Mad Hatters - The Event at last!

Despite some rain, the event yesterday was a success! The performers played their roles beautifully - I managed to get some photographs at the event.

The Mad Hatter - Sam Dunning

Unfortunately, there were parts of the costume embelishment that were not able to be done due to last minute complications and unforseen time constraints. The hearts on the Red Queens costume were not put on, the buttons on the Mad Hatters waistcoat and the stripes on the Cheshire Cat were also not done, but on the whole the characters did achieve the look that was intended.

Thank you again to everyone involved, you did a brilliant job! I was happy to be your costume designer!

Mad Hatter - the coat continues!

Yesterday's task was painting and fittings. The main issue with the coat is that, in order to do the tails, the coat needs to be at least partially fitted, and the coat will not be able to get to the actor until friday. Not enough time for it to be turned into tails, painted and decorated. So, with this in mind I managed to find a volunteer that is nearly the same size and proportion and loosely fitted the coat on him. The front fitting I will tack into place as that it what keeps the form of the tails, the main issue is the back fitting. I have managed to do it so that it can be altered without affecting the shape of the tails so it will not badly affect the coat if it needs letting out.

Today's task - with no paint I am not able to carry on with the swirls until I can get more paint tomorrow, so in the mean time I am going to pin and sew the hem of the tails to fix it, and heat fixing the patterns already done into place. After I have finished and heat fixed the last of the patterning into place I will be able to begin adding the button decoration!

Before Fitting

After Fitting

The model is slightly taller and larger then our Mad Hatter Sam and so will be easily able to fit him. It is only pinned in place to allow for alterations if necessary, but this allowed me to do the tails. I have cut one, and when the paint is dry, I am going to fold the coat in half in order to have the tails even.

The Mad Hatter, the Doormouse and endless buttons!

After trying to dye the coat with a highly concentrated Dylon dye mix - 500g salt, 2 sachets of Intense Violet and 9 litres of water - the coat has come out...still exactly the same colour, very dissapointing since the coat is viscose and the dye said it would work on it, but we think the coat may have been treated and that is why it did not work. Because of this, tomorrow I will be painting patterns onto the coat with purple fabric paint - this will not make it one uniform colour but will add to the overall visual texture of the coat and overall that is the look we want for the show - bright, quirky and interesting. It is not an ideal solution as it will take a lot longer but it may turn out to be more visually interesting.

In terms of buttons, I managed to get ahold of another four bags of buttons, these ones brighter then the ones I have already collected. There were a number of  unsuitable buttons in with them - ones that would not show up brightly, or in some cases would not show up at all, and so after sorting through we are left with over 400 more to add to the collection! Whether this will be enough for all of the costumes is questionable but hopefully we will have more button donations!

With the coat drying, and the buttons sorted, I have been given the new task of finding a waistcoat for the Doormouse, as it needed to be ordered by tomorrow and Tanya had been unable to order one. I managed to find the waistcoat I wanted at a good price and have arranged for it to be delivered in the next two days when I should be able to have it fully decorated in time to give to Tanya at our meeting on Thursday.

On to the last issue of the day - the costumes for Tanya and myself. After issues in the crowds from last year where the production team, myself and Tanya included, had difficulty finding each other the organiser Becki has requested that we all wear bright, more easily recognisable costumes. With this in mind I designed a dress each for Tanya and myself, and one for the organiser Becki. However, due to lack of remaining time Tanya will not be able to get these costumes made so I have redesigned them to be adapted from easily found bought dresses. They still stick to the same colour scheme but they are less elabourate and quicker and easier to make.
The designs have had to be done quickly, as I only designed them this afternoon and they are being sent to Tanya online tonight.

The two designs, Tanya on the left and myself on the right, are meant to reflect loosely the colour schemes and characters of the two opposing natures of the characters - Tanya's being closer to the Red Queen, and myself closer the the White Queen and Alice.
They are much more simplistic then the original designs however with the button embellishments and the glittery top hat fascinators they will still be recognisable in a crowd.

Mad Hatters - The Coat

In order for maker Tanya to have enough time to fnish the remaining costumes, as of the day before yesterday I have taken on the task of the Mad Hatters coat! I have the benefit of being the designer and therefore know exactly how I want it to look. With this in mind I have already begun collecting what I need to be able to get the coat completed - but there has been a snag.

