The Music Man is set in 1912, so period costumes are required, and some research into the possible attitudes and habits of society at this period. Fortunately this year is well documented, partly because of the Titanic disaster, and the news coverage that has survived from that time, and the films and stories that have been made to tell the story of the unsinkable liner. There is much interest in this story because it is 100 years since it happened, and lots of ideas for commemorative events include costume and hairstyle details, which are very helpful.
Hairstyles relate very much to the hats that were being worn at the time, and wide hats required structured hair to support them, and allow long hat pins to be skewered into braids and buns to keep hats in place. We so rarely wear hats these days that it requires quite a lot of practice to remember to keep one's poise with a large and unwieldy confection of net and lace, feathers and flowers, balanced precariously. Especially when you then are about a foot taller than usual and have to remember to duck through doorways.
Men's hats were not quite so difficult to manage, but remembering to raise your hat every time you meet anyone, when to wear or not wear your hat, removing it on entering a house, carrying it in your hands instead, all of which are no longer part of everyday life. Plus no wristwatches, only pocket watches, so actually using these things and making it seem natural and not contrived, all add to the characterisations of the chorus as well as principals. Personal props all add to the period feel, but are also a trap for the unwary or less experienced members of cast. Few of us recognise the anachronisms of gesture which we use every day, such as looking at your wrist to indicate that you are conscious of time, or of someone being late, even when not wearing a watch at all. It's a gesture of modern convention, but not always easy to avoid.
Who thought there was so much to learn when they first started to engage in amateur drama, and set foot upon the boards?
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