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Kazandra Santana as Dona Luz in Telenovela Wives of Pancho Villa |
Cynthia: Yay! Our show, Telenovela Wives of Pancho Villa, by Jeffery Atik, has opened to sold out audiences!
Marcy: Whatever. Let’s talk costumes.
Cynthia: We spent $300 costuming thirteen actors. It’s a mix of the actors’ own clothes, thrift shop finds, and Forever 21.
The year is 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. The play is a fictionalized satire of the lives of Pancho Villa’s many wives done in the Telenovela style. Think soap opera, comedy, high drama, intrigue, and The Real Housewives shows.
Dona Luz, who was Pancho Villa’s first wife, is the heart of the show.
Cynthia: Our Dona Luz is played by the super talented Kazandra Santana.
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Kazandra Santana |
Cynthia: Kazandra as Dona Luz was my first outfit find and we built the show around this costume.
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Kazandra Santana as Dona Luz Top and Skirt from Forever 21 |
I was lucky that Forever 21 has long skirts and old fashioned type tops that are lightweight and inexpensive. And sexy. Our idea was to evoke 1914, not literally translate it with period costumes. It is a Telenovela after all!
This dusky pink was perfect and Kazandra looks elegant and beautiful. The belt is her own and gave the outfit a rustic element.
Kazandra Santana brings such depth, grace, humor, outrage, conniving, and sexiness to her role that I am sure the real life Dona Luz would be thrilled to pieces.
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Dona Luz, first and forever wife of Pancho Villa |
Marcy: I don’t know. The real life Dona Luz looks pretty fierce. She doesn’t look like the kind of lady who would be thrilled to pieces about anything.
Cynthia: She does seem pretty formidable in this photo. Hey! Maybe she needs a cat.
Marcy: Well. Obviously.
15 Comments
This is so cool! Love the outfit!! And the old pictures!!
Thank you!!
xo,cynthia
I had seen that skirt at Forever 21. I love that you used it in your play. It is sexy in an old fashioned way. I like to think even old fashioned ladies liked to have a little sexiness in their lives. Although, you are right the real Dona Luz does look fierce. Kazandra is beautiful. I am so glad your play is going well! Sold out! Congratulations! And I was so happy about the write up, too. You did a great job with the costume. Do we get to see any more? I am obsessed that you are doing a play. I would have no idea where to even begin. You are the fierce one! In the best possible way.
Jenni
Yes! I will be doing more posts on the costumes. I was going to do one big post but I think that would have been immense so instead I will do four or five. Next one should be up tomorrow.
Thank you sooooo much for your awesome support, Jenni!! love you!
xo,cynthia
Oh, your play sold out…Congratulations!!!! 🙂 I would also have no idea where to start with making her outfit…I'd wind up at a costume shop 🙂
Ha! I went to a costume shop first! The costumes were vintage and too expensive. I addition to renting them you have to pay for dry cleaning and alterations in case of damage. Any time I have worn costumes from a costume shop it is really no fun and kind of stressful because you have to be soooooo careful. When you are on stage or doing quick changes that last thing you want to worry about is a costume that is precious.
Hahaha…yeah…they don't look like they believe in public displays of affection 🙂 I love her costume…it's like a modern take on a spanish seniorita!
Thank you sooo much, Merrie! I must say, I am a little proud of myself. I really had no idea how I was going to do this. Although, Kazandra is so pretty she would make a garbage bag look fantastic.
xo,cynthia
Cynthia and Marcy…kudos on the costumes and the success of the play. Can't wait to see more!
Thank you! There is much more to come! Stay tuned!
xo,cynthia
What beautiful costumes you put together! The Forever 21 pieces really look beautiful. I noticed that 21 has a lot of old fashioned styles right now.
Do the costumes now stay at the theater or do the actors get to keep the pieces?
Thanks for sharing,
Stacey
Thank you, Stacey!!
My company is nomadic and we do not have storage so the actors will get to keep their costumes – with the exception of Kazandra's black skirt since I will most likely wear it in our next play.
xo,cynthia
[…] Congrats, Marcy! You did such a great job costuming the last play, you got hired […]
[…] out Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four of our series about costuming Telenovela Wives of Pancho […]
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