Firstly, I have found a good number of brilliant, perfect buttons. The main factor that is cohesive throughout the costume range for this production is buttons. The idea came to me as the organisers main stipulation was that the Mad Hatter hat be the same as the one used for the production last year and it is, in fact, decorated with buttons. I have designed the costumes so that they have at least part of the costume decorated with brightly coloured, mismatched buttons in both colour, size and shape. I found these in a craft shop for a pound and - though I am going to get a few more brighter ones these are more then a good start!

107 buttons for the Mad Hatters Costumes

The main part, though, is the coat - this Tanya had not been able to find, and so I immediately set about hunting for a suitable base coat. The benefit of the theme being as it is - a mix of modern and traditional Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland idea's but with the added aspect of being relatable by children now - is that the fabric of the Mad Hatters coat could have been almost anything and would still have been suitable, though I was hoping either for a non-shiny synthetic or a velvet. The Mad Hatter is the figurehead of the event, and so all the quirkiness of the other costumes can be reflected in his costume. With this in mind, I found and ordered this jacket online the day before yesterday, and it arrived this morning;

For the most part it is perfect - the shoulders fit, the sleeves are the right length, the lapels are good, the colour is bright - and heres where we come to the problem. The colour is bright, which is good. It is also PINK, where it is meant to be purple.

This is a problem - it wouldn't be if it wasn't for the fact that the waistcoat is orange and this is going to clash, and not in a good way. And so, after hunting online and through Boscombe and Lymington for a better alternative and coming up empty, the plan is now to paint the coat. Paint it with fabric paint that it - as it is synthetic fabric unfortunately the dyes that I can get ahold of will do nothing. Tomorrows hunt is for fabric paint!



Mad Hatters - Back to the fore!

With Romeo and Juliet now done, it is time to go back to the Mad Hatters Childrens Charity Tea Party Portsmouth. Bit of a mouthful, but an incredible annual event that I was honored to be asked to design the costumes for for this years event!

 

For a refresher on the designs - save the Red Queen and the doormouse that I need to re-scan  -

 

Due to Tanya Pye - the maker for this event - making the White Queen and March Hare for her final project for her Costume Making degree at the Arts University Bournemouth, some changes needed to be made for them to be complex enough makes.

March Hare
Tanya has knitted the waistcoat to match the design, but the shirt, which was going to be digitally printed, unfortunately could not be done because with the way the fur needed to be scanned it did not print recognisably onto fabric. So, myself and Tanya went to fabric warehouse and I picked out a bright green gingham for the shirt to replace the brown fur design.
The other change is to the hat - it matches the design but with two more cups added on top of the first, and with knitted cakes added to the brim of the hat.
The breeches are the fur that I chose on another trip to fabric land and have been made with elastic at the waist and legs, with the tights bought and the actor providing his own shoes.
(photos to follow)


White Queen
The White Queen has stayed very close to the design, the only parts that have needed minor changes are that a crinoline has been added to give the skirt more volume, and the neckline has been raised and brought in slightly to make absolutely sure there are no modesty issues. In discussion with the tutors we came up with the idea of using minuature teacups and teapots to go among the flower clusters and Tanya managed to find miniature ceramic teapots, teacups and saucers in bulk online and Tanya and myself set about painting patterns on them with blue ceramic paint.


The others so far
The Mad Hatter himself needs only his purple coat buying and decorating - which I am very excited about! His was the first costume I designed for this performance so I am keen to see that he looks the part.
The White Rabbit has had to undergo a change in the form of his checkered waistcoat - this has been changed to a satiny patterned blue waitcoat, with the rest of the costume remaining as designed.
Alice is already completed, the dress able to be altered from last years performance.
The Doormouse and Cheshire Cat need only their waistcoats to be bought and then they too are completed, with the actors again providing their own shoes. On the Cheshire Cat, a female cast member is now playing the part which was an unexpected turn of events and with the organiser keen to have a more femenine costume we will be adding thin pink stripes to the white ones already on the waistcoat.
The Tweedles are supplying their own plimsoles, their hats are completed thanks to a making helper, and the braces are bought they just need their jackets and shorts.

