Barbie Peaslip

Barbie Peaslip

This outfit was fun to make.  I used  a leaf as a pattern and cut out lots of gauzy pieces from a scarf and then I painted them with glitter glue.  Barbie Peaslip's hair was inspired by Botticelli's Birth of Venus.  The shoes were found in a mishmash of My Little Pony accessories.  Sometimes Barbie hangs out with them.

The stage has many traditions and superstitions.  Never say "good luck" to an actor.  Never say the name of the play Macbeth, say 'the Scottish play'.  Never practice taking your bows until the final dress rehearsal.  Do not whistle, use real money, carry peacock feathers or a real bible on stage and always leave a light on in an empty theater.

I love live theater.  The second live play I ever saw was A Midsummer's Night Dream at Neptune Theater in Halifax.  To start, everyone was dressed in drab and brown shades.  The perimeter of the stage looked like an Elizabethan village street of unpainted cottages.  But then, scene change, all the actors threw jerkins on over their earth-toned costumes.  At the same time flower-shaped pillows were tossed across the floor, the actors all made a whispery swish sound and the black lights were turned on. We were in fairyland.


Some of the minor cast members for A Midsummer's Night Dream are Peaseblossom, Cowslip, Moth, Mustardseed, first fairy and second fairy.  I'll let you in on a superstition sacred to  Shakespearean actors.  First Fairy is always played by Barbie Peaslip.  I know, cool, right!  She is never listed on the credits. So, ta-da! You are now a member of the cognoscenti and you know the secret tradition too.