The Stage

Behind the Scenes - The Costume Assistant

Published Monday 12 July 2004 at 12:35

Name: Sharon Coleman

Place of work: The Place, costume department

Position: Costume assistant

How did you get started? I originally did a degree in jewellery design. A lot of the course was to do with photography and I became interested in the moving body, so an interest in dance was the next natural progression. I did my one-year placement at The Place and became involved in the world of dance theatre.

Previous jobs/experience: Through my one-year placement I worked with Yan de Schenkl on two of his pieces - Yak and Nothing Touches. I also worked with Kei Ito (accessories), Katie Clarke (jewellery) and Hussein Chalayan (fashion).

Typical day: There isn’t one. I help the London Contemporary Dance School students, based at The Place, with their projects. The third years have a module in design and music collaboration. I also work with EDGE, the postgraduate performance group and I have worked with choreographers Richard Alston, Claire Russ, Henri Oguike, Kim Brandstrup, Jonathan Lunn and Martin Lawrence for his piece with SHIFT, the youth dance company.

What changes have you noticed in the industry? Costumes are becoming a lot less practical and much more part of the performance. There is not as much lycra, which is nice. Although sometimes dancers complain that they can’t move in their costumes as they are so conceptual.

Funniest/most embarrassing moment? We are always laughing in this department - when the 14-hour days creep up on you, the hysteria kicks in.

Who do you most admire and why? Jenny Henry, a lecturer in stage craft and head of the costume department. She’s taught me everything I know. When I first came here I didn’t even know how to thread a machine let alone how to create patterns.

What job would you do if you weren’t doing this one? Something in photography or freelance costume and set design. Perhaps collaborating with an artist and creating one-off installations.

Outside interests? I don’t have time for outside interests. I think the nature of the job means that I automatically have an interest in all things creative and performance orientated - I’m constantly being inspired by the arts.