"What's so difficult about choosing a costume for a play?"

The Wardrobe department does far more than simply dress the actors in plays. To start with, although we have quite a selection of clothes, there is always the fact that you can be sure that the person who needs the costume is six inches shorter/taller or several pounds lighter/heavier than the last person to wear it. Needlecraft and imagination are obviously assets!

Secondly, although we have army/navy/police uniforms, maid's dresses and so on, you can be sure that there will always be someone in the audience who notices that the costume is of 1928 vintage although the play is set in 1926. And what about all the extras - the hats, gloves, shoes, badges, buckles and so on. Is everything of the same period? Are the materials correct? Are you sure they wore shell suits and Reebok trainers in 1960?

There are many items in the wardrobe kiln at the Oasthouse, some of them quite old and fragile, which all have to be looked after and kept in good condition.

Dressing plays can be great fun, but also hard work. You often need to be a detective to find that elusive something to complete the ensemble. In addition, the costumes in the Oasthouse wardrobe are available for hire (for fancy dress parties, external productions and so on) so washing, ironing and repairing can also be involved.

If you think you would enjoy this, we would love to hear from you - if only to relieve some of the pressure on our small, often overworked band of wardrobe mistresses (not that being a mistress is a prerequisite - if there are any tailors with a few spare hours we would be more than happy to see you too).