Tell us a bit about your current job.

I work as a freelance Costume Supervisor in theatre. In a nutshell this means I organise turning a designer’s ideas into reality. I deal with the logistics of getting the show on to the stage which means sourcing everything needed for the show, employing and co-ordinating a team of makers, dyers and buyers and dealing with the budget. The approach is different on each production. Depending on the style, size and period setting of the show and the budget you are working with you might decide to make all the costumes, buy all the costumes, hire all the costumes or do a mixture of all three and adapt some bits and pieces along the way.

What and where did you study after school?

I went to Central School of Speech and Drama and did a three year degree in Design for the Stage. The course covered both set and costume design but from the start I preferred costume! In the final year of my degree I was given the opportunity to supervise one of the university productions and then did a work placement with costume supervisors working on a ballet at the Royal Opera House. I really enjoyed this role which allowed me to use my organisational skills as well as still allowing me to be creative so focused on this aspect of the industry when I graduated.

How did you get from answer 2 to answer 1?

The theatre industry is difficult to get into and takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. There is no one route into this role but in my case I spent the first year or so after graduating designing/supervising small fringe shows for little or no money and worked front of house as an usher in the evenings and weekends to make an income. It certainly isn’t ideal and I’d recommend trying to find a paid placement or apprenticeship if possible but this work enabled me to start building up some contacts and experience. I then successfully applied for a trainee role at the National Theatre working as part of both their wardrobe and hire department teams. A member of the hires team left six months into this and I took on the job of hire assistant for two years. I was working in their store of costumes from past productions which are reused in new National Theatre productions and hired out to other theatres, film & tv shoots, stylists e.t.c. I learnt a huge amount about the history of costume and the way different outfits are put together while I was there and spent a lot of time looking at the inside of clothes to see how they were constructed. I met many designers and costume supervisors while I was there. It was a hard decision to leave a permanent position (which are quite rare in theatre) for the uncertainty of the freelance lifestyle but the opportunity came up to be Assistant Costume Supervisor on the London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies which I couldn’t turn down. After that I was asked back to the National Theatre to assist on a production on a freelance basis. I worked with a brilliant supervisor who I really clicked with and this led to her asking me to work on numerous future productions. I started assisting a number of different supervisors who I either met whilst on another show or I was recommended to by someone I previously worked with. While working on these productions I built up relationships with designers who then started offering me supervisor roles on small productions and this has gradually turned into bigger jobs. I’ve now worked on plays, operas, musicals, events at venues all over the UK.

How does your formal education feed into your present career (if at all)?

Going to a drama school which put on full scale productions taught me a lot about the way a theatre works and all the different roles within it which has been invaluable. Working in theatre is such a collaborative process it is important to understand what each department does and how you can work together. You might think that costume and sound wouldn’t have anything to do with each other but if the cast are wearing radio mics you’ll have an awful lot to talk about! The same with how lightning can affect the colours of costume and how the surface of the stage and choreography might affect footwear choices. At university I learnt all about the designer’s process which enables me to work well with designers to solve practical problems creatively today.

What things have you learnt outside of formal education that have been helpful to your career? 

I’ve learnt a huge amount ‘on the job’ and from assisting other supervisors. There are things like how to behave in a fitting and work with different personalities that no one can teach you. It also takes time to build up a knowledge of suppliers and fabrics which is essential. I’m constantly finding new places to buy fabrics haberdashery and vintage clothing! I keep a spreadsheet of contacts from fabric shops, to vintage suppliers to people who are are really good at making hats and props.

Since graduating I’ve taught myself how to sew and the process of learning how to put together different garments has been invaluable to me in terms of improving how to communicate with costume makers and problem solve in fittings. In terms of training since I left university I’ve only done one course on sewing dance-wear and tutus, but that was really out of personal interest rather than professional! I’ve also spent a lot of time studying the history of costume. I go to a lot of exhibitions and talks and have a huge collection of costume books at home. The subject is endlessly fascinating to me and I love doing a period production as it means I’ve got a reason to dive right into that era and research all the tiny details of the way people dressed at that time.

What are the really useful skills for someone in your job to possess?

Being able to work well with people and communicate clearly is the most important thing. You’ll be working as part of various teams and it is your responsibility to make sure everyone has the information they need. Being good at multi-tasking is essential, you’ll juggle approximately 20,000 tasks, phone calls and emails each day and you’ll need to be able to think on your feet and be inventive. A good head for numbers, sense of humour, positivity and patience don’t go amiss too!

What does an average day at work look like for you?

No two days are ever the same in my job which is exactly what I love about it! During the rehearsal period of the show when the costume team are working to create the costumes I’ll start at around 9-10am. The day might involve a mixture of sampling fabrics, shopping for shoes, underwear and accessories, selecting costumes from a hire company, sending parcels of fabrics, haberdashery and cast measurements to makers and meetings with the designer or the rest of the production team to keep up with what everyone else is doing and how that may affect costume. It is an important part of my role to keep on top of everything at all times and not let anything slip through the net. At the end of the day’s rehearsals stage management send through the rehearsal call for the following day which might include costume fittings and they also send through notes from that day. They may flag up a potential quick change, include a request from a cast member for a pocket in part of their costume or ask to have stand ins for parts of costume like coats, hats and bags in the rehearsal room so the cast can get used to working with them. After these come through I can generally make a plan for the following day and at home in the evening I’ll prepare to do lists (so important to me!), go through receipts and check on the budget.

Once we get ‘on stage’ and start the technical and dress rehearsals (when the cast wear their costumes for the first time) my day looks completely different. I’ll still start around 9am and depending on the schedule for rehearsal that day, spend the morning shopping or working on alterations and notes from the previous day alongside the wardrobe team. Once rehearsals start I’ll spend some time in the auditorium with the designer seeing how the costumes look on stage, checking that quick changes go smoothly and noting down anything that the designer would like to change. I’ll also be working on getting the understudy costumes bought/made and fitted during this time. These days are generally quite frantic as there will be a lot to do to get the show looking great but it is my favourite part of the process, I love the atmosphere backstage! We rehearse late into the evening and at the end of the day there will be a meeting for the director to pass on their notes to the creative and technical teams. I’ll finish around 11pm.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I get to work with some amazing people and the experience of being part of a great team all working hard to make a show the best it can be is really enjoyable. There is nothing like the satisfaction of seeing your hard work on stage and getting it there, whilst stressful, is a lot of fun! As a self-taught seamstress who sews a lot of her own clothes for pleasure it is wonderful working with fabrics for a living and is incredibly inspiring to work alongside incredibly talented costume makers to see how they cut and assemble garments. I love doing costume fittings as it gives me the opportunity to ask questions about the best way to work with different fabrics and different sewing techniques. There is always something more to learn in this job and that really motivates me.

What’s your least favourite aspect of your job?

The long and often antisocial hours! It can be an exhausting job, both mentally and physically but it is exhilarating too. It can be hard to maintain a healthy work/life balance and difficult to find time to see family and friends but I try to make the most of any downtime I might get between jobs. You become really close with the rest of the team on a show though and I’ve made some great friends this way.

What advice would you give to someone seeking a job like yours? 

Do your groundwork, see a variety of theatre and find designers/supervisors whose work you admire. Contact them to see if they need an extra pair of hands on their next project. You can also write to some of the big theatre companies with established costume departments for work experience and costume hire companies like Angels and Cosprop too, many offer placements. 

In preparation for applying for a placement or position I’d recommend really working hard on your knowledge of period costume, fabrics and that database of suppliers. Get out and about in London, or whichever city you are in to see what is out there. You’ll need to be able to suggest fabrics to designers so work on your knowledge of fabrics in the same way. Touch, play with and ask questions about fabric names and properties. Establishing a solid knowledge of how garments are put together is a great idea too, it comes in really handy when coming up with ideas to make things work in a fitting.

In any role work hard and make a good impression, you never know who is watching and where your next job might come from!

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