Reflection on My First Day at Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures
Today was my first day at Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, and I felt a mix of excitement and nerves, especially as this is a company I greatly admire. I met the team, including Diane Williams, the costume supervisor, and fellow placement student Aimee Ward. Diane’s warm welcome immediately put me at ease.
I arrived 15 minutes late due to flooding on the DLR, which made me anxious about my first impression, but Diane was very understanding.
One highlight was discovering that the costume studio is right next to the dance studio, which will hopefully allow us to attend some rehearsals and also means fittings are much more easy to coordinate.
In the tea room, I saw Matthew Bourne’s pass for the rehearsals. This felt so surreal. I had overlooked that fact that he would be there and having admired him and the company, I couldn’t believe I was becoming part of it, for the next 6 weeks and with a relatively small team.
My tasks included setting up sewing machines and creating fitting rooms, using trundle boxes, as well as organising name hanger dividers and locating costumes for the dancers. This was helpful as it meant I knew exactly where everything would be going. It was so exciting to see peaks of costumes coming out of the trundles, as we opened them. I was especially drawn to the rich black and burnt orange velvet Moth costumes, bejewelled with glimmering hot stones.
As the day came to a close, I reflected on how excited I am to be involved. This production has such a storied history, within the world of ballet and was the pivotal show in establishing New Adventures’ reputation. It feels incredibly special to be my first experience of ballet. I am really looking forward to seeing the iconic Swan Legs.
I’m also eager to meet both Matthew and Lez Brotherston, although I do feel a sense of nervousness, as they are two icons within the industry, whom I really admire.
Overall, it was an exciting start, and I look forward to the challenges and experiences to come.