Chicken Run!

This school play has both a hen and a rooster in it. The issue of chicken feet was raised. I looked on the net. Helpfully Martha Stewart was in her ITT Halloween mode, and there on her website was a DIY chicken costume.

I can do this! I thought and got some rubber gloves from the poundshop. 

As per Martha's instructions, I stuffed the fingers, and hot-glued the gloves to some slippers. Here they are being tested on my feet. Martha's model is a very small child, I don't know if she can walk in her yellow feet. I really struggled in my pink ones- and so did the 2 young actors. Useless!!

For health and safety reasons, we abandoned that idea. Instead I made shapes out of wadding and felt, with an elasticated hole for the ankle. These slip on over the top of  plimsolls. Much safer. I made a pair of yellow webbed duck feet too.

We had our first rehearsal in costume on Friday afternoon. All went well - but the producer decided that perhaps the cow should have a set of udders. I promptly extricated one of the useless pink rubber gloves from its slipper and safety-pinned it to the back of the Cow Costume. Creative recycling!

One line in the play refers to "These ridiculous costumes!" - and the 8 year old who had to say this came to me afterwards, very apologetically. "Please, when I say that about the ridiculous costumes, I'm not being rude to you, Mrs Almond. We are really grateful for the costumes and think they are lovely"

I assured him that I understood- and that I thought it was extremely kind of him to say it to me. Such politeness makes it worth doing!