Freedom Fries

A quick and breezy puzzle by Alison Donald, where 4 clues are united by a common word:
Where actors put costumes on - dressingroom
1950's girl's fashion - poodleskirt
Witty banquet figure - toastmaster
Thanksgiving decoration - hornofplenty
And let's just say the word that can precede this clue is a synonym of freedom.

Here's a list of people I didn't know for this crossword (let's google them!):
Mimi Sheraton: Food critic, notably for the New York magazine and NYT.
Ara Parseghian: Notre Dame football coach, apparently quite famous.
Cyrus Vance: Sec of State under Jimmy Carter
Pierre Loti: French writer of the late 18th, early 19th century. Notable works: The Third Youth of Mrs. Plum, The Disenchanted, The Death of Philae, and Judith Renaudin.
Ryan Nolan: Record-breaking baseball pitcher, notably for the Rangers.