A Midsummer Nights Dream Production Shots

A Midsummer Nights Dream - Saturday

By Saturday everything was running very smoothly and there were only minor repairs to the fairy costumes. There was a matinee performance and then an evening one. In between the performances I pressed and cleaned shirts again and did some minor repairs on fairy costumes. After the final show we had to bag all the costumes, pack up the costume room and load it into the van as part if the get out. 

Working on this production has been a really good experience. When I entered the theatre for this production I felt that I new what I was doing and that I was confident in all the tasks I had to achieve. I believe I have built on past experiences of assisting in wardrobe and dressing and after this experience I believe I would feel confident in working backstage in a theatre after graduation. 

A Midsummer Nights Dream - Friday

There were minimal repairs before the next show; the main ones were to the fairy suits. I also took in Lysander trousers as they were too big and they didn't have any braces. I also helped with Bottom's quick change as Amy who usually did it had to leave early and the play was running slightly late. The change mostly went well however the tights from the previous night had ripped so a new pair had been made however these didn't fit so we had to find a sourced pair. This put pressure on the quick change but we got the actor on stage in full costume on time. The performance as a hole went very well and all of the actors were really happy with how it ran. 

A Midsummer Nights Dream - Dress Rehearsal / opening night

I went into uni early to source jewellery, shoes and bags form the costume store and collect a dress and boots. I then had some time to do some work on my 3PO project before leaving to go to the theatre. On my way down to the theatre I brought some bra strap clips that were needed for some of the dresses. Once I arrived at the theatre I helped with alterations and repairs on the costumes. The main repairs were on the fairy costumes. We then had the dress rehearsal that ran really smoothly. After the dress run we made any final alterations and prepared for opening night. I cleaned the make up stains out of shirts, dried and pressed them. Opening night ran really well and was a good performance. After the show we prepped for the next day.

A Midsummer Nights Dream - Tech Rehearsal

I arrived at the theatre for the evening tech rehearsal. I helped out with last minute alterations; adding poppers on shirt to reduce the time in a quick change and adding more fabric to the fairy suits. Grace, the supervisor, talked me through the quick changes and showed me where they took place. My quick change is with John who changes between a mechanical and a fairy. I spent the rest of my time in the costume room helping with all the changes that take place thought the show. After the tech rehearsal we sorted the costumes and prepared for the costume rehearsal.

A Midsummer Nights Dream - Tuesday

I helped out with the final alterations and preparations for the show before it was loaded up and moved to the theatre. The main things that I helped with were altering the necklines of Hermia's nightdresses’ and making the cummerbunds for the musicians. 

Midsummer Nights Dream - Assistant Maker - Body Suit

Today I spent the day as an assistant maker on Midsummer Nights Dream, there are 6 body suits in this production and they are all being covered in a textured fabric that is created with scraps of fabric stitched together with aquafilm. Another maker had created the fabric and pinned it in place. I then attached these pieces onto the body suit and added in more pieces where they were needed. This was really enjoyable, as I usually do not usually do textural work. The suits are stating to look really good as is the rest of the production. I will be dressing for this production so it is good to also work as an assistant maker as I am able to get a better understanding of the costumes and this will help during production week.