VIVIAN MACDONALD Stratford, Ontario
vmmwrite@sympatico.ca
© Vivian Macdonald, 2008. Webmaster: Sheila Ascroft
Vivian Macdonald
Stratford, Ontario
vmmwrite@sympatico.ca
Stratford, Ontario
vmmwrite@sympatico.ca
CANADA
Stratford, Ontario
The magic of the theatre is on stage for all to see at the renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival, but behind the scenes is an equally fascinating drama.
“Everybody who works at this place is a genius,” Molly Christie announces.She knows what she’s talking about. For 10 years, as a volunteer, Christie has been explaining the inner workings of Stratford productions to thousands of visitors during tours of the backstage area of the Festival Theatre and the huge costume warehouse.Of course, the play’s the thing here, but the backstage tours are the bonus.The costume warehouse is a good place to start.
It’s 88,000 square feet: “Don’t ask me to translate that into metric,” says Christie. (Actually, it’s 8,175 square metres). “It’s the third largest warehouse in the world devoted to costumes. Only Los Angeles and London, England, are larger than we are. There are something like 55,000 pieces of wardrobe in here and about 10,000 pairs of boots and shoes.”Before the tours beings, Christie provides a brief introduction to those seated in a “country home” – part of designer Desmond Heeley’s 2006 set for London Assurance.
Stratford, Ontario
The magic of the theatre is on stage for all to see at the renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival, but behind the scenes is an equally fascinating drama.
“Everybody who works at this place is a genius,” Molly Christie announces.She knows what she’s talking about. For 10 years, as a volunteer, Christie has been explaining the inner workings of Stratford productions to thousands of visitors during tours of the backstage area of the Festival Theatre and the huge costume warehouse.Of course, the play’s the thing here, but the backstage tours are the bonus.The costume warehouse is a good place to start.
It’s 88,000 square feet: “Don’t ask me to translate that into metric,” says Christie. (Actually, it’s 8,175 square metres). “It’s the third largest warehouse in the world devoted to costumes. Only Los Angeles and London, England, are larger than we are. There are something like 55,000 pieces of wardrobe in here and about 10,000 pairs of boots and shoes.”Before the tours beings, Christie provides a brief introduction to those seated in a “country home” – part of designer Desmond Heeley’s 2006 set for London Assurance.
“This is essentially a piece of plywood and the embellishment to make it look like a regal home is all pool noodles, brown craft paper, which they tore up and wrinkled up – the guys refer to that as cornflakes – and then it’s put on with white craft glue. They just worked it and massaged it to give it the texture and then it’s been painted,” Christie explains.The warehouse is a climate-controlled and fire-retardant building. There’s care taken on every level to protect the precious collection.With the start of the tours, there a warning: “Do not touch. There oil on our fingers and we don’t want your DNA showing up on the costumes.”
Seeing is enough. There are rows and rows and rows of gowns, coats, cloaks, pants, shirts, hats, caps, gloves in all shapes and sizes.
While many are recycled from year to year, they “never go back to the stage the way you saw them (in their first incarnation),” Christie tells us. Alterations provide a new look while preventing the waste that would result if the costumes were discarded. And sometimes they go on the road: the Metropolitan Opera, for example, is just one organization that rents garments from the Festival.
At the end of the season on the banks of the Avon River, Madonna Decker, warehouse supervisor, catalogues all the costumes “so that she knows what show, what actor, what act, what scene. And they know all the accessories that went with it, from the skin out,” Christie says. “If it is a period piece with corsets, jogging bras and pantyhose are not part of that era. So it is literally from the skin out. When the actors sign their contracts, they agree that they will wear a cotton undergarment or shirt under their garments because they perspire so heavily.” There is a laundry facility at the Festival Theatre.
While many are recycled from year to year, they “never go back to the stage the way you saw them (in their first incarnation),” Christie tells us. Alterations provide a new look while preventing the waste that would result if the costumes were discarded. And sometimes they go on the road: the Metropolitan Opera, for example, is just one organization that rents garments from the Festival.
At the end of the season on the banks of the Avon River, Madonna Decker, warehouse supervisor, catalogues all the costumes “so that she knows what show, what actor, what act, what scene. And they know all the accessories that went with it, from the skin out,” Christie says. “If it is a period piece with corsets, jogging bras and pantyhose are not part of that era. So it is literally from the skin out. When the actors sign their contracts, they agree that they will wear a cotton undergarment or shirt under their garments because they perspire so heavily.” There is a laundry facility at the Festival Theatre.
“I always think of it as summer camp,” Christie laughs, “because there are name tags on all of the pieces.” All the hose are washed after every performance, some shirts will be washed and pressed after every performance.Then there is the RCD, the “Russian Cleaning Device.” Vodka. The vodka is spritzed on because it will remove odour and does not leave a stain. “But we can’t use the most expensive vodka because it doesn’t work,” Christie notes with some satisfaction.As we walk through the amazing array of apparel, Christie provides the facts. It takes 80 hours to make a couturier dress; all wigs are made with human hair; men’s facial hair (for beards and mustaches) comes from the underbelly of a yak, because that most closely resembles men’s facial hair. And “we can make you fat (with padding)” to the point that the belly can wobble like jelly. At the end of a wondrous 45-minute tour, visitors can have the fun of trying on costumes.
Igor Kravtchenko of Toronto chooses an elegant orange cloak with ermine trim and matching headgear. It fits perfectly and he looks every inch the part of Henry VIII (“the 1986 proudction,” says Decker after one quick look). Sandra Phillips of Montreal tries on the same cloak but it’s not quite the same look – she is a foot shorter than Kravtchenko. Still, she looks delighted and so are the rest of us.
Christie is also the guide for the backstage tours at the so-called “Big House,” aka the Festival Theatre. The tour begins in the theatre, itself, with an introduction to its history, then it’s on to the “underground world” below the stage, via the vomitorium (the short runway that “spews forth actors.”
Christie explains that this is the largest repertory company in the English-speaking world. A British director who visited a few years ago was “absolutely blown away by the fact that we could present so many shows in one week to the highest production values.”
Christie is also the guide for the backstage tours at the so-called “Big House,” aka the Festival Theatre. The tour begins in the theatre, itself, with an introduction to its history, then it’s on to the “underground world” below the stage, via the vomitorium (the short runway that “spews forth actors.”
Christie explains that this is the largest repertory company in the English-speaking world. A British director who visited a few years ago was “absolutely blown away by the fact that we could present so many shows in one week to the highest production values.”
From below stage, the tour winds through the narrow hallways of the fabric room the dyeing rooms, the props department to artisan alley where the walls are lined with design sketches and dozens of sewers work on costumes as other mould and paint masks.
There’s no stopping to chat here – these people must concentrate on every detail. And no photos. Designs for upcoming seasons are veiled in secrecy until opening night.By the time the season opens, though, visitors will be able to see how the underground work translates to the stage and, without doubt, have a greater appreciation of the team work involved here.
Backstage and warehouse tours are held from June to the November closing. Tickets are $7 each; $5 for seniors and students. For more information, go to www.stratfordfestival.ca.
Backstage and warehouse tours are held from June to the November closing. Tickets are $7 each; $5 for seniors and students. For more information, go to www.stratfordfestival.ca.
© Vivian Macdonald, 2008.