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Take me to Hunchback of Notre Dame show page
Just back from their photoshoot.... our very own team of Gargoyles
Allow Thespis to introduce them !
From left to right
Gargoyle of Dismay, Gargoyle of Surprise and finally The Gargoyle of Disdain.
"Hunchback of Notre Dame is a must see production"
Photos by Glenn Davison glenn@glenndavidsonphotography.com
Photo shoots - July 2021
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Take me to The King and I show page
Just a few of the great pictures from some of the talented photographers and makeup artists that use our services.
Kind use of these pictures: Glen Davidson
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Take me to The Military costume page
Kind reproduction: Makeup and Prosthetics by Iona Halfpenny student at London College of fashion. / Photographer Lauren Johnson.
About us and what to expect from Thespis
Here at Thespis, we are aware that we all still find ourselves in unprecedented times. The outbreak of COVID-19 has changed the way we live our lives and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. As a company, one of our core values is “Adaptability” and this is something which we’ve really embraced as we navigate this unchartered territory; not only for ourselves but for those we work with.
As a company, we are continuing to help our clients adapt to new ways of working and overcome any barriers and obstacles which have arisen a result of COVID-19. Drawing on our years of experience, constant investment in the latest technology and expert staff, we are able to offer all of our clients bespoke solutions to ensure they are able to continue working effectively, innovatively and, most importantly, safely.
We will try and ensure that our industry survives this current crisis.
WORKING IN NON TRADITIONAL SPACES
While it's fantastic to see venues across the country slowly begin to open, we're fully aware that we're a long way from returning back to 'normal'.
That said, we've been inspired by how so many companies and buildings are coming up with innovative ways to transform empty spaces into places for performance.
As a company which has years of experience working in bespoke spaces, contact us to find out how our team can help you to ensure that the show must go on..
A BIG THANK TO OUR FREELANCERS
We understand that this is a particularly difficult time for our family of Freelancers.
We appreciate that without them we cannot do what we do, and we thank them for their continued loyalty and hard work.
We are sending regular updates via e-mail, including details of where to find help and information about the Government’s support scheme for the self-employed.
DIGITAL EVENTS
Who knew that over the course of just a few weeks our whole world would move online? Whether within your professional or personal life, or both, we’ve all had to adapt to the new situation in a very short lapse of time. It can be a bit daunting to comprehend how will we continue to interact and engage with our clients, colleagues and peers, as we move into the next phase and establish a ‘new normal’. As human beings, we thrive on regular interactions with people; so inevitably, we’ve recently seen the use of social networks and increased creativity with virtual forms of communication spike. What does this in turn mean for the imminent future of digital events?
In times like these, visual content is still key as it creates and shapes your audience’s experience and helps generates engagement. Defining your digital event strategy and objectives is paramount to making your programme a success, as is finding the right tool to deliver it.
At Thespis, one of our primary focuses is to ensure whatever your strategy, we are here to offer customised solutions to ensure the success of costuming your digital events.
OUR COMPLETE SHOW RENTAL STOCK IS BECOMING ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE UK
We have an unparalleled range of period costumes, footwear, accessories, and armoury which can be rented out for any occasion, perfectly suited to your needs. Whether it’s a one-off event or a long-term theatre production, we will provide a hire package that suits your exact requirements. If you still cannot find what you need, we’ve even been known to make new productions come and talk to us. We may be able to make it bespoke.
AND FINALLY
We regularly issue news and information about the industry, tips and training information – keep tuned by visiting our blog pages.
Our thoughts at this time are with the whole community affected by this situation but we are reassured that, both as a company and as an industry, we have always proved to be resilient and adaptable in the most challenging times. Good luck and if you have any questions then please contact us.
Stay safe & break a leg..
Margaret Bicknell MD
About us and what to expect from Thespis
Thespis are pleased to announce that a new costume set for this show will be available from October 2021
As the curtain goes up, we hear
Tevye saying, “without tradition, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on
the roof”
And that’s exactly what this tug-at-the-heartstring musical does. It
asks us to reflect on what and who we turn to when the world around us begins
to wobble, do we, or can we rely on our traditions, our faith to see us
through? Or are we fated to change ourselves, perhaps losing a little (or
perhaps a lot) of our identity, of who we are along the way.
