“The first time I put on a Maggie Smith ...”: The Role of Costuming in the Artistic Process of Actresses at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival

Abstract

This article investigates the role of costuming in the lives of actresses at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Although there have been numerous sociological studies of the role of clothing in women's lives, few of these have examined the complex, shifting relationship that develops between actors and their costumes, from first sketch to fittings to opening night and beyond. Taking a cue from recent investigations of how rehearsal environments and other offstage spaces affect theatre artists in unexpected, even surprising ways, this article weaves together three conversations with actresses from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Lucy Peacock, Andrea Runge, Sara Topham) to better highlight the similarities as well as the differences in the three women's lived experiences.