Well done all, and special congratulations to our nominees for these Auckland-wide awards: Michael Boyle as Vince Fontaine, Josh Morris as Roger, Dani Criek as Jan, and our wonderful costume & make-up designers and wardrobe managers Therie Bearsley, Valerie Langford and Beate Weir.
You’ve had a chance to see the acting nominees on stage, so this month we present our Wardrobe experts, who so deserve their nomination.
Valerie joined the theatre in 2012 to help with the production of A Christmas Carol, and the following year Therie joined for Pirates of Penzance, the first of many Gilbert and Sullivan productions. They have both worked on every major show since, as well as most of those held in the Gate Theatre.
Getting the costumes right is a pivotal part of any show, setting the era, and the style. Torbay Theatre has an extensive wardrobe that has been amassed over many years, and Therie and Valerie’s superb sewing skills have enabled them to re-fashion and upgrade the clothing, as well as making many quite complicated costumes from scratch. They and their helpers also put in many hours for each show ironing, mending and washing the costumes.
The club also has reciprocal arrangements with other theatre groups to lend and borrow from each other’s collections. And the wardrobe is just one part of putting on a production – Therie and Valerie stress that it takes many willing helpers backstage to put on a successful show.
Actors have time off between major shows, but the theatre’s Backstage Club meets on Wednesday mornings all year round, where maintenance of costumes is a big part, along with caring for and creating props and scenery. Anyone interested in costuming is welcome to pop into the Gate Theatre Wednesdays 10:15-12:00 for a chat and a tour.
