Ten-hut! Military stage drama keeps costumes real

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Michael "Doc" Kuhn and Jason Kaplan rehearse for the Crown Point Community Theatre production of "A Few Good Men." The play opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, at the old Lake County courthouse in Crown Point, Ind. | Photo Provided

Updated: February 21, 2012 8:14AM

While Broadway productions often have thousands of dollars available for costumes, community theaters usually have no budget.

This is a constant challenge for local costume designers. For Michael “Doc” Kuhn, who is costuming the Crown Point Community Theatre production of the military drama “A Few Good Men,” it’s a matter of honor as well.

Kuhn, a Vietnam-era Army veteran and shift commander with the Griffith Police Department, wants every detail of the uniforms in the play to be as accurate and authentic as possible.

“When I see soldiers portrayed, I want to see everything portrayed right,” said Kuhn, who also plays Col. Nathan Jessup in this production.

This is the second time that Kuhn has helped costume “A Few Good Men” and the difficulty in finding authentic military items led him to an idea for a new company that would provide uniforms, dummy weapons and other items for theatrical, commercial and film productions in the Chicago area.

Kuhn is calling this new company MASH — Military and Security/police Help.

“It’s hard to find police and military items, especially since 911,” he said. “And, you have to be careful who you rent them to.”

With no budget, Kuhn has been scouring military surplus stores, contacting local Armed Forces recruiters and using his own personal collection of military and police memorabilia to fit the cast of “A Few Good Men.”

While Kuhn didn’t disclose what his budget was for the show, costume budgets for entire plays and musicals in community theater are often $50 — and more often nothing.

“It’s a challenge,” said Stephanie Naumoff, who has costumed dozens of plays in and around Northwest Indiana. “Theaters will collaborate and share costumes, you search the thrift shops, make alterations when you can and if you have to, you make the costumes from scratch.”

The fact that “A Few Good Men” is set in the late 1980s has helped Kuhn with the availability of some uniform items. During that time, camouflage on working uniforms was the M81 Woodland camouflage design that has been replaced with the digital Marine Pattern.

Kuhn believes the extra time and effort is worth it, especially when it comes to portraying military, police and fire personnel.

“It takes away from the whole play when a policeman comes out with a beard and a squirt gun,” he said.