A tour of the English National Opera's production costume workshop on Burrell Street is now conducted to celebrate the London Craft Week 2022. The guests were able to take a look at the brilliant costumes and millinery staff for ENO's next season at the London Coliseum - My Fair Lady and Yeomen of the Guard.
The English National Opera believes that Opera transformed people's lives. They exist for everyone, inspiring, nurturing creativity, and making a difference through opera.
The Sadler's Wells Opera Company, founded by Lilian Baylis in 1931 at the freshly re-opened Sadler's Wells Theatre, is the forerunner of English National Opera. Since 1898, Baylis had been producing opera concerts and theatre in London, and he was committed to giving audiences the greatest theatre and opera at accessible costs, a belief that ENO still holds to-date.
Most recently they've been working to create costumes for My Fair Lady. They've been working hard on it since it first opened, preparing the costumes, going to the play to check how the outfit appeared from the audience's perspective, and making the necessary alterations.
The musical My Fair Lady depicts the story of Eliza Doolittle, a teenage Cockney flower vendor, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor intent to turn her into his notion of a "perfect lady."
Moreover, the guests had the chance to see the ongoing costume designing and making of the upcoming performance, Yeomen of the Guard.
The Yeomen of the Guard, the Tower of London provides the setting for a tangled web of sadness and humor. A traveling group of entertainers brings with them illicit loves, fanciful storylines, and unrequited love. A classic Gilbert and Sullivan scenario develops, along with all the turmoil it entails – but perhaps not the joyful conclusion we anticipate from the partnership.
If they can’t sell a set of costumes, they transform it for something else by re-dying them so they can be used again for other performances.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in bringing their 2019/20 Season to a close early, ENO shifted into a variety of other formats. Working with the Imperial College Healthcare team, they established ENO Breathe, an award-winning breathing and wellness program for adults with extended COVID.
They also made 2000 special scrubs for the NHS during Covid, raising £25k on a GoFundMe campaign and earning the head of ENO costumes, Sarah, an MBE in the process.
After a year of progressively regaining normalcy, they established the Under 35s plan, which allows under 21s to get free tickets to any ENO opera performance, while 21-34 year olds get drastically reduced tickets.
It was really cool being having a look at what happens behind the scenes and seeing all of the different costumes and hats that they have been working on. They are really full of creativity in bringing their passion to life - making a difference through opera.
