THE LOOP — Jack Corkery, 17, wasn't sure what he was going to be for Halloween this year until he came across a floor-length, all velvet cloak that once graced the Lyric Opera of Chicago's stage.
"Now I have to be [Claude] Frollo from 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame,'" said Corkery, who is among more than a thousand people who came out to the Lyric Opera of Chicago's costume sale Saturday seeking garb from renowned productions like "Don Giovanni" and "Anna Bolena."
Corkery, who performs theater at Willowbrook High School, was lucky enough to shop at the sale while the racks were full, but many weren't as fortunate. The line to get in to the costume sale started at the Wacker Drive entrance, and snaked around to the Washington Street bridge and around the corner to Canal Street.
Suellen Semekoski, 57, spent her entire morning waiting in line and had yet to even stand near the building by 11 a.m. She said she wanted to buy her friend "one little thing," like a scarf or hat, or repurpose some items for herself, but she couldn't wait in line much longer.
Still, she didn't express one bit of annoyance at having to wait.
"I think this is good for the Lyric," said Semekoski, an associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. "It's a way to attract attention for possible subscribers, so it makes sense."
The Lyric Opera has hosted a costume sale only once before, in 2004, when it moved out of a warehouse in Pilsen. At Saturday's event, only 200 people were allowed to shop in the Grand Foyer at a time, according to organizers.
"I used to work for San Francisco Opera and I knew the potential for the popularity of an event like this," said Michael Schoenig, one of the event organizers and the technical finance manager at the Lyric.
Around 3,000 costumes were up for sale, ranging in price from $1 to $200, but a select few elaborate gowns worn by named performers like Debra Voigt cost around $1,500.
The event in 2004 was held over the course of a few days, Schoenig said, and it raised $77,000 for the opera house. This year's sale was held on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. largely due to scheduling, Schoenig said, adding that organizers had to "fit it in where they could" because of a show at Millennium Park and rehearsals for its regular season.
Sarah Brown, 23, snagged a Renaissance-style coat with puffy sleeves and a long coat with Japanese-inspired details at Saturday's sale.
"I think I could rock this one just going out," said Brown, a nursing assistant, of the Japanese-inspired coat. "I know it's a little bizarre, but I like that all of these things are so unique."
Similarly, James Flounderson, 3, doesn't work in theater either, but he stood near a towering pile of costumes he was planning to buy.
"I had no idea the different periods of history it would cover," said Flounderson, who works as a salesman for a chemical company.
Among the costumes in his pile was a Civil War coat, a king's royal jacket, a Peter Pan-inspired coat and a Queen of Hearts dress for his friend, he said.
He said he plans to wear them at various costume parties his friends show throughout the year or on Halloween.
Others, like 19-year-old Katie Tumavich, shopped for items with Halloween at the front of their minds.
Tumavich has been working for The Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery, south of Aurora, for the past three years. At the sale, she found around 15 items including unusual pants, church wear and shirts she could distress or dye to create spooky costumes for work.
By 11 a.m., the racks were looking sparse, but people continued to spill into the foyer. Freelance performer Scott Cooper, 50, said he felt a little frustrated by the size of the crowd.
"Three times I've seen things I've wanted and couldn't get them from across the room," said Cooper, adding that those who work at smaller theaters are generally responsible for bringing their own costumes.
When asked if the costume lovers of Chicago will have to wait another decade for a similar sale, Schoenig said it's a possibility.
"We will see," Schoenig said. "It certainly wouldn't be a yearly event because the logistics of planning are very extensive. We'll just play it by ear. We will let everyone know when we're having another one."
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