sweaty actors
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Forum Discription: For how-to's and where-can-I-find
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1707
Printed Date: 5/13/24 at 11:35pm
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Topic: sweaty actors
Posted By: theatregirl325
Subject: sweaty actors
Date Posted: 11/01/05 at 3:31pm
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I have a couple of really sweaty actors in the show I am designing, does anyone have any tips about smell or making arm pit sweat not show. They have super strong deodorant and I use febreeze, I was just looking for more ideas. Thanks Angela |
Replies:
Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 11/03/05 at 10:47am
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They sell a product called "dress shields" that are like little pads that are sewn in under the arms of the costume. You can tack them in so that they are removable and can be washed between performances. They aren't too easy to find...they used to be popular in the past for ladies silk dresses. If you were handy you could make them...maybe out of shoulder pads but with an absorbant cover? Hope the costumes are washable..... ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 11/03/05 at 1:14pm
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you can get dress shields in Joann's or Hancock's or any BIG fabric
chain store ... however, I've tried them for men and they tend to be too small for the average male arm pit LOL. Instead of a big wet spot under the arms, you get a dry spot surrounded by a wet ring LOL |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 11/04/05 at 1:17am
Get them to irrigate themselves with plenty of water & lay off the garlic! That will cut down the pong at least
------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: k8tt
Date Posted: 11/05/05 at 1:48pm
We have one actor who sweats like a horse and our only recourse has been to put him in dark shirts or jacket over his shirt so that the sweat rings don't show up too badly. In one show we had him layered in a shirt with sports jacket over and trench coat over that! He is a good actor but not the cleanest person on earth (not sure he knows what deodorant is). 
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Posted By: theatregirl325
Date Posted: 11/08/05 at 10:03am
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I went and bought some dress shields at Joann's. They helped a lot. The layering thing helps too! Thanks
Angela |
Posted By: Stephen
Date Posted: 3/21/06 at 6:13pm
| I know this is an old topic but I thought i'd throw my 2 cents in. Deoderant is not necessarily the problem with these individuals. Fortunately I do not have the problem these gentleman have, however, if i'm in a hot enough room, no amount of deodorant prevents me from sweating or covers up the smell. |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:11am
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It must be in the genes mate! Funny how it?s always only us blokes, who tend to be on the nose! Even a changes in jeans doesn?t help - or is this just a girly thing!  ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: Kathy S
Date Posted: 3/22/06 at 2:14am
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When there is someone in the cast who has a sweat / body odor problem, it needs to be addressed. Especially if that person is wearing costumes that have been rented, or that need to be drycleaned, or which have been painstakingly created by a volunteer, for example. (We seamstresses can be touchy about our creations!) If the person sweats excessively and no amount of antipersperant will work, suggest they go to their doctor and ask about a perscription for a product called Drisol. It is very inexpensive and really works. Some people, even some beautiful young ladies, can have over-active sweat glands, especially when they are nervous. It can be a debilitating problem for some people. I doubt that is the case for most of the people we have in our casts, tho. It is a sensitive topic to address, too. I've been known to go to the dollar store and buy great quantities of antiperspirants in many different forms, baby powders, etc. and stock the dressing areas very generously hoping that people take the hint. I put them in any area where someone who needs it might see it. I never thought of it before now, but I think I'll ad a big bright sign next to the basket saying "Please help yourself to the BO juice" (or maybe more delicately stated) next time! |
Posted By: Linda S
Date Posted: 3/22/06 at 9:32am
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I have an actor that I work with often that has this problem. It is not a question of cleanliness. It is the way he is. My solution is that I have two sometimes three of the same shirt. I always have plenty of t-shirts too. If he wears a suitcoat I put in shields. By changing his shirt often the coat stays drier. He has become an amazing quick change artist, and it is laundry every night when he is in a show. Linda |
Posted By: jphock
Date Posted: 3/23/06 at 9:49am
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The lights come up on what appears to be a church basement. A small group of people have gathered and are sitting on folding chairs in a circle. Jeff stands and looks around the circle.
