Our progress on re-staging our performance of Quinneys is coming along well; yesterday (a Saturday no less!) India Walton and I went to the Leeds Playhouse Costume Hire stores to choose the costumes for all the characters in the play – India is playing the part of ‘Mable Dredge’, Quinney’s typist, who in the play is in the triangle of love between James (Quinney’s foreman – played by Fergus Johnston) and Posy (Quinney’s daugther – played by Annabel Marlow) – here, (below) is India (left), with Annabel (centre) and Fergus (right) in rehearsals earlier in the week.
India, Annabel and Fergus in rehearsals for Quinneys.
India and I spent all day in the costume store – it was exhausting (10.15am til 4.00pm!) but great fun! And we managed to find costumes for every character in the play. Here’s India, choosing a nightdress for ‘Mable Dredge’, with Steff, from the costume hire, who was such a fantastic help all day! All the costume we needed dates from the Edwardian period (the play is set in 1914), and there are brilliant resources at the Leeds Playhouse Costume Hire.
India and Steff and Leeds Playhouse Costume Hire
India and Steff and Leeds Playhouse Costume Hire
We hope that the actors (and George Rodosthenous, our theater director for the performance of Quinneys) all approve of the costumes that India and I chose.
We’ve made the characters of the American millionaire collectors, ‘Cyrus P. Hunsaker’ and ‘Dupont Jordan’ (played by Stephenson Catney and Jake Pursell, respectively) rather bold, brash and ostentatious……with a brightly coloured jacket in red, yellow and black check pattern, and a similar jacket in brown and yellow checks – they will look out-rage-ous in the play! – especially as ‘Cyrus’ accepts a large ‘cheque’ (a ‘check in American parlance) from Mr Quinney at one point in the play….
For ‘Quinney’ himself (played by Samuel Parmenter) we decided he should be very smartly and expensively dressed, but rather more soberly – so we put him in a light grey morning suit – a dapper chap, but with a restrained, serious personality. For Mrs Susan Quinney (played by Hannah Rooney) we went for two Edwardian dresses, both in an elegant green – one with fabulous black embroidery to the sleeves.
And for ‘Posy’ (Quinney’s daugther, played by Annabel Marlow) we found a light and delicate pale blue dress, together with some some Edwardian blouses in white, with small red flowers, and a cream-coloured long flowing Edwardian skirt. We also found suitable dresses for ‘Mable Dredge’ – slightly more plain, given Mable’s status as Quinney’s typist, but still very elegant – (India enjoyed choosing her costume!)…. And finally we found a very swish black jacket with black velvet trousers for ‘Sam Tomlin’ the smart (and smarmy) Bond Street antique dealer, (played by Morgan Buswell), and for ‘James Miggott’ (Quinney’s foreman…played by Fergus Johnston) we found a suitable ‘workman’s’ outfit, but one that still retains a degree of Edwardian elegance….
Here are all the costume’s on the rail at Leeds Playhouse Costume Hire –
Quinneys play costume at Leeds Playhouse Costume Hire.
We still need a few Edwardian hats and accessories, but the costume for the performance is all coming together well – I’m sure that the actors will thoroughly enjoy their rehearsals now that we have costumes – and that their performances will become even more authentic and ’embodied’!
Mark
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