Based around the delightfully candid stories of Tevye and his
daughters by Sholem Aleichem, it was adapted into a book by Joseph Stein,
before being transformed into a musical, with Jerry Bock writing the music and
Sheldon Harnick the lyrics.
It tells a sweeping tale set in Anatevka, a Jewish shtetl in Imperial
Russia’s “Pale of Settlement” around 1905, where we follow Tevye the dairyman,
as he struggles to hold on to his respected, traditional identity in the
community, while stomaching the men his daughters bring home wanting to marry,
with each man more modern than the last, and as Tevye sees it, less interested
in “tradition” too.
Set against the backdrop of the Tsarist pogroms: the purges of Jewish
communities through Russia that caused a great exodus and saw the Jewish
population hounded out, & pushed from pillar to post across Europe, we are
invited into Anatevka and Tevye’s home with utterly unforgettable musical
numbers that will have you off your feet one minute rejoicing the majesty of
life, and then reaching for your handkerchief and it’s cruelty the next.
Fiddler on the Roof tells a uniquely honest story, one of the greatest importance to society; one so significant that it must never be forgotten, one of the hardships and joys of life, of principles and values in the face of love, the tribulations of marriage, the frightening dangers of racial prejudice, the sacrifices one must make to survive, and of course... TRADITION! - L’CHAIM!
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Take me to Fiddler on the Roof show page
About us and what to expect from Thespis
At Thespis, we find ourselves quite often in the fortuitous position whereby generous individuals wish to donate garments to us; jackets, boots, top hats, even wedding dresses of yesteryear.
Thespis has always had a policy of taking on such items, doing any necessary repairs and then letting them see new life touring the length and breadth of Europe in our clients productions.
So when Caroline Walker approached us, asking whether we would be interested in items of clothing belonging to her parents, undoubtedly we said yes. A large carry-bag and suitcase arrived at our offices a short while later, and with all the excitable gusto and curiosity of a young child spying an unopened dress-up-box, we delved inside to investigate what treasures lay in wait (with more care might we add!).
Caroline had graciously sent us suits and jackets worn by her father, and a bounty of dresses worn by her mother, all beautiful, & all of the finest quality.
Suits and dresses made some 100 years ago up until the 1970’s were really made to withstand the wearer’s entire life if treated right, quite the contrast to the disposable nature of today’s fashion.
A suit would be made from such well-spun cloth and sewn so dutifully that the buyer seldom wore them out, they were to be taken in and out as required to fit any fluctuations in shape or size of the wearer.
These suits only met their end at the passing of a trend, to be hung away at the back of the wardrobe, or to one day be passed down to sons or daughters, rather than be discarded.
Today fashion is all too fleeting. What is ‘in’ today may already be ‘out’ by tomorrow.
To acquire quality garments like those received from dear Caroline, in today’s market would cost more than a few pretty pennies, but it does remind us all here at the office of how damaging the disposable fashion industry has become. Perhaps today’s youth outwardly change themselves so quickly because of societal pressures, or the forever-more-overbearing advertising markets making quick bucks, or rather it’s something further within themselves that struggles to reflect the world around them. Either way. I fear it cannot go on indefinitely....
We seldom know anything about the people that wore the garments we’re sent - BUT - on this occasion, we received so many stunning suits and dazzling dresses, I was compelled to know a little more. I asked Caroline about her parents, noting they must have been quite the “snazzy dressers” & she very kindly sent me a photograph of her parents with some information enclosed.
Both Jean & Geoff Walker were born in the 1920s and married after the war in 1950s. Her father had served in the RAF during the war stationed in the Far East. Both were born and bred in the Yorkshire market town of Doncaster and never moved away, raising their four children there.
After the war, as part of the demobilisation programme, her father was granted the opportunity to attend University where he studied civil engineering and joined the Doncaster and District Water Board after graduating. There he rose through the ranks to become a Divisional Director for Yorkshire Water.
Jean & Geoff Walker c 1990
