Who we are:
CiTEA is made up of costume professionals with experience of large and small scale theatre, Opera and Musicals. We are Dressers, Makers, Costume Supervisors; we work full time in Producing Theatres and we are part of an army of Freelancers.
What we do:
We started getting together in 2015 when we felt that the role of the Costume Designer and the costume team was not celebrated enough and that our voices were not being heard. We recognise how valuable the contribution costume makes to a stage production. Not just in the design but in the actualisation of the design, putting the costumes to the test in the technical rehearsals and then the valiant care to maintain the designers’ vision throughout the run of the show.
We know what good costume brings to the actors in terms of finding their characters and to directors’ in terms of creating harmonious staging of people. We know that a great wardrobe team can sooth actors’ insecurities and smooth the technical rehearsals. We know that a great maintenance and laundry team can keep a show looking fresh for each new audience that walks through the door of the theatre every night. We know how much audiences love and are fascinated by costume and by how they are constructed and made.We all know this and yet sometimes it seems as though the people we work with, the people who employ us; Producers, Directors, Production Managers, Technical Directors do not share this knowledge and no part of their training or experience has allowed them to see how much time and expertise, money and training it takes to be a good costume person.
We are seeking to change this.
Why you should join:
If you have a passion for this topic we’d love to hear from you. We want to be able to represent voices from all different sectors, and geographical areas.
