top of page

Testimonials

York Mystery Plays July/August 2014

 

Alex’s work during the York Mystery Plays was fantastic! She beautifully costumed our God and Jesus; working with somewhat limited material she found solutions to make sure that they looked just as if it had all been planned from the beginning. I was very impressed with her initiative and skill, and she even came out to help us push the pageant waggon, which was definitely above and beyond the costumer’s duty.

 

                                                  -Laura Elizabeth Rice,  director, HIDden Theatre

 

Blood and Chocolate July-Oct 2013

 

Alex proved to be an invaluable member of the wardrobe department whilst working on ‘Blood+Chocolate’. She was enthusiastic and helpful throughout the costume build process. I was completely confident in her sewing abilities and knew she would work to a high standard on the tasks she was set. She has great initiative and was easy to communicate with. Her willingness to learn and take advice about certain areas of wardrobe was excellent, as was her general attitude. Her personality and natural helpfulness really made her an extremely valued member of the team and I was very grateful to have her on board.

 

                                   – Sian Thomas- Wardrobe Supervisor, Blood + Chocolate

 

Blood and Chocolate

 

I have had the delightful pleasure of working with Alex on a number of occasions over the past 12 months. I first met Alex when she volunteered to help both costume & dress a community production I was Wardrobe Mistress for, Blood + Chocolate; a co-production between Pilot Theatre, Slung Low & York Theatre Royal. As part of our Volunteer Wardrobe Team, Alex helped to make WW1 Nurses costumes, and 1914 Chocolate Worker & Warden Costumes for the production. She was able to work “under her own steam”, using her own initiative whilst following instructions & guidelines as set down by our Wardrobe Supervisor. Her work was always neat & accurate.

Alex then became part of our team of Volunteer Dressers during the production of Blood + Chocolate, & was a real asset to the team.

 

Witness for the Prosecution Feb/March 2014

 

I recommended Alex to a Theatre Company; Theatre Mill, to help them costume their production of an Agatha Christie play; Witness for the Prosecution. I understand she was a great boost to their production team.

 

Sister Act September 2014

 

I asked Alex if she would help me costume my latest venture with York Stage Musicals; Sister Act, which was performed at The Grand Opera House in York. She did an incredible job helping with costume fittings, alterations & garment construction whilst juggling other work commitments at other theatres in Leeds & Hull. She also showed great commitment & calmness back stage whilst dressing the production run. Again, Alex shone in this area, & remained composed & alert back stage, & mastered the art of “Quick Changes” with ease & serenity!

Alex is a delight to work with; easy-going, diligent, good humoured, a quick learner with some great ideas of her own too! She easily fits-in in the working environment & is liked by fellow costume-makers & cast members alike. I would recommend Alex to any theatre or production company as she would enhance any costume team, & I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Alex again, if she’s still available! I wish her every success in her chosen profession. Good luck Alex!  

 

 -Jo Keogh, Wardrobe Mistress, Freelance. Costume Advisor, Dress Circle of York

 

The Stepmother Feb 2014

 

Alex gave costumes for “The Stepmother" a real cachet when she designed and made two beautful mid-'twenties evening dresses, keeping perfectly to the brief for simple but elegant frocks for two very well-brought-up young girls. They were just right!  She had done a lot of research for this project, and made sure she had read the play and attended a few rehearsals to get a good grasp of the characters whose costumes would later interpret them on stage. This need to understand the play is one of the essentials of the job, and I was so glad to find Alex felt the same as I do about it. One of Alex’s great plus points is her willingness to work at every aspect of the job - not only the fun creative side, but also the more tedious but necessary maintenance - routine ironing and checking for damage, emergency mending and cleaning during performance, waiting around to help with quick changes, spending time rootling around in Costume Hire….the lot. We worked together very well, got soaked when looking for costumes one stormy evening in Leeds, and both have indelible memories of hours spent sewing feathers round a long, long hem. Alex also does not panic. I think this level-headedness combined with the creativity and hard work will take her far; she certainly deserves it!   

                                                                                                                                                   - Helen Taylor, Costumier, York Settlement Community Players

 

Freedom Festival August/September 2014

 

Alex worked with our team of artists on costumes and props for the World Of Colour parade at the Freedom Festival in Hull September 2014. Alex was an invaluable member of our team, helping to produce multiple costumes in a very short time frame, with a limited budget. Her sewing skills and quality of finish were of a very high standard, and she was always very motivated and capable of working off her own initiative, as well as having a good rapport with the rest of the team when working together. She was very keen to try new techniques, even helping with some of the large sculptural makes, and had a good “can do” attitude, always getting stuck into the task at hand. Alex was a joy to work with, and always kept focused, and kept her cool, even when when we were under considerable pressure to get all our makes ready for the parade day. I would not hesitate to recommend her, and I hope that we might get to work with her again on future projects.

 

                                                 -Charles Huckvale Co-Director Hull Carnival Arts

 

The Snow Queen September/December 2014

 

Alex joined our production team for our yearly winter musical; this year we produced an original adaptation of The Snow Queen. As it is the showcase production of our Youth Theatre it was important for us to have a team that were creative, committed and could work off their own initiative to deliver their element of the overall vision - I could not have asked for a better costume designer than Alex! Her designs are playful yet intricately designed and wonderfully executed, with such a keen eye for detail that it not only gives a professional finish to the production but enhanced our young cast members' experience too! Alex responds to the brief with flare, but with a true consideration for what we are trying to achieve. She has the skills and attitude to carry through costume from conception to final performance - all of Alex's costumes were beautiful and she appeared to bring it all together with great ease. I always felt safe with Alex, she is an asset to any team and I would have no qualms in recommending her to any production team. 

                                                    -Matt Harper, Director Upstage Youth Theatre

 

bottom of page