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A day in the life of wardrobe |
Who's who in the department?
Wizzy Shawyer (Head of Costume), Janet Comber (Costumier), Symone Frost
(Dyer/Painter) and Gerry Tiernan (Stock Keeper/Buyer). We also have a
touring wardrobe department; comprising of Touring Wardrobe Manager,
Shoe supervisor, Wig Supervisor and several casuals who we employ on a
regular basis to help with our maintenance and refurbishments and to
run the shows.
Can you describe a typical day?
There really isn't a typical day, every day is different!
When does work start?
The day begins between 9 and 10am usually. If we are busy then we often work until 7 or 8 in the evenings.
What's the first job of the day?
The first job is always to put the coffee and the irons on.
What do you all talk about when you are all working?
A bit of everything really, we have even found ourselves shouting at the radio on occasions!
Tell me about costume fittings
The key to the fittings is co-ordination, it's a case of getting the
maker, the designer and the dancer together at the same time. Most
costumes have more than one fitting and these last for anything up to
an hour for new costumes, but it can be as quick as ten minutes for a
costume from a production that is already in the repertoire.
Does each member of the team work on their own costume from start to finish?
We work on each costume as a team. Gerry is responsible for stock
taking, checking supplies, maintaining financial records and sampling
fabrics. Symone does the dyeing and painting and also helps with the
hand sewing when we are particularly busy. Janet takes the design,
creates a pattern and then makes the costumes. Wizzy oversees the
entire process, from liaising with the designer and handling the
budgets to co-ordinating the fittings.
How did you train for these roles?
There are courses that you can go on to get training, but we've found that the best experience for this job is on the job!
So what did you do before you came to English National Ballet?
Janet: I've worked in the wardrobe departments of the Royal Opera House and English National Opera.
Symone: I started in the fashion industry as a textile designer before coming to English National Ballet.
Wizzy: I spent seven years at the Royal Opera House (mainly overseeing
Ballet Costumes - new and revivals), as well as working with the Royal
Opera and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Then I worked freelance for a year
as a Costume design assistant in New York at the Met and Sante Fe
Opera. Additionally, I have worked for televsion and theatre and other
Freelance work includes San Francisco Ballet, Siobhan Davis and the
Royal Ballet School.
What has been your favourite production to work on and why?
Melody on the Move, we were working with great designs, really
lovely fabrics and it was clear to us what look the designer wanted to
achieve. The designs are so varied, which meant the costumes were fun
to make.
When are you busiest?
All the time! Most of the time we have a day to clear the tables after
one production before we have to start working on the next!
What do you do when you have finished for the day?
Go out for a very well-deserved drink!
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