Anne Boleyn: The Costume Challenge
Wokingham Theatre is no stranger to period productions and the requirement for many beautiful costumes. In March 2020, Anne Boleyn was due for curtain up at the dress rehearsal when COVID pulled the plug. Costumes were made, altered, hired and allotted to the actors. Dressing rooms were laid out with all the accoutrements and we were set to go. Fast forward 19 months and here we are again, but many of the costumes look a little different.
Rosemary Matthews was the costume lead on this show and, together with her team, had packed the costumes into storage. Those hired pieces were returned to the costume hire companies and moth balls laid. The epidemic meant quiet spells for much of the population, but while the sewing team at WT busied themselves with making scrubs and scrubs bags for the NHS, Rosemary &co also set about replacing those hired numbers by making original costumes. Not only did this save on hiring fees, but we now have more stunning outfits for future shows or hires.
But these activities were not without challenge. No longer able to visit fabric shops, material purchases were made online – not always receiving either the colour or quality one imagined! Costumes were made to measure – but measurements of many of us altered during lockdown and trying costumes on was impossible for a while.
But these activities were not without challenge. No longer able to visit fabric shops, material purchases were made online – not always receiving either the colour or quality one imagined! Costumes were made to measure – but measurements of many of us altered during lockdown and trying costumes on was impossible for a while.
Keeping fit during lockdown, our building team undertook significant backstage changes resulting in fabulous new dressing rooms and green room facilities, but also meant the removal of our backstage wardrobe. This meant dining rooms became workshops as the costume team no longer had a workspace in the building.
Finding things that had been ‘stored away’ at WT… well, that has been interesting! With a large cast of 15 and several costume changes (Anne herself has 5!), this play was an enormous challenge.
Covering both the Stuarts and Tudor eras the devil is always in the detail. For example, the dresses had to be boned as corsets were not invented until the late 1500s. There are so many layers required, this meant quick changes had to be meticulously planned.
One of the highlight costumes in this production is the Coronation Gown. A huge dress with decoration literally fit for a queen. All the ermine was hand stitched (yes, all the individual black bits). The layers of fabric totalled 6 at the waist which broke many a sewing machine needle even on our heavy-duty machines. The final weight topped 19lbs! This amazingly stunning and ornate creation was designed and made by Kate Hughston.
Kate had been a stalwart of the costume team for many years and considers this creation her swansong as she is shortly moving to the Isle of Man. The photos show another of Kate’s creations for Anne which takes over 10 minutes to dress with all the various layers. Whilst a challenge, Anne Boleyn has proved a showcase for the skills of our volunteer costume team which we hope you will all enjoy!
— Sue Daykin