How to make a costume for the
Orphan Jessie in the play Annie
Jessie
is one of the six orphans of the well-known Broadway musical character Annie
which is looked up to by little girls around the globe. Annie
is a comic strip popularly known as “Little Orphan Annie” created by Harold
Gray in 1924. Jessie’s character is a
ten year old girl, an orphan and is considered to be one of the major roles in
the play - Annie since she is one of the
singers of the Never Fully Dressed which are sang by the girls in the
orphanage. If you are going to play
Jessie’s character; here’s how to do a Jessie costume:
Things you need:
Simple
Dress (preferably old or second hand) or Plain shirt, colored skirt, top
Hair
pins / Hair bands colored
Black
long wig or a Rapunzel Hair style wig
White
long socks
Plain
Black shoes
Cut
clothes in small squares (in different colors)
Steps in Making Jessie’s Costume:
Step 1: Try to look for simple
dresses preferably the ones who look old.
You can use a simple white shirt and a knee-length colored skirt. You can put a colored top on the shirt to
make her costume noticeable even at the back of the audience. Keep in mind that
it should look plain and simple since Jessie is living in an orphanage.
Step 2: You may also use a long
white sock and an old black shoes; this was a common get-up during the time of
Annie so you can make a perfect costume for a Jessie character. You may also have other simple color combination
of socks and shoes depending on your fashion sense.
Step 3: For the hair you can
make it two pony tails both on the sides to make it look like a 10 year old
girl or you can also use long black hair wig which is made Rapunzel hair style
if preferred. Bear in mind not to use a
red wig since this is the trademark of Annie so
that when they see a red-haired character they could easily
distinguished Annie from the group.
Putting Hair Bands will also
enhance Jessie’s hair-do if you prefer her hair not to be in pony tail or Rapunzel’s
style. Do not use silk cloth since this
signifies wealth better use a colored cloth as hair band.
Step 4: You can also put some
accessories like a cut square clothes to make it appear like the dress or skirt
is repaired and or worn out.
Step 5: You may also watch the previous Annie
musicals played in You tube or the movie
musical Annie starring Aileen Quinn and look for the character of Tessie and
how she was dressed; this can give you an idea of Jessie’s dress
There is no commercially
available Jessie costume since the orphan appearance varies from every
production. The appropriate clothes can
be found at a thrift store or a second hand shop.
Step 6: You may also consult the
director of the show about what is his vision of the orphans so he can give you
additional inputs on dressing Jessie.
Be creative and have fun in
making Jessie’s costume.
Tips and warning:
1)
Since there is no commercially available Jessie’s costume
because the orphans
appearances
varies in every production, a simple and old girl’s dress is a perfect costume
for a Jessie character; just keep in mind that it should look like simple,
plain and a poor girl’s dress. Anyone
who sees it will know that the girl belongs to a very poor class hence unable
to dress well.
2)
Do not be afraid to be creative. You may use cut clothes to accentuate the
skirt or you may also cut it so it would look like it is worn out.
3)
Dressing Jessie will not tame your freedom for fashion. Even if it’s simple your creativity in color
combination will be enhanced.
4)
You may customize and look for simple accessories; it will
do justice to the character.
