UCF Theatre hosts 3rd Annual Halloween Costume Sale

Every year there is a scramble at the end of October to prepare for the sweetest holiday of the year, and in an effort to scare away some of the tension, the UCF Theatre has offered a great alternative.

On Oct. 24, the UCF Theatre will be hosting its 3rd Annual Halloween Costume Sale. The event will take place in the Small Design Room of the Theatre in the Performing Arts Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"[The sale] largely started because we didn't have enough space to store everything," said Dan Jones, costume shop manager at the UCF Theatre.

Jones said specialty-made items that fit the concept of one show will probably not work for any other performances or be able to fit any other characters. That's why the department sells them.

"This is an opportunity to give something back to the campus and also for us to take some of the money to put into getting new costumes," Jones said.

Most of the costumes in the shop are handmade by the students in the shop from materials bought at crafts and fabric stores. There are a few costumes that are premade, but those are rare, so most costume items at the sale will be original, one-of-a-kind creations that will not be made available anywhere else.

If there are costumes that do not quite make the cut and go unsold, consumers will get a new opportunity to find and purchase them the following year.

"We try to sell them again [the next year]," Jones said. "We don't want to be wasteful."

All shoppers will have the opportunity to purchase costumes as a whole set or to mix and match at their leisure, and everything is done on a first come, first served basis.

Jones said the prices of the outfits are in a range that even college students can appreciate.

"There's a range," he said. "Most things are between $2 and $10."

Senior theatre studies student Josephine Ventura said the sale should appeal to others for its originality.

"It's perfect; it's a lot more diverse [than going somewhere like Party City]," Ventura said.

Ventura believes that many stores short change the consumer by mostly offering two choices: skimpy or scantily clad clothing for specific body types or something less appealing for everyone else.

"[What it comes down to is] do you want to be sexy nurse or sexy waitress?" Ventura said. "Halloween is not about being sexy; it's about being creative."

For Carine Gaito, a senior acting major, the benefit of the sale does not end at the price or the diversity.

"It's cheaper than Party City, and it's better quality," she said.

Gaito also said that is it a great place for those who are not quite sure yet what theme they want to try this year on Halloween.

"I'm planning on going to the sale and deciding at the sale because there are so many options," she said. "For people who don't know [what to dress up as], it's the perfect thing to come to."

Jones said aside from the awareness the event raises for the theater program and what they are trying to do there, the benefit of helping the unsure Halloween-costume shoppers is his favorite part of the sale.

"It's fun seeing people's brains start to click and watch people get creative and inspired," Jones said.

Cash is the preferred method of payment for the costumes. Checks are also accepted, but credit cards will not be used.