Meet pantomime costumier Kirsteen
What time is it? It’s pantomime time. Oh yes it is
Tis the season to be jolly at Norwich’s Theatre Royal this December! With the Christmas panto upon us, we thought we’d go and find out a bit more about the nitty gritty creative side of this year’s production of Snow White. We were lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with the extraordinarily talented Kirsteen Wythe, the mastermind behind all the stunning costumes that will be gracing the stage over the Christmas period.
Where and what did you study to get to the position you are in now?
Well I studied a year of fashion in Edinburgh and then quickly realised fashion was not for me! Then I went into costume design but couldn’t get a job because it is such a competitive industry to break into. Instead, went into corsetry I started my own corsetry business and it was from there that I finally got my break into costume a couple of years ago.
So, what brought you to Norwich? As much as we all love our city, it’s not exactly the costume design epicentre of the country?
No it really isn’t! However I am really lucky to have found such an amazing job here at the theatre for half the year and a really great private studio to work from when I do my freelance work - if I lived in London there would be no way I could have that.
You must be really busy here with the run up to panto. When does the preparation for the show start and how does it all pan out?
We start in September and it usually begins with a big meeting with everyone involved. From there the directors will give us a costume breakdown for each scene so that will include who is in the scene, what they are wearing and roughly what is going on throughout. My job is to take that away, make sure everyone looks right and they have everything they need for that scene.
That sounds like quite the enormous task. Tell me about the finer details?
Yes, it does get very specific and detailed, but for me, it’s the little details and added extras that nobody really notices that really make it for me. For example everyone’s costumes have to work together on stage, the principal characters will always need to stand out, the ensemble have to match and compliment this while the boys and girls must coordinate in the right way so that when they dance it looks right.
So what are you working on at the moment, what have I dragged you away from?
The animals…or rather-the magical creatures! Well that’s what we’ve named them anyway!
Ooooh exciting- tell me more!
The animals that feature in the show are not your average animals, so they don’t look like the traditional woodland creatures; they’ve definitely got a panto element to them. A lot of their features are exaggerated so the mice have really big ears and the little birds have big bellies. Each character is really cute…plus we’ve added a cheeky little bit of glitter!
So which animals are making an appearance?
Let me see…. there’s a pantomime goat, a dinosaur, a badger, mice, a spider, an owl, a robin, a blue bird, a squirrel, a rabbit, a bear and a fox!
Wow! That is quite the menagerie! And all of these are just made for the classic scene where the animals help her get ready in the morning?
Yes, just the one scene - but it just goes to show how much effort and detail goes into each part of the performance- it really is exceptionally detailed this year. For example there is also a running theme of hearts all the way through the costume design, obviously it is a love story but I also like the idea of having a motif like that repeating throughout the performance because it looks really cute and the subtlety of it makes me really happy.
Have you got any top secret inside information to treat our Outliners with?
The dwarves are not going to be played by people but by traditional string puppets that will be operated by the ensemble (who will be hidden). The puppets are all being custom made by Norwich Puppet Theatre as we speak, which is really great because it’s the perfect collaboration between two local organisations who are both equally passionate about their art.
I can’t wait to see it now! It really is so admirable how dedicated and passionate you are about your craft.
Thank you, I consider myself very fortunate to be in the position I am in and to be part of such a huge scale production. At the moment I am working six days a week often into the wee hours but I don’t mind because it’s my passion and I love it. The panto really is epic this year- we’ve gone all out and thought of absolutely everything!
So if you like the sound of a show filled with glitter, puppets, love hearts and millions of magical creatures singing and dancing in an alpine forest- this year’s panto is an absolute must see this Christmas!
Snow White runs from 15th December until 17th January.Tickets available from theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk.
