Margaret Catchpole 2012: Dressing-up Games

The first two weeks of me working at Eastern Angles as Costume Supervisor has been exciting and challenging.  As costume supervisor it is my job to make the designs a reality, and to do this I have to source, buy and make the costumes. For this production I am hoping to source most of the costumes because I don't have the manpower or the time to make too many of the costumes.

A large majority of my time so far has been scouring local (and not so local) costume stores. The play is set in the late 1700s, and unfortunately not many plays were written in this time. So, because of this not many costumes were made, resulting that this is a difficult period to source for.

The smugglers gear is relatively easy to source for as it doesn't need to be fitted and it's all plain so I have managed to find these without too much problem. Petticoats and underskirts were also fairly easy to find, as they didn't change much through the century so I don't have to worry about contingency as much with these. Shawls, mop caps and bonnets have also been an easy find, while hats other than tricorns have been quite difficult.

The items that have been the most difficult to find so far have been for the revenue men and dresses for Mrs. Cracknell and Margaret. This has been partially because the only dresses I have found from this period have been too ornate, and the dresses I need have to be plain but well constructed.

The problem you get when sourcing for a production is that you are never going to find exactly what the designer has designed, so you have to use common sense and historical knowledge to find something that is as historically accurate as possible and still fits with the design. Sometimes this is just not possible and in this case I have to find what I think could be used with that character and keep in touch with the designer so I don't drift too far from the original design.

I have also found that while sourcing, I will find something that looks to have the correct cut and shape, but has been made from modern fabrics, which is a shame as it spoils the look and would not look right on stage.

The next step for me is to go to London and check out the costume hire houses there. After that I will have to start making anything I can't source. I am lucky enough to have had a very helpful assistant, Megan, who has helped me to organize and do any adaptations to the costumes.

After this I will start on making anything that can't be sourced!