Relatively Speaking
By Alan Ayckbourn
Wed 23rd to Sat 26th May 2001 at the Sheffield University Drama Studio

Picture Gallery......

Notes ......

From the publicity flyer (2001):
Greg loves Ginny, and Ginny loves....... who?
Mysterious telephone calls and an excess of chocolates and flowers rouse Greg's suspicions about her previous, much older lover. And who owns the smart slippers?
Following Ginny on a visit to her 'parents' Greg pitches them all into an hilarious mix-up that is never really resolved.

From the Program (2001):

From our New Chairman
Hello, my name is Judy Colby, and I took on the chairmanship of Midland Players last September. I am also the group's wardrobe mistress.
I joined Midland Players in 1993, volunteering in a mad moment to help with the costumes for a production of William Congreve's restoration comedy 'Love for Love' If I had known what I was letting myself in for, I might have been more cautious! My previous experience with amateur dramatics had been very low key, and had not prepared me for the scale of work involved, or, because we have a SADATA adjudication, the need for accuracy. However I started by researching the period, and have been hooked ever since.
As well as finding out about the play, the era and the costumes, I discovered that the essential quality for a costume manager was to provide as much as possible for as little cost as possible. I also gained the confidence to tackle the costuming of many varied and interesting productions since.
My greatest source of basic materials is charity shops in and around Chesterfield, and the excellent Flea Market. Curtains, bedding and soft furnishings are very useful, as are net curtains. The best find so far was a stall full of 50p saris, just when I needed lightweight fabric for 1930s evening dresses for 'Dangerous Corner'.

The most interesting experience was my first visit to an auction, looking for dinner suits, where I found that, contrary to popular belief, the twitch of an eyebrow merely meant an itch, not a multi-million bid. Lovejoy, eat your heart out! The strangest costumes I have had to provide were three straitjackets for 'What the Butler Saw'

Every play produces its own problems, and it can be a challenge to overcome them. It might be high heeled shoes in size 11, seamed tights at an affordable price, difficult-to-find suits that need to end up in ribbons, but appear whole for the next performance. It's lucky that I have a tolerant husband - his suit provided the tatters, but was totally unfit to wear to work the next week, or ever again.
I use the strangest odds and ends for making accessories, including aluminium cans, hot melt glue used as a moulding material, buttons for jewellery, squeezy bottles for bangles, ringpulls for tiaras and so on, and so on. A quirky mind definitely helps.
Costuming is endlessly fascinating, but involves hard work, headaches and challenge. As the new Chairman of Midland Players, I have found that the same principles apply: hard work, headaches and challenge, but also a great deal of enjoyment.

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