Work

In between planning the next place I want to travel to, I sometimes have to go to work. The show I work on is...well, it's spectacular. It's like nothing I've ever worked on before.

For those who don't know me, I work in Costume. The absolute most basic description of my job that I can come up with is "I put clothes on people very quickly, and then I take them off again, also very quickly". Obviously it involves a lot more than that, there's a lot of maintenance, repair, organisation, and flat out sprinting, but for anyone new to theatre and costume, that's the bottom line.

I didn't consider costume as a career until I left university with a degree in music. I genuinely wanted a career in the music industry when I left school, but by the end of university I had lost the love. It taught me a lot and I wouldn't change my degree for the world, but I realised theatre was my true calling. I worked as an usher then wrangled my way in backstage, did bits and pieces of dressing, LX, crew work, took some classes in costume and sewing, then found myself in London. I worked for a couple of years on West End shows, meeting some of the most amazing people and learning a lot. And now I'm 7000 miles away, working for the circus, something that at one stage I never thought possible!

With another costume lady, and a fellow Manc!

"I'd like to accept this award for most awesome costume department on behalf of...wait, what do you mean it's not mine?"
At the Asian Film Awards

Things you see in the costume workshop...