The Red Queen concerns me as I have seen nothing to do with her costume. However, there are still ten days and with the focus on Romeo and Juliet there is a good chance Tanya has, in the rush to fill me in on everything else, begun it but forgotten to tell me.

 So this is where we are at the moment! I hope to be able to put the fitting photographs online and the finished White Queen and March Hare, currently waiting on the photographer to get back to me.

Finishing up and Packing down

In the aftermath of the show, it has been very busy as is usual for the end of a show. The costume hires came back with me, and had to be sorted between Hirearchy and the AUB Costume hire store and the rest sorted for washing. I returned the Hirearchy costumes myself,  and returned the AUB costume store hires to Tanya for repair and for her to return as she is the one who signed them out. I have begun sorting through the production photographs - both my own and the ones taken by props and set builder Graham Cooke - and am very pleased with the results so far!

THE SWANAGE WEEKEND!

SUNDAY

MATINEE PERFORMANCE

On Sunday we were able to have a more relaxed morning - an early cooked breakfast on the BBQ and a mini game of catch with a rugby ball as a physical warm up in the sun was a very nice way to start the day!

At 12 we headed back down to the venue, a much smoother setting off and arrival as everything was already packed and ready. The additional problem to the night before was that the matinee was at the height of the day - fine for if it had been cloudy as many of our rehearsal Sunday's had been because that would have meant it was at just the right temperature, but in the heatwave that was this weekend it was a definite challenge!

When we were dropped off in my capacity as co-producer I went to Tourist Information to pick up any reserved tickets and to speak to our contact there about if there had been any issues raised or any further considerations to be taken into account after the performance the night before but I was assured that everything was going well.

We set up the site quickly and were ready in good time for the matinee performance. Due to the weather we waited until the last possible moment to get the actors into costume to stave off heatstroke as best we could and kept making sure the actors were drinking enough water and staying in the shade as much as possible.

 

 

BACKSTAGE

With the Matinee show over it was time for the actors to take a break and eat and for the prep to begin for the evening show.

EVENING SHOW

In the evening, unfortunately Romeo (actor Jay Westaway) was suffering from the heat and everyone was feeling overheated but we persevered. We kept him in the shade as much as possible, and kept everyone supplied with water and sat down as much as possible. Thankfully by the interval it was beginning to cool off and everyone was able to be a lot more comfortable.

Despite the heat and discomfort the actors were still able to put their all into the performance and everyone was happy with the final outcome. The costumes bore it well, where Tanya had glue gunned some of the trimmings into place the glue began to fail but it was only in a few places so thankfully it was not too noticeable. Lady Capulets dress was one that we had some issues with keeping closed despite changing the popper fastenings for hooks and eyes,  but thankfully with the judicious application of safety pins it lasted the weekend. The Nurse, we had added a neckcloth for the first performance but on the second day it was just too warm for any extra fabric and so we removed it.

The performance was well received by all who attended it! Here are some photographs from the second show - there will be more added later!

With the performance complete, it was once again time to pack up the costumes - this time making sure that the hires went into one suitcase, the bought and made pieces into the other - and the rest of the set and props. This took only half an hour this time, having done it the night before the process was a lot smoother.

It has been a wonderful experience getting to work with the actors, directing, designing and co-producing a show. I have learnt how to be a better director, how to better keep an accounts book, I have learnt a lot about advertising and the design of promotional materials. I have improved my ability to break down a script and design for Shakespeare  - it also gave me the chance to research a time period I have never looked at in detail before as I have never designed for the Tudor period before, having instead designed for more modern and contemporary pieces and plays.

Now on to what comes next - which will be returning the costumes hires, laundry upon laundry for the made and bought costumes, tallying the amount we have made against the cost, and getting it all written up.

This production has been done on a profit share basis. Having been the one keeping the accounts book, I know that it is unfortunately unlikely that we have broken even - this will not be certain until we have the final result back from both the Lighthouse and from Swanage Tourist Information, however it is looking unlikely. With this in mind, and wanting the actors to not go away empty handed, I have decided to make a disk for each of the actors to keep of production photographs for them to be able to use for their portfolio's and show reels, as well as each getting a copy of the programmes.

These are the production photographs we took in the interval of all the cast in costume.



The Capulets

THE SWANAGE WEEKEND!