JEFF: (nervously) Hi. My name is Jeff and I'm a sweaty actor. ALL: (in unison) Hiiiiii Jeeeeeeeeff! The Lights fade to black. Oh wait....Sorry...I was reliving a recent SAA meeting (Sweaty Actors Anonymous). Yes, I do shower directly before every show (shower at 5:30, call at 6:30). Yes, I do put on 3 layers of deodarant. Yes, I do wear a fresh t-shirt every night (and sometimes change it at intermission). Yes, I do wash my costume shirts every night. It's my head that tends to sweat the most, so I always have towels/hankerchiefs/sweat rags readily available to mop up the mess. The fact of the matter is..a sweaty actor is always going to be sweaty. A stinky actor is a little different. A stinky actor has not taken any of the necessary precautions to avoid his stank. It is the stinky actor that needs to be pulled aside to delicately address his funk. Jeff PS Watch for "Tales of the Sweaty Actor" on Broadway in the near future.
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Posted By: Kathy S
Date Posted: 3/24/06 at 1:15am
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When that comes out will we have to cast a bonafide sweaty actor or can we do something with special effects tucked into costumes? That'll be fun! No, Drisol won't help a sweaty head. |
Posted By: deborah-107
Date Posted: 9/15/06 at 8:14pm
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I am also one of those sweaty people, under the hot stage lights. It
has nothing to do with how well you clean yourself as I showered nightly right before performances. I recently did the Wizard of Oz, as the Cowardly Lion, and I designed my costume with less fur. We had the heat wave hit and it was 114 degrees outside, and we had to run out of the theatre during 2 intermissions. Anyway, the play before that, I had tried "Secret" woman's deodorant on my forehead, as the theatre's A/C was not up to snuff. I called it my industry secret, but I found that the sweat then came out in my hair, as it had to come out somewhere, I guess. At least for the Cowardly Lion, I had my "Secret" on every night and I had a head dress on, so it absorbed that extra perspiration, but is there any particular makeup powder that is recommended? Or would cornstarch work? Like Johnson & Johnson's? I had Ben Nye "sealer" to cover the creme makeup, because the costume store salesperson said that helps to combat sweat, but I still would sweat right through it. I spent a lot of time wearing bandanas until I went onstage. So is there any brand of talcum recommended, that also comes in a big enough container? The Ben Nye stuff was in a little sprinkle 4 oz. shaker thing. When you're in a hurry, it's just pitifully unacceptable. I read in a latter post that Drisol (the medication) didn't work on perspiration that comes from your head, so what works???? ------------- Regards, Deborah-107 |
Posted By: Kathy S
Date Posted: 9/16/06 at 2:51am
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I'm not sure that it (Drisol) doesn't work on head sweat. It's just that it's meant to be used under the arms. You probably just have to work around the head sweat. Cast the sweater in a role that can be played by someone with really short hair so his/her head doesn't get so hot. But maybe that won't even work. Keep some nice thick towels backstage for mopping foreheads and drying the hair a bit. It is a problem. |
Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 9/16/06 at 10:30pm
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From a Reader's Digest Living article: Why not put the deodorizing power of vinegar to use where it matters most? That's right, you don't need a roll-on or spray to keep your underarms smelling fresh. Instead, splash a little white vinegar under each arm in the morning, and let it dry. In addition to combating perspiration odor, this method also does away with those deodorant stains on your garments. (Doesn't say it STOPS you from perspiring ... just stops the smell) An article on essential oils suggests: Citronella oil may be used for combating excessive perspiration and for balancing oily skin. I've even read about Botox to combat excessive perspiration. A CBC article states "Deodorant allows the release of perspiration, but prevents odour by combating it with antiseptic agents, which kill odour-causing bacteria. Those chemical compounds in antiperspirants usually contain aluminium salts. Some researchers have linked that to Alzheimer's Disease and breast cancer. Because they block sweat from escaping through pores, antiperspirants are also the cosmetic product most associated with skin irritation." The list goes on and on ... just enter "combating perspiration" in any search engine and you'll find tons of advice. ------------- In a world of margarine, be butter! |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 9/18/06 at 9:47am
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Jeff - I knew I recognized you from somewhere - must have been those SAA meetings! I leave puddles on the stage. I make Albert Brooks in Broadcast News look like an ad for Mitchum. They rent me out to other theatres for productions of Singin' In The Rain. If an actor stinks, tell him; you need to help your other actors out. If he's just sweaty . . . well, sorry, you can try all the stuff above, and maybe some of it will work, but probably you'll just have to use one of those guys with the mop that comes out during basketball games. ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
