April 20, 1984

Newsroom 985-2131

IN THE WARDROBE DEPARTMENT

SECTION

FASHION « FOOD
TRAVEL

Playing dress-up is serious business

SOME PEOPLE never grow too old to play dress-
up. Theirs are the worlds of fashion and theatre,
two realms in which it can be truly said that All the

NEWS photo Stuart Oavis
Ht BRAU ELEUL costume sketched by Philip: Clarkson Cabovel slowty piece of wearable clothing with the

help of cudter Christine Mooney GefO) and other cutters and seamstresses at the Vancouver Plays house wardrobe department

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World’s a Stage.

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And the people who work
behind the scenes of both
Stages are the unsung heroes
who cut and stitch, fit and
alter. Such a= group is
ensconced deep within the
red and blue castle that
houses the Vancouver
Playhouse staff on West 7th
Avenue in Vancouver

The News wisited the
magic domain of the war-
drobe department while
production was in full swing
on Amadeus, now playing at
the Playhouse main. stage
until May 19

A group of tape-measure
draped women explained
through mouths full of pins

the various details that will
transform a series of
beautiful sketches into
wearable costumes built to
withstand the strains of
theatre wear. Although every
care is taken to make a
costume authentic, if must
also. be comfortable and

above all durable, so no ac
tor is ever in the position of
exiting stage left. leaving his

costume centre stage.

Philip Clarkson is. the
costume designer for this
production. He is in the

lucky position of being suf-
ficiently respected and
‘apolitical’ that more than
one major®theatre uses his
talents.

His sketches decorate one
wall of the Playhouse war-
drobe department. Richly
colored and beautiful, they
represent all the major
costumes for the production.

Clarkson estimates there
are 40 to 50 of these, al!
traditional designs from the

late ‘8th and early 19th
centuries.
Clarkson, who has a

bachelor of fine arts from
UBC chose theatre over the
fashion stage because ‘‘this
is sO much more exciting
than fashion.’’ The period in
question is a= particular

favorite because of its
lavishness.

Clarkson will read a play
two or three times to. get

costumes right for all the

See page C3