Costumes, Props and Puppets

Hello !! This is me, Rebekah Joy Shirley in my Covid 'Self-Love' Project, with theatres closed I decided to make myself some outfits for a Valentine's day shoot. I made this costume out of found fabrics in my workshop and knitted the, 'Love Helmet' out of gifted wool. The Second Costume is my BB logo headdress made from Palm leaves and hand dyed feathers, the boiler suit is made from a vintage sheet and some scraps of fabric my Mum made a skirt from in the 70's.

self love 

self love boiler suit

Palm goddess headdress and floral mohawk for coco indie magazine.

 Close ups...

belle-beauty-and-the-beast-costume

Belle...A Tale as old as Time

Prince Charming

cinderella-buttons-costume

Cinderella and Buttons

blackadder-costume

Black adder

props-costume-icing

Felt Icing

costume-iced-chef

Iced Chef

beauty-and-the-beast-costumes

Belle and Lumiere

fairy costume drag

 Brad Clapson: 'Fairy Cake' Beauty and The Beast SHP 2017

Twice a year I make costumes for theatre. I am the costume manager and manage the making of and hand-make myself, we produce well over 100 costumes per performance, they are well made and made to measure. The costumes need to endure 60 performances under lights and ALOT of action! (And washes) Photos are from rehearsals and not the finished costumes and there were many more not photographed sadly. I three tiered wedding cake, a bouncing igloo, an iced drill sergeant chef etc etc...

It's a wonderful chance to be creative and think differently about the way I approach making and designing for a couple of months. I absolutely LOvE seeing the costumes on stage at the end of it all... I work for SOUTH HILL PARK theatre in Reading with an incredibly hard working talented team. They blow my mind, their passion and stamina is second to non...

Here are some of the shows I have worked on since 2012:

MADAGASCAR, sell out show, 2018 and 1019

 

Dick Whittington, 2018

costume-dick-whittington

Beauty and the Beast 2017 Panto: Main Designer and maker for principle cast, ensemble designer. Full Costume budget Manager. (I heart spreadsheets) Manager of team of assistants.

beauty and the beast panto costumes

beauty and the beast panto costumesbeauty and the beast panto costumesbeauty and the beast panto costumesbeauty and the beast panto costumes

Black Adder: Edmond, Blackadder II. 2017

Edmund Blackadder costume

Suessical 2017 Easter Show: Main Designer and maker for principle cast, ensemble designer. Full Costume budget Manager. 

suessical costumesseussical costumes 2seussical costumes 3

Cinderella Ball Gown, Buttons. 2016

Liberace 'Mirror Man' Sleeping Beauty 2015

Widow Twanky; Aladdin 2014

James and the Giant Peach: 2012 Full Principle Cast. Director Adam Stafford. 

Unfortunately we don't really have a good portfolio of pictures but here are some.

Costumes

 

Other experience,

2 years working for the Wig Workshop making wigs for 'The Lion King' musical. Pumba's were my speciality :) Really amazing technical hand-sewing, I learnt a lot there, again an incredible team.

Making motion sensor animation suits under Georgina Greathead GG Costumes. we made one for a horse, that was a highlight. I also worked on a number of exciting projects with Georgina, including dance wear for Rambert Contemporary Dance Company.

I make costumes and headdresses all year round, if you have a party or event you want to wear something special to, please contact with your request. I want to hear it :) I love it :)

crow

 

Crow and Tree

 

goat-mask-pupprt-prop

Goat Mask for music video

warthog-mask-props

Hog Mask

turkey-puppet

Momo the Christmas Turkey

White Rabbit for PAUL 

skeleton-halloween-prop

Fabric Skeleton

trotters-pig-prop

Trotters