Costume supervisor

Costume supervisor

Have you ever felt that you have a certain flair for fashion? Do you often pay more attention to what you wear on stage than what you play on stage? When you're playing in a pit orchestra, do you lose your place in the score as you look up just as the soprano strolls by in a sumptuous 19th-century ball gown (and it isn't just her décolletage that draws your attention)?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions, you either need to practise a bit more or you may be ready for a career change to the world of the costume supervisor.

Costume supervisors (sometimes called 'costume managers') work in the background of theatre, opera, ballet, film and television.

'It's an interesting mix of creative and practical'

'Costume supervisors work with the costume designer and the set designer, basically organising it so everything comes together,' says Christopher Lewis, a costume supervisor and lecturer at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD). Costume supervisors hire garments, go to costume stores, commission costume-makers, sample fabrics and organise fittings for cast members, all the while keeping in constant contact with the designer and not losing sight of the schedule or budget.

'It's an interesting mix of creative and practical,' comments Lewis. 'You have to be realistic about what can be achieved, you need loads of people skills and these days you are expected to do lots with less.'

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