TEMPORARY RELOCATION OF COSTUME WORKSHOP BEGINS AS MAJOR LOTTERY GRANT AWARDED
TEMPORARY RELOCATION OF RSC COSTUME WORKSHOP BEGINS AS MAJOR LOTTERY GRANT AWARDED
Over 1714 reels of thread, one 1920’s manual treadle machine, 3500 pairs of shoes, 36 mannequins and one 80-year-old anvil are just some of the items that will be temporarily relocated in preparation for the Costume Workshop restoration and redevelopment.
The Royal Shakespeare Company has begun the temporary move of its Costume Workshop ahead of its restoration and redevelopment, which is due to begin this summer.
The move coincides with a £950,000 National Lottery grant towards the conservation of the RSC’s Costume Workshop’s Grade II listed buildings. Awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the grant will also give the public access to the building’s heritage for the first time, with a focus on the craftspeople, designers and actors who have worked there.
Vanessa Harbar, Head of HLF West Midlands, said: “I’m delighted that we can support the RSC to restore the Costume Workshop and open the building to the public. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will celebrate the theatre’s unique history of costume-making and ensure its talented craftspeople continue to weave their magic for years to come.”
As part of the move, the 30-strong Costume Workshop team will pack and temporarily relocate:
- Over 1714 reels of thread
- 7885m of stock fabric
- 3500 pairs of shoes
- 862 square feet of stock leather
- 1131 magnets
- one pricing gun
- 126 paintbrushes
- 5 Sheila’s Maids
- 115kg salt
- 97 hat blocks
- 2 hat stretchers
- 27 fob watches
- one Sonic Jewellery Cleaner
- one swivel knife
- one power file
- one anvil pre-1950s
- 36 Mannequins
- 45 Sewing machines
- one manual treadle machine from the 1920’s
- 7 tailor’s hams
- 8 velvet boards
Thousands of people from around the world have already donated to the RSC’s Stitch In Time campaign. There is still £1.3 million left to raise towards the £8.7 million project, which will help the RSC continue to create the stunning costumes for audiences to enjoy.
The RSC, a registered charity, has the largest in-house costume-making department of any British theatre. Alongside its own armoury, the workshop includes many specialist skills and crafts including men’s and ladies’ costume-making, millinery, dyeing and printing. The team create hundreds of costumes each year, which are seen by audiences across the world.
The Costume Workshop is located opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre hidden behind the Grade II-listed 1887 former scene dock constructed for the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Costume making on the site dates to this time, with the current workshop being here since the 1950s. The close proximity to the theatre is essential as the workshop also includes facilities for fitting and maintenance of costumes during the life of a show.
The team will continue to produce costumes during the project, relocating to a temporary space across town for the duration of the works, which are due to be completed by spring 2020.
The restoration and redevelopment will:
- Create the best facilities for costume-making, in a working environment fit for the 21st century including more space, more natural light and improved heating and cooling
- Care for the heritage Grade II listed buildings, including the 1887 Scene Dock
- Enable visitors to experience our world-class Costume Workshop for themselves on tours and online
- Create new training and apprenticeships opportunities to enable costume-making skills to be passed on to future generations and to secure the future of costume-making in Stratford-upon-Avon
ENDS
For further information contact jane.ellis@rsc.org.uk, or dean.asker@rsc.org.uk
For more information about Stitch In Time visit rsc.org.uk/stitch-in-time
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The restoration and redevelopment of the Costume Workshop is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional support from the Garfield Weston Foundation, Lydia and Manfred Gorvy, The Foyle Foundation, The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation and other generous supporters
COATS Official Thread Supplier to the RSC
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Grants applications are assessed in two rounds. A first-round pass is given when HLF has endorsed outline proposals and earmarked funding. A first-round pass may also include an immediate award to fund the development of the project. Detailed proposals are then considered by HLF at second-round and as long as plans have progressed satisfactorily and according to the original proposal, an award for the project is confirmed.
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery and #HLFsupported.
RSC Costume Workshop
The RSC has the largest in-house costume-making department of any British theatre, and the only on-site armoury, where breastplates, fake weapons, belts and gauntlets are made. Other specialist skills and activities include men’s and ladies’ costume construction, millinery, dyeing and printing. The stock room and workshops contain fabrics, braids, buttons, bows and sequins which help to make the hundreds of costumes created each year. The workshop also includes facilities for fitting actors into their costumes, and ensuring their maintenance during the long life of a show, sometimes through years of performances. This makes the workshops proximity to the theatres essential.
About the RSC
The Royal Shakespeare Company creates theatre at its best, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world. We produce an inspirational artistic programme each year, setting Shakespeare in context, alongside the work of his contemporaries and today's writers.
Everyone at the RSC - from actors to armourers, musicians to technicians - plays a part in creating the world you see on stage. All our productions begin life at our Stratford workshops and theatres and we bring them to the widest possible audience through our touring, residencies, live broadcasts and online activity. So, wherever you experience the RSC, you experience work made in Shakespeare's home town.
We have trained generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future. We encourage everyone to enjoy a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare and live theatre. We reach 530,000 children and young people annually through our education work, transforming their experiences in the classroom, in performance and online. Registered charity no. 212481 rsc.org.uk