Blithe Spirit Costumes

As well as co-directing the production Heather Noble has also been responsible for the costumes for Blithe Spirit. Having recently given up a dress making course as she was too busy she wasn't quite sure how she ended up making replica 1930s dresses....



Photo by Aidan Moran

Heather found  the black evening dress worn by Chris Moran (Ruth) in this picture in a vintage shop while on holiday in Herefordshire. She thinks it is actually a 1980s dress but fits the 1930s look. The red evening dress worn by Amy Leversidge (Mrs Bradman) came from the Progress wardrobe.







photo by Aidan Moran

Heather also found the outfit for Elvira, played by Nicola Howe, in the wardrobe. It perfectly matched her idea of what she wanted and she couldn't believe it was just hanging there.

She suspects the reason it is so perfect is that it was made for the last production of Blithe Spirit put on at Progress nearly twenty years ago.









Heather showed me one of the 1930s dresses she made using a pattern she found on the internet. Chris Moran who plays Ruth is a quilting teacher and they traded skills - one of her pupils helped Heather with the complex parts of the dress making and Chris did some quilting for her.

Another of Chris's pupils is helping out every night with the complex 1930s hairstyles. Lots of grips. rollers and hairspray required.

You can hire costumes from the Progress Theatre wardrobe for your own productions or parties contact cmoran@ntlworld.com . You'll have to wait until Blithe Spirit has finished before you can hire any of the ones featured in this post though ...

Blithe Spirit starts tonight (Monday 17th June 2013) and runs until Saturday 22nd June. You should be able to get tickets on the door for the first few nights but from Thursday you are advised to book.

If you are interested in what goes on at Progress Theatre then sign up to this blog. Enter your email in the box under ‘about us’ and click on subscribe. New postings are made weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails.

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Monday 17th June - Saturday 22nd June 2013 7.45 Progress Theatre

Auditions for Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson Sunday June 23rd 2:30 or Tuesday June 25th 7:30, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents Romeo and Juliet Monday 8th to Saturday 14th July, Progress Theatre

This year's outdoor Shakespeare Macbeth Thursday 18th to Saturday 27th July 2013 at 7.45pm, Caversham Court Gardens

Renovating for Blithe Spirit

Blithe Spirit is set in the 1930s which gives plenty of opportunity for some fabulous period furniture and props The crew and wider theatre membership have been scouring charity shops and E-bay.

 



This sofa and matching chair had to be collected from London and were in very bad condition but are being given lots of TLC and will look perfect by the time the show starts.

I love this silver tea set. Found in a charity shop and polished up to look as good as new.

Perhaps the most impressive prop is the gramophone player. This is a reproduction made in India and it does play 78s but for the production has been adapted so that it can be used to play music on an i-pod through a tiny speaker that is then amplified by the tube. It can even be made to spin remotely by the 'ghost', and of course there is a genuine 78 record to complete the picture.

If you are interested in what goes on at Progress Theatre then sign up to this blog. Enter your email in the box under ‘about us’ and click on subscribe. New postings are made weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails.

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Monday 17th June - Saturday 22nd June 2013 7.45 Progress Theatre

Auditions for Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson Sunday June 23rd 2:30 or Tuesday June 25th 7:30, Progress Theatre

This year's outdoor Shakespeare Macbeth Thursday 18th to Saturday 27th July 2013 at 7.45pm, Caversham Court Gardens