I took in a dress by creating darts this morning. I was initially a bit nervous and unsure as I haven’t often done this, however, with help and guidance from Amy, I soon realised it was a fairly simple adjustment and I was really happy with it once I finished it. It made me realise that often the thought of something is more confronting than the doing.
Today I continued with small alterations. I quite enjoyed sewing a protective under-patch on the underarm of one of the sequinned dresses and was happy with its execution. This was to prevent the sequins from rubbing against the performer and causing irritation. It was a good lesson in considering how garments wear on the body and how this should be taken into account in their construction. I also attempted to add fullness into the Moth Maiden skirt, however I soon realised this was a feat outside of my experience and was a point to pass it onto Helen or Sarah. This didn’t feel like giving up, rather assessing my own skills and realising that in order to maintain the integrity of the skirt, somebody with greater construction knowledge would be better suited to working on it.
Today I was focussing on smaller alterations: one included taking out an old bra and fitting the dress with a new one. Frustratingly, although a simple alteration, I realised, after herringboning it back in, by hand, that I hadn’t lined the back up exactly and so I had to redo it and unpick all of the herringbone. Ultimately this was a good lesson in checking my work and the silver lining was that I got in more practice of my herringbone stitching. I also replaced the fingers on the Goblin King suit, which I enjoyed because it gave me a bit of creative freedom with choosing from the spares.
Today the Swan legs arrived. This was a really surreal moment, as they are incredibly iconic costumes; as a kid I remember seeing them for the first time at the end of Billy Elliot and being taken away with a sense of magic and awe. They are incredibly intricate and beautifully made, all created using hundreds of meters of fabric that is broken down and shredded, by hand, to imitate the look of feathers. I was so inspired seeing them and it felt like a pinch me moment, as well as being very motivating as to what can be imagined through design.
I also got the hem for Bryony’s ‘Monaco Princess’ finally finished. This felt very rewarding as it had become very arduous on Friday. Looking on it with fresh eyes, after the weekend, made a big difference and I was really pleased with the outcome; the skirt was level, neat and I learnt a new skill. I felt proud of myself afterward.
I found today a mixture of exciting, yet also challenging and frustrating. I ended up spending the whole day on the Princess of Monaco garment, as it had a lot more alterations than I realised and these were new to me, so it took me much longer. I really enjoyed problem solving and finding ways to resolve issues with the dress, however only working on one garment made me feel really inefficient and a bit inadequate. Toward the end of the day, I started levelling the hem. Helen had offered to do it, as it was fairly time consuming and challenging, but I wanted to learn and force myself out of my comfort zone. However, it did become very frustrating and tedious. I think doing it at the end of the day meant that my energy was low and my focus was waning. I am going to look back on it with fresh eyes on Monday. I also got my first pay check today, which felt incredibly rewarding. It feels exciting to feel like the work I’m doing is worth being paid for and that it is an ‘official’ ‘real’ job. I feel like although I am less experienced and of course on placement, this validates the work that I’m doing.
End of Week Notes and Takeaways:
Friday 27/09/2023:
The events of today have left me on a bit of a euphoric high and have felt somewhat surreal.
I have been really enjoying working with the team; they are all incredibly welcoming, patient and happy to offer insight into their experiences of theatre. Diane has been really generous in letting me come into fittings and had expressed that myself and Amy would be welcome to poke our heads into the dance studio to watch a bit of the ballet rehearsals. I was really excited by this prospect, as ballet is a world I have limited knowledge of, other than through shows at Sadlers. I am finding it really exciting to speak to the dancers about their experiences, as they are so different to my own and I am finding their unrelenting drive really inspiring and in some ways difficult to comprehend as I cannot imagine having the capability to push myself, mentally and physically to within half of their efforts. I am finding it really personally motivating. It makes me feel that what I want to achieve, to work within industry as a successful designer, is attainable, if I commit myself in an equally driven way.
