Royal Shakespeare Company reveals new costume workshop

Photo credit: Sam Allard

The restoration and redevelopment of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) Costume Workshop has been completed in the company’s Stratford-upon-Avon hometown, thanks to a mix of public and private support. 

The venue has the largest in-house costume-making department of any British theatre and the future of costume making on the historical site has been secured by the £8.7 million raised.

The 30-strong team of costume makers have moved back into the new workshop after two years, which has some of the best facilities for costume-making.  The redeveloped building is now fit to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities to retain the costume-making skills and crafts locally and for the first time, the Costume Workshop will be open to visitors, with guided tours expected to start in 2022.

The workshop sits opposite the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres on the site of the 1887 Memorial Theatre Scene Dock, which is now the new entrance to the building. 

RSC Artistic Director Gregory Doran said: “Thank you to all who have supported the restoration and redevelopment of our Costume Workshop. The team create amazing costumes every year but were doing so in conditions that were not fit for purpose.  Costumes are integral to an actor’s performance and to them becoming the character they are to play.  As Judi Dench said, ‘no matter how much rehearsal time you have, you cannot get fully into the part until you are in costume’.

“We make, repair and recycle hundreds of costume pieces each year, which are seen by audiences around the world.  Costumes have been made on this site continuously since at least the 1940s, and the workshop now has the costume-making facilities to secure the legacy of our costume-making skills and the heritage buildings that house them.”