Hi Everyone:

This is my first time here....be gentle. I am currently doing costumes for "Death Trap" (not a real challenge, I know), however a character is required to rip his shirt on stage. Does anyone know of a way to degenerate the cloth making it more easily torn, without causing any visual change to the fabric?

Thanks

Ben

I have had several occasions to make a shirt that is "torn off" and here's what I did:  Take the shirt apart at the seams ( sleeves out) and then sew velcro to both sides of the seams and put it back together.  The velcro makes a great riiiiipping noise but you can put it back together for the next performance.  This is particularly effective if you replace the buttons on a shirt with velcro tabs and the shirt is torn open.  Now if you want to actually rip a shirt ( like it got caught on a nail or something) you could really rip the shirt....start the rip with a little cut from scissors and then pull gently.  If it is a cotton men's dress shirt it will rip very predictably along the grain of the fabric.  If it is a Tee shirt you will have a problem making it tear at all...it will just make a hole.  So rip or cut the shirt, sew in the Velcro and put it back together. 

castMe, I've had the same dilemma on some shows before. I'm not as fancy, my considerations have involved beating someone with blunt instruments. Somehow I manage to control myself, though.

Oh. Maybe you were refering to appearing to do that onstage, rather than wanting to do that offstage (or during practice).

-Tom

P.S. Joan's suggestion (velcro) works wonders in my experience as well.

Originally posted by castMe LOL   Aren't you glad you're doing costumes and don't have to figure out how to shoot someone with an arrow fired from a crossbow....

Not to mention beaten with a log, strangaled with a garrote, etc. Deathtrap, such a fun show!

Dan

cut the shirt don the middle and velcro the two sides together this will also make a tearing sound when the actor rips it