By Mikayla van Loon
Costumes can make or break any on stage performance, as they allow an audience to accept a person as their character.
Designers like Maria Smedes at the Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre don’t often get the recognition they deserve for their contribution to a play, so Star Mail went behind the scenes to take an up close look at her work.
Ms Smedes designed and made at least 30 items for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, one of the largest array of costumes she’s ever had to make.
“[I made some] from scratch and other things have been added to other items. I’ve had to make cloaks, sometimes they’re only small items like waist coats but altogether it would be at least 30 items plus alterations,” she said.
Not only has Ms Smedes had to make costumes, she’s had to be on hand every night to repair broken straps, unstitched hems and fraying jackets.
“The whole play has had a lot of costumes, between 50 to 60 different costume changes. Most of the girls have all got about five costumes that they’ve got to change and sometimes the one that they have at the beginning, they’ve got to put back on at the end. So it’s very fast moving.”
As a musical based in 1910, Ms Smedes said she had to do quite a bit of research to understand the women’s dresses of the era.
“We have a lot of books and lots of YouTube videos. Thank goodness for YouTube. All your answers are answered on YouTube.
“I also try to look at what other companies have done and what costumes they wore. I then made them similar with the material we had.”
With an abundance of costumes stored in cupboards at the theatre, Ms Smedes said she could choose bits and pieces from previous dresses to help create the vision for these Edwardian costumes.
“Some of those costumes are recycled from our cupboard. They weren’t all new. The pink one, that was about three bridesmaids dresses with a bit of this and a bit of that,” she said.
Receiving a lot of donations of clothing, Ms Smedes said she’s often using the material from bridesmaids dresses to create her designs.
Boning, beading and lace trims, are just some of the details to be seen up close.
Getting to create an entire era through her costumes and delve into a different world has been Ms Smedes favourite part of this production.
“We can add more frills and details to these. The next play is set in the 1950s and I can just go to the cupboard and grab out a few dresses. There’s nothing exciting in that. So to do this sort of thing is much more exciting and interesting.”
Coming from a bridal background, Ms Smedes has also had a fine eye for the intricate details when it comes to dressmaking.
“I did a diploma course at the Gordon Institute of Technology in Geelong, which was a three year diploma course and then two years industry experience working in a bridal shop and then I went into teaching and then back into bridal shops, now I work from home.
“I’m still learning the quick ways of adding things [to costumes]. It’s really a learning game.”
Since starting with the theatre company four or five years ago, Ms Smedes said it has been nice to join a community of people all working towards the one outcome.
“It’s been nice to have something to do and to get involved with the community. I’ve got to meet a lot of lovely people.”
