycled from existing stock, 57 were rented and 76 were purchased. David Covach, Costume Shop Manager, said that the sorting process for the sale took around six weeks. "Our most recent sale was 1 ½ years ago when we had to move out of the decaying old storage building," Covach said. "The costumes at that sale went for cheap and were "rags" compared to what we are offering at this sale."

The costume categories include current fashions, vintage fashions from the 1920s to the 1980s, and period and novelty pieces that have been built for various productions. Some of the higher priced items will be the ostrich from Peter Pan, the muses from Ariadne auf Naxos and pieces of armor from Julius Caesar. The costumes have been worn by stars that have graced the Asolo Rep stage including David Howard, Doug Jones, Carolyn Michel, Sharon Spelman and Brad Wallace to name a few.

The Asolo Rep costume staff will be on hand to assist any customers. Cash or check will be accepted. The Asolo Rep Scenic Studios, Koski Production Center is located at 1009 Tallevast Road, Sarasota, FL 34243.

Asolo Theatre, Inc. (AKA: Asolo Repertory Theatre) is funded in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice and the Shubert Foundation, Inc. Funding is also received through the efforts of various support groups and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations