August 2023-Costume prep for ‘The Wind in the Willows‘
What starts with ‘What have we got that looks like a toad?’
Moves through ‘Otter would be good in Victorian bathers!’
And ends with ‘Antlers just drying out in the oven’.
Pre-production Costume Collective discussions for the next Aunty Jen Productions show of course.
Hot on the heels of the tremendous Tempest, there is no time for slacking as the call arrives from Jen to meet and start planning for the Wind in the Willows summer show. A small group of volunteers huddle around a dining table sharing tea, cookies, skills, knowledge, ideas and friendship. Character descriptions from the script, internet searches and our familiarity with the small, tight band of players help us to create a vision of each costume, with the aim of supporting the actors to bring their characters to life.
Step one: let’s look at what we have already in our increasing wardrobe reserves, see what can be adapted, reworked and recycled into new costumes. As always we remind ourselves that we must get round to cataloguing our stock soon, as it fast outgrows our recall, as well as the famous container storage unit!
Step two: match this against the list of actors and their measurements spreadsheet – does anyone know who’s lost weight since the last performance?
Draft one concludes the meeting, lists of costumes to be retrieved from the store, hats to be sourced, tails and carrots to be crocheted, new measurements to be taken, charity shopping lists finalised, we are on the way.
WhatsApp is on fire for the next month:
Who’s got the rabbit ears from Alice? ( we can adapt those)
How about this for Toad? (looking out for driving goggles still)
Who fancies a trip to the container store to find Lady B’s driving coat?
I’ve done the weasel tail… what does a ferret’s tail look like?
How are we going to attach the horse’s tail to manage an easy, fast costume change?…
We need to regroup, casting has changed so we need to review costumes and sizes too.
Deadlines for dress rehearsal set, sewing machines, scissors, glue guns and crochet hooks steaming on top of managing children, work and summer holidays. Fitting day arrives and all completed items are put to the test (still working on a few bits and running alterations, but honestly Jen, they will be ready for opening night).
After a week of rehearsals costumes are added to the mix for the actors. The company, now well into their characters and how they will be moving around the stage and complete costume changes, offer feedback on what may need some alterations and adaptions.
Mainly, however they are so excited to try on our creations and so very positive and complimentary, our vision of their characters coming together with theirs in a synergy of skills and creativity. Their enthusiasm for our work as they swish and twirl around the room is only matched by our enthusiastic applause as the curtain comes down on opening night. What an impact we have all made to our community and what a personal sense of achievement to see those pieces of material, once scattered across our floor, help create amazing theatre.
Oh, and does anyone know where we can find some knee length boots for the Panto?
The Costume Collective Team
August 23
Summer 2021 – Alice in Wonderland! By Neville Cann
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll. We invited him to the show but he didn’t reply.
Alice’s story is a good allegory for the world we have been living in for the last year and a half.
We’ve adapted to change, solved practical problems, cried, tried different foods, maybe seen friends disappear, been afraid and run around in circles for no obvious reason, been trapped in small houses, grown from our experiences, shrunk into our rabbit holes and have kept the hope of emerging into a beautiful garden without losing our heads. It’s been hard, but knowing that Alice will be all right in the end makes it easier to laugh about it. Our awareness of our own condition, and a sense of humour, are what separates us from the Cheshire Cats, the doormice and the jam tarts. And then we woke up and it was all a dream.
Aunty Jen Productions was established by Jennifer Rigby, a member of Studley’s lockdown support group who created the character of Aunty Jen when she read a story every day on her YouTube channel. Since putting on A Midsummer Night’s Dream last year, in the space of just three weeks, Aunty Jen Productions have now performed Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo and Juliet. We are already planning this year’s pantomime.
We are pleased to be working with flamingos again, having mentioned the Got To Go Flamingo in Sleeping Beauty!
Alice has been translated into ninety-seven languages, which gives us a convenient excuse if we go wrong.
Is it a children’s story or a social comment? Where does the Cheshire Cat go? Why is a raven like a writing desk? And who cares? Let’s just sit back and enjoy it.
