Add some drama to your wardrobe

Alysia Abbott, a writing instructor, tries on a suit.

Photos by Grace DuVal

Anna Lamb

Harvard Staff Writer

October 24, 2024 4 min read

A.R.T. sells off costumes dating to 1980s, attracting thrifters and theater-lovers alike

Need a last-minute Halloween costume? Or know any local theater-lovers who might want to own a piece of history? The American Repertory Theater is holding its first-ever public costume sale — selling off pieces from its inventory dating back to the 1980s. The sale, which started last week, runs through Saturday. Prices range from $1 to $50.

“I think people who like to vintage shop will find a treasure trove of things here,” said Alycia Marucci, the A.R.T.’s wardrobe manager. “But I also think that a theater-lover might want to look through the labels, because you can see the history of a garment.”

Many of the clothes for sale contain custom labels noting the show a costume was used for, and sometimes the name of the actor who wore it. Also for sale: a plethora of items that did not make the cut for a production. Some pieces, sourced by wardrobe designers from contemporary stores, still have the tags on them.

“We have all kinds of different makers, local and not local. And then we do productions like ‘Life of Pi,’ where a lot of things were sourced internationally,” Marucci said. “So we have every sort of option depending on the show that’s coming through.”

Shoppers line up outside the A.R.T. Scene Shop.

Shoppers will find costumes used in productions such as “Finding Neverland,” “Endlings,” “Moby-Dick,” and more.

An impending renovation to the A.R.T.’s storage space at Fawcett Street sparked the sale, Marucci said.

“We realized how much stuff we really have, and we realized we really don’t have the labor or the resources to go through every garment and clean it and make sure it’s ready and size it and do all those things,” she said. “So the first thing we wanted to do was offer it up to people who might enjoy it or who might use it before we would.”

Alissa Cardone, an associate professor of dance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, was one of those people.

“I’m always looking for things,” she said. “And I need old underwear and pointy boots for a piece I’m working on.”

Costumes for sale are from productions dating back to the 1980s and range in price from $1 to $50.

Artist Tzviyah Rosenstock checks out the wide selection of hats.

Shoppers dig through coats, dresses, and more.

Heather Brine Martin tries on an opera coat and hat.

Some of the costumes contain labels documenting the show it is from and the actor who wore it.

Holding two long coats in her arms, she said she also found some pieces for herself. She said she heard about the sale from a friend who told her not to miss it.

“A lot of people appreciate old versus new.”

Amanda Marcus, a Cambridge resident on the A.R.T. mailing list, was drawn to the many hats on sale.

“Some of the shows I recognize — ‘Gatsby’ was the most recent one,” she said. “And I saw a couple of ‘Gatsby’ hats in there already.”

Marcus was accompanied by Alasdair Post-Quinn, who added that the pair is always in the market for unique costume items.

“We are Burning Man people,” he said, referring to the annual music festival. “We both modify our own clothes by sewing and adding things on, adding lights.”

The shop will reopen from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the A.R.T. Scene Shop at 155 Fawcett St. in Cambridge.