I'm playing a man, but have a larger chest. Suggestions?

Question

I am in a community play of Hello, Dolly! and I am a dancing waiter. This is a male role. I have a larger chest and want to make my character believable. (i.e. no curves or bouncing) Anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

oh hon, i have the SAME problem...and i go to an all-girls school so when we do plays, a good number of us end up playing guys...me includied...wear a sportsbra, a really tight one, and wear a looser shirt. that's about all you can do...just wear manlier clothes and try to act like a guy. more than anything, the way you act will convince people, not the size of your chest.

play the part, the costume is not what someone is believing-- they are believing YOU. so just act...like a guy would...i guess. i guess it's hard when you're dancing, but when you aren't dancing, just stand wider and try to rock your lines.

Answer 2

Kudos to you for wanting to be believable! Since this is a community theatre production, people will not be expecting things to be perfect and you are very likely not getting paid for this so unless you plan to play a man often, don't invest too much of your own hard earned cash. Try the ACE bandage method first. They do have wide varieties available and the theatre may even have some in their first aid kit you can try, just wash them first. It could be a bit uncomfortable depending on where the fastenings end up so it will take some practice and it may not bind enough, so again the more you practice you'll be able to figure out whether or not this method will work for you.

Other methods to try are control top pantyhose with the crotch and legs cuts out or a waste shaper meant for under skirts. Neoprene waste trimmers or back support devices which again someone may have on hand. There are more involved ways like layering of shirts to bulk up your appearance altogether lessening the effect of your breasts overall if you know what I mean.

Check out the link below for more info.

Answer 3

lol...i completely understand. In the past year 5 months I've played three male roles. You don't have to duck tape anything (because that would hurt A LOT). You can wear a swimming suit. But like a competitive one piece and that should cover it. Make sure it's tight or else it doesn't do much.

Answer 4

You can use ACE bandages (as suggested above) but there are also vests you can use that are made to compress a woman's chest.

Women who are transitioning to men use them. It's called "binding". You would probably hit pay dirt if you googled "binding vest" or something like that.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I was in a play where i had to be a little girl...i wore a sports bra and then flattened my chest with tape. It's not as painful as it might sound.

Answer 6

Instead of binding your chest (which I can tell you from experiance is NO FUN) maybe you could padd beneath your chest and just be a sort of portly waiter.

Answer 7

tight clothes under and baggy cloths on top!I have played a man and a women in the same show so i was crazy with costume changes. Good luck

Answer 8

Try wrapping your chest with an ace bandage or duct tape...ouch!

Answer 9

maybe you can be a broad man w/ a big chest

Answer 10

This is something that your costume designer has probably had to deal with on many prior occasions; I would bring this concern to him/her, and take their advice.