Look at these lyrics by Paul Simon from his album “Graceland”: She's a rich girl
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
He's a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose With two bits of characters’ clothes, we understand a lot about these people. That is what a good theater costume should do. Take pockets, for instance. As an actor or director, I love working with pockets in a costume. Tissues stuffed into pockets come in handy for a weepy character. They’re also good for surreptitious dusting for a meticulous person or can be littered about the room for a sloppy person. It may not be in the script, but when added, it delineates character while giving the actors something to do. When I directed the children’s play Miss Nelson is Missing, the costume designer sewed deep diagonal pockets into Miss Nelson’s costume. I had Miss Nelson take peashooters and other things from the students, and as soon as her back was turned the kids slid them right out of her pockets again. It showed the kids winning the battle of classroom control, and it was funny. In a large cast play, young actors sometimes need help maintaining their character and focus when they are just listening, not speaking. In my mystery-comedy play Dress Rehearsal for Murder (see link below, thank you very much), I had the actor playing Ronald Fitz-Charlton, a wealthy real estate magnate, put his hands deep in his pockets, and when he withdrew them, dollar bills would fall out. This showed his wealth and also showed a lot about the other characters—revealing who would pick them up and return them and who would quietly stash the bills on their own person. Another character recently into mysticism, Mrs. Peabody, had various amulets and a rabbit’s foot in her pockets that she used to reassure herself when things got scary. There aren’t any lines to support this stage business; it’s just a nice bit. It teaches actors that it isn’t about the number of lines you have; it’s what you do with your stage time. Have fun coming up with your own ideas for how to use pockets and other details of costume design to enhance your play’s characters, and break a leg! | 
