Narrator: Broadway shows don't last forever.
But some of the costumes used on stage can get a second act,
thanks to a not-for-profit organization
called the TDF Costume Collection.
Cabral: We have a dress from "Wicked," worn by Elphaba,
as well as one of the "Mamma Mia!" jumpsuits.
Narrator: That's Stephen Cabral, the director
of the collection, which is based in Astoria, Queens.
TDF accepts donations from various theatrical performances
at the end of their run and rents them
back out to other performances for reuse.
Cabral: We do approximately 1,000 productions a year,
renting over 10,000 costumes,
both here in New York City as well as nationwide.
Narrator: They have over 80,000 items
in their collection, including shoes, shirts,
dresses, hats, gloves, and various other accessories.
Cabral: A lot of times when a Broadway show
will eventually close,
the costumes are usually retained for the tour or backup.
But every once in a while, a Broadway show will say,
"Okay, we're done with these clothes; you can have them."
Narrator: TDF started back in the early '70s,
when the Metropolitan Opera moved to Lincoln Center
and donated costumes from 22 shows.
TDF has since expanded, offering all sorts of items
donated from a variety of performances and individuals.
Cabral: Recently, we received a rather large
and very exciting donation.
Hollywood, Broadway fashion designer, Bob Mackie.
Narrator: Some notable pieces Mackie donated were a dress
worn by Julia Louis Dreyfuss at the 1997 Emmy awards
and an entire production
of "The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public."
Cabral: When the original production of "Rent"
finally closed,
after running for many, many years,
we were very fortunate to receive
all of the original costumes from the original
off-Broadway production, before it moved to Broadway.
We received many donations over the years
from "Mamma Mia!" when "Mamma Mia!" was on Broadway.
We have a dress worn by Jane Krakowski
from a recent production of "She Loves Me,"
some costumes worn by Patti Lupone
in the revival of "Gypsy."
Narrator: While many of the items are iconic,
you won't necessarily find something worn
by big celebrities like Cher or Barbara Streisand.
Cabral: Many celebrities actually wanna hold on
to their costumes,
either to potentially open a museum or more likely
later on in life have some sort of celebrity auction.
Narrator: Many amateur stage performances rent from TDF,
but so do some TV shows and movies.
Cabral: "Saturday Night Live," when they're filming,
depending on their season and their needs,
is in here sometimes every week.
Narrator: TDF costumes can be seen
in this skit with Betty White.
"Now all we need is a dress and some proper shoes
and a little womanly allure."
Narrator: And this skit with Justin Timberlake as Mozart.
Both "Birdman" and "12 Years a Slave"
featured costumes in the film
that were rented here from the TDF Costume Collection.
Cabral: The only type of rental that we really don't do
is Halloween.
Our costumes are really not Halloween-worthy.
We also try to avoid doing rentals
where there is any food or beverage involved.
Narrator: Anyone can go in and explore the collection.
But if you wanna try anything on,
you have to fill out some paperwork first.
They have mannequins you can use to check sizes
and dressing rooms you can book in advance.
"Here I go!"
Narrator: Cost is based on a whole look,
not per individual item.
Cabral: The other part of our pricing exists
with number of weeks
of performances and how large your theater is.
Narrator: You also have to pay
to have the costumes dry cleaned before returning them.
Stephen says they have a green strategy in place
to make sure all the items get as much use as possible.
Once an item gets too ragged, it's moved to a special area,
where these types of items are in demand.
Cabral: We have a distressed section.
So for productions like "Les Mis" or "Urinetown,"
these are costumes that need to not look so great.
Narrator: And two or three times a year,
they open up the warehouse for a special bag sale.
Cabral: You pay for that bag, you go in,
and whatever you can shove into that bag
and take out the door is yours.
Narrator: So no matter what condition a costume is in,
there's always a chance at an encore performance.
Cabral: We sometimes will put costumes
on people and there's nothing.
Nothing changes, they're just kind of like, "Eh."
Then you put costumes on people
and it brings out a whole other personality or two.
And it's kind of fun.
"Lovely to meet you."