In Conversation with Rachel Young, Head of Pathway for Costume
Meet Rachel Young, our new Head of Pathway for Costume (BA Production Arts)
Meet Rachel Young, our new Head of Pathway for Costume (BA Production Arts). We caught up with them during their first week and got to talk all things Costume. We found out what it is like working in the industry and what makes applicants to our BA Production Arts course stand out.
What was your first experience within the performing arts? How did you know this was something that you wanted to pursue professionally?
I performed in many productions as a kid, semi-professionally, including opera and musical theatre. And I danced since aged 3 – this was every day for me and the slide into it as a career was inevitable. From learning to sew at a young age from my grandma to trialling and testing ideas – my love for creating and taking things apart was cemented. I knew I didn’t want a desk job and theatre was appealing.
I remember seeing a behind the scenes video of the costumes from the Movie My Fair Lady and had a lightbulb moment of “wait that’s a job!”
Can you tell us more about some of your career highlights, so far?
To date my career highlights have been making the Olympic 2012 Mascots of Wenlock and Mandeville and getting to see them get up to mischief throughout the games.
But in all honesty the best highlights aren’t the finished garments or the best name-dropped show, but those shows that have had the best team and kept spirits up whilst washing pants in a tent at midnight or wearing costume whilst also sewing them! It’s the team that makes the highlights.
What is something about working in the industry that we wouldn’t know?
We use the word ‘gusset’ a LOT in everyday life in costume making!
What are you most looking forward to in your new role at Guildhall?
The teaching, and seeing the students develop in their making skills that many of them may have taught themselves during the pandemic. And having a good old rummage in our many Costume Stores to see the wonders and the delights inside!
Can you tell us what students can expect from your course?
The BA Production Arts (Costume) course at Guildhall is a broad-based approach to costume looking at all elements from fabric sourcing, sewing, buying costumes, and adapting them for the stage.
The students also get a chance to experiment with research and design within costume as a practice. Once they’re settled and into their second and third year, students work on professional standard productions working with our brilliantly skilled costume team and many costume freelancers. The course trajectory is really sculpted by the students themselves, so an individual journey and experience based on their previous skills and where they want to experiment and trial. So, this could be as a costume supervisor, a wardrobe assistant, a costume maker, or designer.
How can students stand out when applying to your course?
We want to see a passion for all kinds of performance – this could be participating, watching, or making. And we want to see what inspires you. This could be cosplay, making costume for your school plays or putting together styled outfits on Instagram. Whatever makes you passionate about costumes. I love seeing the genuine individual at interview.
What advice would you give to students interested in studying Production Arts?
Do it! Production Arts is such an exciting world to work in when no day is the same, and costume is the cherry on the top where we get to experience all elements from the page to the stage. It’s such a diverse skills range that is a lifetime of collaboration and playing theatre.