“Having once been involved in a 10 person show where the costume budget was £30, this is lush.” one of 5/11’s costume designers, Freya Cowan, chuckles to herself as she tells me how completely out of the ordinary this show’s emphasis on costume design has been. Working alongside Lucy Wright, the pair have spent over 5 months turning their visionary Pinterest board into an impressive set of 25 carefully curated punk-period fusion costumes ahead of the week 5 show. The time, devotion, and cost required to costume the 23 person cast of 5/11 has been a leap beyond the normal experience of a Cambridge student costume designer.

5/11’s director, Evie Chandler, had a clear vision for the costume design. She wanted the costumes to inspire “rebellion, revolution, freedom,” inspired by the punk subculture: “protests, gigs, the Sex Pistols.” The novelty of the period-punk fusion concept, which Evie hopes is going to bring “something new” to the Cambridge theatre scene, meant that very little of the costumes could be sourced from the ADC’s costume store. Freya and Lucy have therefore been raiding the cast's wardrobes to try and source “10 leather jackets, for example” but have also been left having to make most of the costumes themselves.

Evie and her producer, Lottie Wood, did encounter questions from their funding body, the Brick House Theatre Company. A costuming scheme where so much had to be made from scratch was never going to be cheap. They were awarded an overall budget for the play of £2,300, and the team have allocated an astounding £900 of that to Freya and Lucy for costume design. Evie knows this is a stand out feature of her play, explaining that “normally you’d get £150 to £200.” The funding body were eventually convinced by Evie’s and her team's ambitious plans, telling Evie  “if that’s what you want to spend your budget on, go for it.” In exchange, the team have had to “make concessions in all other areas of their budget”, opting for a “brutalist set” to reduce costs, and relying on the cast’s own hair and make-up provisions.

Devoting so much time and money to the costuming has resulted in a visual spectacle, and created a promising atmosphere amongst the cast. One cast member praised Lucy and Freya’s work, referencing how often in the past she has felt uncomfortable in costumes that didn’t fit properly, but hasn’t had that problem at all in 5/11. It’s been a top priority for Evie that her cast feels a sense of ownership over their costumes. She described how much she, Lucy, and Freya have enjoyed “working with the cast, asking them what do you think your character would wear?” The costumes aren’t designed to be “completely untouchable artefacts, they really are supposed to be worn and enjoyed.”

"Devoting so much time and money to the costuming has resulted in a visual spectacle"

The comfort and ownership that the cast feel over their costumes has clearly been no mean feat to achieve. The costuming process began online  over the Summer vacation, leaving the team’s vision overwhelmed by what Freya described as “a lot of zoom calls” and “a lot of spreadsheets.” The upside, however, was being free from the pressures of their studies. Both Freya and Lucy felt that having more time for the project left them with the capacity to be more creative. Not only that, but at home both costume designers have access to sewing machines, but are now left making all final alterations by hand in Cambridge.

The pair knew they were signing up for a lot when they applied; Evie’s directive vision inspired a costuming scheme unlike anything else either Freya or Lucy had worked on before. Lucy’s recent Camdram credits include her work as costume designer for Easter term’s The Seagull, a show with not only far simpler costumes, but with a budget of less than a  quarter of 5/11’s.

As opening night approached, the team were busy putting finishing touches and alterations on costumes. Joining our Zoom call from the ADC’s dressing room, Evie seemed to be in the middle of an exciting but full-on week of preparations. She described the pressure of Cambridge theatre’s “tight deadlines”; and it struck me that despite the team’s complete devotion to this play and its costumes for the past 5 months, there remained a final sprint to opening night. The costuming scheme for 5/11 is fuelled by a revolutionary ambition that promises a spectacle unlike any other ADC show in recent years 5/11 is showing at ADC on Friday and Saturday evening at 7pm.

5/11’s director, Evie Chandler, has always had a clear vision for the costume design. She wanted the costumes to inspire “rebellion, revolution, freedom,” with inspiration taken from the punk sub-culture: “protests, gigs, the Sex Pistols.” The period-punk fusion, which Evie hopes is going to bring “something new” to the Cambridge theatre scene, meant that very little of the costumes could be sourced from the ADC’s costume store. Freya and Lucy have therefore been raiding the casts wardrobes to avoid the challenge of sourcing “10 leather jackets, for example” but have also been left having to make most of the costumes themselves.

She wanted the costumes to inspire “rebellion, revolution, freedom,” with inspiration taken from the punk sub-culture: “protests, gigs, the Sex Pistols.”

Evie and her producer, Lottie Wood, did encounter questions from their funding body. A costuming scheme where so little can be outsourced, and so much had to be made from scratch was never going to be cheap. They had been awarded an overall budget of £2,300, and have allocated an astounding £900 of that to Freya and Lucy’s costume design. Evie knows this to be a stand out feature of her play, explaining that “normally you’d get £150 to £200.” The funding body were eventually appeased by Evie’s and her teams ambitious plans, with Evie recalling how they told her that “if that’s what you want to spend your budget on, go for it.” In exchange, the team have had to “make concessions in all other areas of their budget”, opting for a “brutalist set” to reduce costs, and relying on the cast’s own hair and make-up provisions.

Devoting so much time and money to the costuming hasn’t only resulted in a visual spectacle, but has also led to a promising atmosphere amongst the cast. One cast member has praised Lucy and Freya’s work, referencing how often in the past she has felt uncomfortable in costumes that didn’t fit properly, but hasn’t had that problem at all in 5/11. It’s been a top priority for Evie that her cast feels a sense of ownership over their costumes. She described how much she, Lucy, and Freya have enjoyed “working with the cast, asking them what do you think your character would wear?” The costumes aren’t designed to be “completely untouchable artefacts, they really are supposed to be worn and enjoyed.”

"Costumes aren’t designed to be “completely untouchable artefacts, they really are supposed to be worn and enjoyed.”

The comfort and ownership the cast feel over their costumes has clearly been no mean feat to achieve. Beginning the process online over the Summer vacation left the team’s vision overwhelmed by what Freya described as “a lot of zoom calls” and “a lot of spreadsheets.” The upside, however, was being free from the pressures of their studies. Both Freya and Lucy felt that having more time for the project left them with the capacity to be more creative. Not only that, but both costume designers have access to sewing machines at home, but are now left making all final alterations by hand, without access to one in Cambridge.

The pair knew they were signing up for a lot when they applied; Evie’s moodboard and vision inspired a costuming scheme unlike anything else either Freya or Lucy had worked on before. Lucy’s recent Camdram credits include her work as costume designer for Easter term’s The Seagull, a show with not only far simpler costumes, but with a budget of not even a quarter of 5/11’s.

As opening night approached, the team were busy putting finishing touches and alterations on costumes. Joining our Zoom call from the ADC’s dressing room, Evie seemed to be in the middle of a exciting but full-on week of preparations. She described the pressure of Cambridge theatre’s “tight deadlines”; and it struck me that despite the team’s complete devotion to this play and its costumes for the past 5 months, there remained a final sprint to opening night. The costuming scheme for 5/11 is fuelled by a revolutionary ambition that promises a spectacle unlike any other show in recent years ta the ADC.

5/11 is still showing at the ADC Theatre on Friday and Saturday evening at 7pm.