his is one of Stephen's major interests. Sometimes he makes a costume which is not based on any particular play or production but just on a character which has sprung from the depths of his imagination. He has created whole rows of costumes for Magic Factory's The Window , The Last Adventure and Uncle Vanya, as well as the  costumes for Three Kings, a traditional mediaeval Christmas play produced by Rudolf Steiner House. He also contributed to the 72 costumes needed for the Landor Theatre's acclaimed production of Sondheim's Follies in September 2006.

With all his designs, be they for theatre, fashion or even liturgical use, shapes and colours are equally important. However, the major feel of the era or the general atmosphere suggested by the context itself is the main factor in his designs. He feels equally confident when using highly contrasting bright colours or handling a relatively pale and sophisticated palette. Rich ornamentation and a variety of textures are also typical features of his costume design.

  
       
Uncle Vanya - May 2006
A major challenge for the designer, who needs to capture each individual character as well as remaining faithful to the period (1895). These photos mostly show the autumnal colours used for the last two acts; the more summery costumes used in Act 1 can be seen in the first photo and on the Vanya page in the Drama section.
Click on an image for a larger view

The Last Adventure - March 2006
This dreamlike play has no defined setting, so it was decided to place it around a century ago, in a warm and sunny climate, indicated by the blue, cream and beige colour scheme.  Some of the costumes needed to transform, as some actors played multiple characters.

Three Kings - December 2004
This was a particular challenge, as the play is performed every year with a different cast , so all costumes were made to fit a 100cm/40" chest, and a rainbow of colours were used, one for each character.  Then each costume used as many shades as possible within its own hue, to create a rich cascade of colour across the stage.

The Window - June 2004
A surreal fantasy, this play needed costumes, masks, props and a set which captured its unique atmosphere.  Using colours inspired by Chagall, and dominated by red, black and white, a rich fantasy world was created, which shifted from joyful to menacing as the plot unfolded.

General Costumes
Assorted, varying from carnival to liturgical!