A costume is made of more than just fabric: it can also be the weapons and props our actors carry, and the armour and shoes they wear.
We are the only theatre in the country that makes these four elements - armour, costume props, footwear, and weapons - in one in-house department. Our specialist team of armourers usually work with plastic, leather and sometimes metal to create their pieces, but materials can include everything from window blinds to table mats. Having the right armour means our actors look and feel ready for battle when they march out on stage.
Alan Smith, Head of Costume Props, Footwear and Armoury, started out as a trainee leatherworker and learnt everything on the job. He talked to us about his most memorable work during almost 30 years in the department.
Career highlights
There are two costumes that really stand out for Alan: "I enjoyed making the black armour for The Shoemaker’s Holiday (2014). We had a 16th-century portrait for reference. He had a black breastplate with etching and engraving down the front. The way we recreated this was by having a breastplate and cloth for the body and all the engraving created using hand-tooled leather, dot by dot. I got halfway through the toolwork and wondered what I had let myself in for! It had to cover the front, both the arms, and the back as well. The infill is dotted with a tiny stamp.
"My best known costume is Alex Hassell’s armour from Henry V (2015), which was in the posters for Stratford-upon-Avon, London, New York, China, for cinemas worldwide and even on the DVD cover. I’ve seen it seven foot high and I’ve seen it in London, China, and America. The armour is now in our museum collection."
A challenge
Alan recalls that for Doctor Faustus (2016), there was a box at the back of the stage containing two knives, one real and the other a trick weapon: "The actor [here, Sandy Grierson] went into the box, picked up the real Stanley knife, used it and returned it to the box. When he comes to sign his name in blood with Mephistopheles, he picks up the blood-knife Stanley knife, 'cuts' his arm and then signs his name, saying ‘Now my sons, this is a wound.’ Making the knife was a challenge, but the method I used I’ve now adapted for other shows."
A strange tail
Alan doesn't see any of his work as particularly strange - "It’s just what we do!" - but some of the items have been quite unusual: "For The Witch of Edmonton (2014), I made a skeletal dog’s tail – no skin, fur or muscle, just the bones. The support belt looked like a pelvis and then the latex spinal cord stuck to his back. The Wigs team then stuck the tail onto the actor and blended it into his headpiece. It was almost like making a prosthetic, and the tail wagged!"
Planning ahead
To come up with the best designs and costumes, Alan recommends not rushing into anything: "Think about what you want to do and have a clear plan of what you want to achieve before you start.
"Your only restriction is what you think you can’t do. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work so try a new way of doing it. I always prefer to ponder something, thinking it through thoroughly before I say it can’t be done. And don’t be afraid to change methodology halfway through if the plan isn’t quite working."
Stitch In Time
Alan works in our Costume Workshop, Stratford-upon-Avon. We are restoring and redeveloping our workshops to give our skilled costume makers 21st century facilities to help them continue to create stunning costumes for you and audiences around the world to enjoy.
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