Drama Blog - Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story - November 2020

So what goes on behind the seams?  Rather a lot, actually!  Over the years Dolphin has accumulated a large number of costumes, props and bits and bobs from all over the world- found in markets and charity shops or created by talented parents and caretakers.  They had all been living in a small attic space above the Music Room for a very long time alongside a few uninvited creatures. Until the summer of 2020. 

Photo taken just after the costumes had been removed 

It was a mess and the Drama department knew that something had to be done, but had never been quite brave enough to take that first step.  Until Julia, one of our inspiring parents, took that first step, rolled up her sleeves and came up with a plan.   

Step 1 - empty the entire contents of the Wardrobe and sort through it all (my heart sank but I knew she was right!) 

Step 2 - do a deep clean of the space, tidy up any loose wiring and remove any unwanted small creatures 

Step 3 - replace the broken costume rails, fill in the random holes in the walls, add new lights and re-configure the layout  

Step 4 - paint the floor and the walls a bright clean colour (Paul, the caretaker’s idea) 

Step 5 - put everything back neatly and in its new place 

Quite a big job.  The perfect summer holiday job.  Iris, another kind parent, stepped in bravely to help us clear and clean and mend and sort.  And yes, we did spend the whole of the summer holiday. 

We gutted the attic and Aubrey (another of our kind parents) stored all our costumes, props and probably a lot of rubbish for months and months and months.  And then he brought it all back and we started sorting - bags and bags were offered to charity shops, some costumes had become home for those uninvited creatures for so long that they couldn’t be saved, and many were washed and mended by Julia.  We found some real treasures that I had certainly forgotten even existed! 

You should probably know right now that Julia knows costumes.  She worked as a wardrobe assistant in advertising, cinema and theatre so she looks at clothes with an      obsessive’s eye, analysing every stitch and imagining the history of every crease, stretch and wrinkle.  I began to look at our costumes with a new respect and curiosity. 

Costume design is the art of telling a story through the clothes that a character wears onstage.  The costume a character appears in, and the way their costume changes during the play, gives the audience information about their personality, attitude and status in the world.  A designer may be involved in designing set and costumes, which gives a strong sense of visual unity in a production.  In our recent Romeo and Juliet production the colours red and blue were used for the costumes to denote the different families and the graffiti set.  This choice played a key role in conveying the story onstage. 

The costumes in their new home ​

Sparkling newly painted walls and floor 

Over the years the Dolphin Drama department has picked up a few tips about costumes; one of my favourite being from the RSC.  It is always a good idea to avoid using zips in costumes, especially if you have to do a quick change as zips are notorious for getting stuck at the wrong moment.  Velcro is far too noisy, instead use industrial strength magnets. Perfect solution! 

So we did it.  It was a real team effort and I know we are all delighted with the result. 

Big thank you to FunRaisers for providing us with the kind donation, to Paul for sweating buckets as he painted the floor and filled in all the holes, to Julia for your vision, to Iris for being a tireless packhorse and to Aubrey for providing storage.  Dolphin Drama department couldn’t have done it without  all your contributions!