How do I tear a shirt?
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=2047
Printed Date: 5/15/25 at 2:25pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: How do I tear a shirt?
Posted By: BenAyres
Subject: How do I tear a shirt?
Date Posted: 9/28/06 at 3:17pm
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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 |
Replies:
Posted By: Neel_H'tak
Date Posted: 9/28/06 at 3:36pm
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When our theatre did Hair, we had a shirt that had to tear onstage as well. We delt with it by having the tear happen at a natural seam in the shirt... for our production this was the sleeve. I seam ripped the sleve of the shirt off, and then reinforced both edges with bias tape, and then loosly restiched the sleve back on each night. It worked really well and had a nice ripping sound as well. Hope this helps!
------------- Neel H'tak of the North |
Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 9/28/06 at 3:46pm
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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. ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 9/28/06 at 4:35pm
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. 
------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: Tom_Rylex
Date Posted: 10/03/06 at 1:11pm
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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. ------------- The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. -R. Frost |
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 10/03/06 at 9:34pm
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Tom. My comment was regarding Deathtrap where one character does indeen shoot another with a crossbow. Fun stuff..
------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: dboris
Date Posted: 10/04/06 at 12:47pm
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Not to mention beaten with a log, strangaled with a garrote, etc. Deathtrap, such a fun show! Dan |
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 10/04/06 at 9:10pm
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Ahhhhh. I'd forgotten the blood-suirting garrote. A fun show indeed. ------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: theatremonkey
Date Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:50pm
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cut the shirt don the middle and velcro the two sides together this will also make a tearing sound when the actor rips it ------------- theatre monkey |
Posted By: oldactress
Date Posted: 6/24/08 at 11:43am
| Yes, we did Deathtrap also and the cross bow was always iffy...we always said a prayer before he "fired" it up the stairs! |