Ten years ago, Martin Bishop was about to embark on a major production for the Players, marking 100 years since the outbreak of World War I – Fall In and Follow Me! This massive undertaking involved not only performing in the Mulgrave Theatre, but also in the Palm Court, transformed into a London Street. Suffragettes marched, a zeppelin attack caused a massive explosion, and the audience participated enthusiastically in the action! During a casual conversation with him, I blithely found myself offering to undertake the role of costume designer/co-ordinator, working alongside Jean Henderson, the doyenne of the Players’ wardrobe.

The number of costumes required for this production was vast – it included uniforms as well as Old Time Music Hall costumes for the Mulgrave, and we had to dress the huge cast for the street scene in the Palm Court. It was certainly a baptism of fire.

I have always been fascinated by stage costumes, particularly for opera – I sang with Kentish Opera for some years and learned a lot from their professional costume designers. So, I set about researching the costumes required for this production. There is generally a costume budget, but huge savings can be made when existing items in the store can be altered or adapted. We have endless supplies of evening and wedding dresses, men’s DJs and tails, but what I love most is dressing peasants, villagers and the like, using the varied tatty stock we hold.

If you ever visit the Players’ store, you would be utterly amazed at how much ‘stuff’ is down there. Three years ago, our space was cut by a third, to accommodate F&B storage, and we were forced to reduce our stock. Space taken up with props and lighting paraphernalia has now begun to increase too. We are grateful to members who drop off their unwanted items, but we must now be a little more circumspect about what we can accept.

Once I know the production, I research the period in which it is set: Fall In required Edwardian dress, but the pantomime Snow White, reflected the Medieval period; The Cherry Orchard was set in Russia and Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, the turn of the century. Having researched ‘the look’, it is most important to coordinate the colour scheme with the set. We scour the store for costumes that we can use or adapt and then decide what needs to be hired. For some years now we have used Academy Costumes, where we are brilliantly assisted by Andrew Allen. It is always a pleasure to visit them and cast members just love to go there for personal fittings. Amazon is a great resource, but obviously authentic uniforms and suchlike must be hired from specialists – difficult when everyone was producing plays commemorating World War I. I searched everywhere for Lord Kitchener’s boots!

We have a terrific costume team: Wendy Thornton-Fell, Amanda Kidwell, Penny Birts and Lizzie Lee – all with individual talents. We love making costumes from scratch (Ascot dresses and maids in My Fair Lady and Pierrot outfits for Oh! What a Lovely War), but it is time consuming! Our most recent production, Wyrd Sisters, had a low budget, and I was delighted that we could recycle costumes from Snow White, and adapt other existing clothes in the store. Yards of green velvet curtaining provided enough material for six tabards which were edged with gold braid. One of the most amazing transformations, was the dress made for the Wicked Queen in Snow White (John Cahill) into one for a very slight Charlie Fisher as the Duchess in Wyrd Sisters (left).

We really enjoy the team camaraderie and are thrilled that cast and audiences alike appreciate our work.

HANA TILLER