Opening the province’s biggest tickle trunk
A peek inside the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre’s costume bank
Underneath the main stage at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, there’s a collection of five rooms; together they make the ultimate tickle trunk.
Period costumes, wedding gowns, 1950s suits and dresses. Shelves full of hats, bins of shoes and boots, even a plastic box labeled “Gothic bras.”
One room in particular gives Amy Edwards goosebumps.
“These are pretty much all real uniforms that have been donated to us over the years,” Edwards, an assistant in the wardrobe department since 2010, explains. “I’m sure they’ve all got their own story to tell.”
The costume bank holds a wide range of military uniforms, helmets, boots and accessories, though most are from the Second World War. The St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre was the province’s major centennial project, built at a cost of about $8 million and opened in May 1967. Although the first show took place that month, the building was officially declared operational in October of that year — 50 years ago. Join The Telegram’s Ashley Fitzpatrick and Tara Bradbury as they explore the history, quirky stories, little-known facts and future of the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre with a three-part project, running today and Wednesday. Related stories on page A5
Many still have their previous owner’s name and rank on a tag sewed into the lining.
The uniforms, like any of the thousands and thousands of costumes in the bank, can be used for any number of productions at the centre over the course of a year, or in any other production as well — just about every theatre, television
or film project produced here borrows from the Arts and Culture Centre’s vast wardrobe collection, and many school stage productions, too.
“It’s a great resource for theatre companies, when your budget has to include every aspect of a project,” Edwards explains. “We’ll get the odd random call from someone looking for a Halloween costume, but most of the clothes isn’t based on a particular Halloween character.”
The items in the clothing bank are acquired in a few ways. Many – including taffeta party dresses from the 1940s and hats from the same era — are donated from members of the public. Lots of times, the wardrobe department employees will make costumes for specific shows themselves (along with the storage rooms is a sewing room, with multiple machines and mannequins, sporting outfits in progress).
Certain productions have more costumes than others, and that can often include quick changes. Edwards and her colleagues are backstage during the show to help.
Tada! Events’ production of “Evita” a few years ago, starring Kelly-ann Evans as former Argentinian first lady Eva Peron, stands out to Edwards as one of the most challenging, with a ton of costumes and only minutes to switch between them.
“If we work on a show and pick out all the costumes for the particular characters, we work backstage for the show as well. A zipper might break, for example, and a person might have to be safetypinned into their skirt. We’ve had a few wardrobe malfunctions,” Edwards says, smiling.
Among Edwards’ favourite shows are those with a retro, rock ‘n’ roll vibe, like “Rock of Ages” or “All Shook Up,” when she helped the cast with leather jackets and the like.
“I love the clothing,” Edwards says when asked what she likes best about her job.
“I love working with people in the arts. It’s just very inspiring.”