We are now entering our final week of collaborating together to bring Gaslight to Perth Theatre. Next week I will share a post about the technical rehearsal process, but this week I have chosen to focus on a department who work right beside the rehearsal room to bring together a crucially important aspect of this production.
Having already shared initial thoughts and detailed reference images for character’s costume and hair, our director/designer Kai Fischer met Perth Theatre’s Head of Costume Louise Robertson months before the start of rehearsals to begin their creative process. As well as finding costumes that fit the director’s vision, complement the design and add to the storytelling, the time period in which the production is set (1920) proved to be an exciting challenge.
In the lead up to rehearsals Louise and her team worked together to gather materials to shape what would become the character’s costumes. Along with Kai and design associate Becky Minto, the process reached quite an advanced stage for rehearsals beginning.
Having already provided measurements, actors periodically visited the team for costume fittings once rehearsals kicked off in February. These fittings are crucially important during this period, because as well as providing the audience with a beautiful visual spectacle, signifiers about character’s motivations and backgrounds, costumes have to be practically functional for the actors. Adjustments and additions are made all the way up to the show opening in most cases, and Gaslight has been no different.
It has been a privilege to watching such skilled team in action throughout my time here at Perth. I hope this post has given a small insight into their process.