Saturday

Arriving at the campsite at two pm a small group of us set about pitching our tents before the actors were set to arrive at three. We had decided to camp as it was the most cost effective way to house our actors for the two night's neccessary for our production. With the show starting at half 7, and set-up at the venue starting at 6, we had ample time to get all the actors split into the sections of the tents they would be staying in. For modesty/health and safety reasons we had the men and women separated - with two large two section tents, providing four large compartments, one compartment went to the women and the other three went to the men.

On the arrival of Tanya, wardrobe mistress, at the campsite I found that her dress had not been fitted yet and as such was very large on her. With not enough time for a proper fitting and alterations, we turned her dress inside out and I pinned the sides of her dress so that it was more fitted. Due to health reasons with her allergies I also found that she had added a drop waist to her dress, which did make it more difficult to fit.

 After Fitting

 

                      During Fitting

Tanya's other dress - the Rosaline costume - was a point of contention, as myself and Tanya had planned after discussion that the Rosaline dress would be the same as the Lady Montegue dress with inter-changeable sleeves and front panel. However, for the Lighthouse show Tanya had unfortunately been unable to complete the dress and therefore we had to buy a dress last minute for Rosaline from a local costume shop and cut Lady Montegue from the show. For the Swanage shows, the dress was meant to be made as discussed, however I was again told that the dress would not be completed in time, and so Tanya had to wear the same bought dress again.

The rest of the costumes were completed with Tanya with our making assistants Nell Rogers, Zoe Tweedie, Alee Brucato and Emma-Louise Michaels having made the Nurse, Gregoria, Juliet, Lady Capulet and Lady Montague and myself having made the doublets for Tybolt, Lord Montague, Benvolio, Mercutio, Romeo and the Prince and the cloak for Balthazar/Apothecary. The shirts, the apron for the Nurse, the buckles and the doublets for Lord Capulet, Paris and the two for Sampson being hires.

After the actors had arrived and everyone was settled, we headed down to the site to begin setting up. After further consideration of the space I had decided to move the costume tent to the bottom of the hill. This saved the actors from having to run up and down the hill in the heat and also meant that the changes were easier and faster. Thanks to the layout this meant that with the drop created behind the stage we could use the space between the wall and the tent as a backstage area. One problem with the heat and the tent that was caused was that while the costumes and the actors belongings were safe the heat made the inside of the tent incredibly hot, so that while it was good for changes it was impossible to stay in there for any length of time, however with the space and limited budget there was no alternative.

The set was minimal, the importance more on the use of the available then on outside set pieces. The only set pieces that were brought in for this venue were the two benches and the cordon to block off the area to allow for ticketing. The cordon that we used was bunting strung along poles, with the bunting being made out of the spare fabric left over from the made costumes. This created a bright and interesting barrier.

The performance went well, the actors happy and comfortable in there roles and the audience very receptive to the performance!

Here are some of the initial production photographs that I was able to take during the performance;

With the peformance done, packing out from the venue took 45 minutes with everyone pitching in - not at all bad for getting all the actors out of costume and getting the costumes packed, collapsing and packing the costume tent, gathering all props, dismantling the benches for travel and taking down and packing up the cordon. With all of that done it was time for a much deserved rest before the matinee the next day!

14 hours until the next show.

Final rehearsal!

4th July!

Tonight's was the final rehearsal before the big show weekend and the final shows! After the show in Poole at the Lighthouse Centre for the Arts there was very little that needed tweaking thankfully, the actors having given a full performance that was very well received by the audience. These last rehearsals have been to get that final bit of confidence in their lines, to get perfect any parts of their performance that they may not have been wonderfully happy with and to get them acclimatised to our Swanage venue at night! The evening performances will be starting at 7:30, and finishing at just after 10, so it is important that they know what the lighting and temperature will be at night so that they can be prepared for the weekend to come.

 

This was also the last chance for Tanya and I to do fittings with the cast.

 

Lord Mountegue Fitting

Lord Mountegue Fitting

Tybolt Fitting

Tybolt Fitting

Juliet Fitting

Juliet Fitting

Nurse Fitting

After the costumes were fitted, it was time to get on with the rest of the rehearsal! As well as getting used to the venue in the evening, it was the chance for the actors to have a run of the show with half the costumes so that the ladies in particular could get used to moving and coping with the trials presented by the full length dresses.