Have you ever wanted to get behind the scenes with some of our panto creatives? Now is your chance! We sat down with Cinderella’s Costume Designer Kirsteen Wythe about turning dreams into dazzling reality at Norwich Theatre Royal!
This year, she’s tackling Cinderella with a fresh, new approach, and maybe even a touch of ’50s glamour, proving she has every stitch of the process under her belt. Suit up, because we’re diving into the fabulous, frantic world of panto fashion.
How did you first approach costume design for the Cinderella pantomime this year?
This year, I worked with Wendy Ellis, the pantomime producer, as well as the set design team. The sets were already being designed, and the script was being developed, so I had a lot of different elements to work off. We had a look through the creative aspects together and discussed them all. After that, I went off and made mood boards that will help show the colours and style – and the bits of the designs I really enjoy. After all that, I drew up designs and discussed them with the creative team; everything is finalised about two days before we start sewing.
Wow, okay! How long does it take from start to finish – or what is the anticipated timeline for a show like panto?
Panto is done in about six to seven weeks, but I design it over the summer. But normally I do it all in about two to three weeks – generally speaking.
What aspects of the story made you most excited to design for?
The setting for panto this year is in quite a different era, compared to when Cinderella is usually set. So, it’s allowed us to kind of approach it in a different way to panto, as it’s normally done, but it still has a lot of panto elements. I really enjoyed the set when I saw it, and the different pieces of it – quite blown away. That has been the most exciting thing!
Who is your favourite character in the show?
Oh, I quite like some of the wicked sister costumes, just because it’s nice to have the two different pieces. Those costumes have very different shapes compared to the rest of the costumes in the show.
Who had the most difficult costume to design for?
Oh, Owen Evans – he is playing one of the wicked stepsisters. I am trying to make each sister as different visually as possible. The wicked stepsisters have about seven costume changes throughout the show, the most of any character.
How do you choose the fabrics?
I normally create a colour palette, so this year we got the brief that there should be a 50s element to the show. So, I took colours from the 50s, and kind of took a more panto approach to them, so they are more vibrant, but you can see a slight acknowledgement to the 50s through the shape and colours.
If you were to BE in Cinderella, which character do you think would you enjoy playing?
I’d be a wicked sister. Ha! Based on costumes, and what it would be like to play them. Personality and their costumes, for sure. I think it is much more fun to play the bad guy.
What is the shortest time you have had to put together costumes for a project?
Oh, well, I mean, we are always putting something together at the last minute, at any show, at any production. So sometimes we have to make something overnight or on the morning of a show. That is generally how productions go, really. So, I will be on site with Panto if anything goes wrong or if they need something mended.
Impressive, and stressful. And last question – did you always want to go into costume design when you were younger?
I always wanted to go into something creative; I wasn’t sure if that was costume or not, but yes, when I was younger, I always wanted to do something creative WITH clothing.
Don’t wait until the clock strikes midnight! Book your tickets now for this year’s panto spectacular and see Kirsteen’s designs in action in Cinderella at Norwich Theatre Royal between 6 Dec – 4 Jan.
For more information or to book, visit norwichtheatre.org or call the Box Office on 01603 630 000.
