Birmingham Royal Ballet is celebrating 25 years in its namesake city in 2015, and part of the celebrations will be marked by the city's House of Fraser department store putting the spotlight on 25 years of classic costumes. The iconic store is teaming up with the ballet company from 28 September to 11 October and admission is free for Birmingham Royal Ballet: 25 Years of Costume, a first-time partnership for the company and the department store.
During the company's 25 years it has presented more than 130 different ballets over 225 weeks of performances. A production such as Swan Lake requires around 500 costumes, 145 headdresses and 60 tutus alone; just under 10,000 costumes are kept at the company's storage space in nearby Dudley. House of Fraser will display just a few highlights from the company’s extensive catalogue of costumes from its 25 years in the city.
The exhibition will give members of the public a unique up-close experience of the beautiful designs seen on stage, and find out what it takes to bring them to life from design to stage. Also highlighted will be some of the big names Birmingham Royal Ballet has worked with, in terms of theatrical design, art and fashion. These names include Jasper Conran OBE, Olivier Award winner John Macfarlane, Tony Award winner Katrina Lindsay and prop/costume maker Robert Allsopp (Doctor Who, X-Men, Gladiator and Robin Hood).
The exhibition will show off the company's wares, displaying the time, effort and craftsmanship that goes into each and every costume that is used by the company. Visitors will be able to acknowledge the skilled teams that are leaders in costume making, printing and dying, exhibited by major store House of Fraser. Seeing the company's costumes in such close proximity is a unique experience for the visitors and shoppers, displaying the beautiful designs in a way that audiences very rarely see.
Birmingham Royal Ballet: 25 years of costume
Birmingham Royal Ballet is celebrating 25 years in its namesake city in 2015, and part of the celebrations will be marked by the city's House of Fraser department store putting the spotlight on 25 years of classic costumes. The iconic store is teaming up with the ballet company from 28 September to 11 October and admission is free for Birmingham Royal Ballet: 25 Years of Costume, a first-time partnership for the company and the department store.
During the company's 25 years it has presented more than 130 different ballets over 225 weeks of performances. A production such as Swan Lake requires around 500 costumes, 145 headdresses and 60 tutus alone; just under 10,000 costumes are kept at the company's storage space in nearby Dudley. House of Fraser will display just a few highlights from the company’s extensive catalogue of costumes from its 25 years in the city.
The exhibition will give members of the public a unique up-close experience of the beautiful designs seen on stage, and find out what it takes to bring them to life from design to stage. Also highlighted will be some of the big names Birmingham Royal Ballet has worked with, in terms of theatrical design, art and fashion. These names include Jasper Conran OBE, Olivier Award winner John Macfarlane, Tony Award winner Katrina Lindsay and prop/costume maker Robert Allsopp (Doctor Who, X-Men, Gladiator and Robin Hood).
The exhibition will show off the company's wares, displaying the time, effort and craftsmanship that goes into each and every costume that is used by the company. Visitors will be able to acknowledge the skilled teams that are leaders in costume making, printing and dying, exhibited by major store House of Fraser. Seeing the company's costumes in such close proximity is a unique experience for the visitors and shoppers, displaying the beautiful designs in a way that audiences very rarely see.