Myself and Amy went into the tea room, for a quick break and were both a bit awe stricken to find Matthew Bourne in the room with us. I was really grateful to Amy, as she initiated a conversation with him and from there on, I found it easier and more approachable to work my own questions into the conversation. It was really fascinating and revealing to hear from him, directly, about his inspirations and experiences with the show. Asking him about how the show has changed over time, he explained that through the years he has been able to refine and reimagine his original choreography and that he feels the show is at a point where he is currently the happiest and proudest he has been of it. He says he feels more connected to the show in its current form, as it is a reflection of his own artistic evolution and it has been able to grow into a more mature and refined piece. It is so fascinating to hear how Bourne relates to the show in this way; one may assume that due to the original 1995 shows 5 star reception and being burnt into ballet history, Bourne may not have felt that it needed improvement or development from its original performance. I find that I also look back on older pieces of work I create with critical eyes and see flaws that may not be so pronounced to other viewers. However, I also think that it is wonderful that a piece can develop and become fluid and ever evolving, beyond its original iconic form. Bourne’s Swan Lake today, sharing the same essence and fundamentals of the 1995 show, is birthed from Matthew Bourne’s learning and own development since he first choreographed it. We had a really rich conversation with Matthew and it was really encouraging to genuinely engage with someone I have found so inspirational and to be able to learn more about the show. He then invited myself and Amy in to watch the rehearsals. We sat and watched as the 8 principles evolved into the Swan and Prince characters, with Matthew and Etta Murfitt (Associate Artistic Director) directing them. This was thrilling to watch. I am becoming incredibly fascinated by dance. I love how the body becomes the vehicle of the storytelling, as words are lost. In relation to costume, it has been so interesting to listen to Diane, Lez and Sarah Holmes take into account how fabrics need to be malleable, for the dancers, with modifications made to garments, such as the mens sleeves having gussets added in, to ensure movability. I really like how this adds a new element of problem solving into the costume design and making process. The costumes become even more important, as they are the only other indication, outside of the dancers physical expressions and set that convince the audience of the story they are being asked to believe. Overall this was such an incredible day and has left me feeling elated and curious as to what a career making costume for ballet could look like.
Today was an incredibly enriching and inciteful. The day began gently, as I started by replacing rusted fastenings and prepping garments for adjustments, specifically unpicking the side seams of the yellow ‘Butterfly’ costume. It was fascinating to see how eroded the old fastenings have become (the garments have been stored away in trundles since 2018). A very experienced older maker Sue, came in and she gave me really intriguing and informative insights; I had been button hole stitching the fastenings back on, however she told me that this was not the ideal way to do theatre fastenings, although it is attractive. Instead she told me that the best way is to ensure the thread goes through all the layers of fabric, even if its seen at the back as it ensures the fastening is attached as securely as possible and because the visible threads can’t be seen as these are stage costumes, as a pose to film, where everything can be subjected to the critical view of the camera. It was really helpful to realise that there is this difference between film and stage costume. Stage needs to be incredibly durable, needing to last a minimum of 200 performances, whereas films costumes may only be shot in one scene and must be perfectly executed. The morning alterations were fairly straightforward and I feel that the tasks of the first few days have begun to ease me into the placement
I also had the pleasure of meeting Helen, an experienced costume maker who often works with the Royal Opera House and will be working with myself and Aimee for the next 6 weeks. She immediately struck me as approachable and open to questions, creating a welcoming environment for learning. I really appreciated her honest feedback; she wasn’t afraid to tell me when something needed redoing, but she did so in a supportive way that encouraged me to improve.
A highlight of the day was attending a fitting with Diane Williams, (Costume Supervisor) and Lez Brotherston (renowned Costume Designer). This was my first fitting in a professional context, and I felt a bit out of my depth. However, Diane made me feel included and eager to absorb as much knowledge as possible. During the fitting, for dancer Molly Shaw Downie, I found Molly so friendly and receptive, which made it easier for me to ask questions about her experiences. Hearing about her experience as a dancer was incredibly inspiring, as it requires a huge amount of discipline, drive and dedication. I found speaking to her made me want to apply her work ethic to my own practice.
Talking with Lez, in the fitting, was both exciting and intimidating given his impressive career. However, he was surprisingly open to my questions. He shared some valuable insights about the industry, expressing his concern that too many designers are graduating from universities without enough job opportunities. He expressed that a mixture of drive, motivation and candidly a bit of luck is integral in order to make it in the industry, as a designer. I appreciated such honest advice and it was a reminder that a lot or hard work and maybe a bit of delusion and self belief is a necessity if I want to make a career in costume design viable.
Lez also revealed that he doesn’t see himself as skilled in drawing, but instead finds ways to communicate his vision through specific poses and materials. This really struck me, highlighting the importance of developing my own approach rather than just focusing on conventional skills. He critiqued the trend of relying solely on mood boards and designers who come to meeting with vague, generalised ideas, emphasising the need for specificity and clear references designs.
I feel that I have gained invaluable knowledge today and it was a lesson in asking questions. It has also given me a very realistic and honest perspective on the difficulty of breaking into the industry. However, this doesn’t leave me feeling cynical, instead I’ve found it very motivating and encouraging that there is a place for me if I work hard enough.
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.
