Our wonderful wardrobe tour crew Frances Pyper & Hannah Gartside maintain and dress our dancers in the beautiful costumes designed by Noelene Hill as the Company go on their whirlwind tour of regional Queensland…we caught up with the ladies in Maryborough.
Hannah and Frances out of the front of the Brolga Theatre
Maryborough is a very pretty town. There are lots of old federation era buildings, and of course Muddy Waters Cafe is always a highlight! They have good coffee, delicious food, and it’s right on the river so you can see the lovely yachts.
Frances captures a moment
There were beautiful stain glass windows in the dressing rooms at the Brolga Theatre. They looked lovely with the afternoon light streaming through, and I love how you can also see the gumtrees that grow on the riverbank.
The Cloudland costumes ready for the dancers
What’s a typical day like for you?
There’s not really a typical one day, but there is a three day typical cycle – travel, wash costumes, bump into the theatre, set up costumes, rehearsals, performance, and then bump out. We make a plan and we stick to the plan! Costume maintenance involves washing, pressing, steaming and ongoing mending.
What’s the most enjoyable part?
The performance!
What are you doing while the performance is on?
We are side stage – we watch the performance from the wings and check all the dancers have their correct costumes and accessories throughout the performance. We also help the dancers with fast changes, of which there are many. And of course we do the Twist and the Disco from the wings! We’re actually on the hunt for a good Fro from a second hand shop for our Disco moves…
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened on tour so far?
Iona had a costume slip in Gladstone…and that’s all we’re saying!
Dancer Joseph Stewart looks like he played a big part in completing the jigsaw, but he only put three correct pieces in!
Highlight so far?
Completing a jigsaw! It was of Edinburgh Castle and we bought it for $2 from a second-hand shop in Maryborough. It took us until the following night in Gladstone to finish it.
A beautiful wartime memorial outside Queen’s Park. The memorial includes statues that represent the Army, Navy, Airforce and the Nursing profession, and Nike, the Winged Figure of Victory standing above them.
Hannah says hello to the Mary Poppins Statue!
It’s been a great tour so far – the crew are all really fantastic and everyone is communicating and working really well together. It’s a very dynamic team!
