Come behind the scenes with us for a Creative Skills Talk with Charlotte Hillier and Joanne Berry, the Diva Opera Costume Designer and Wig Mistress.
This talk will offer insight into the craft, design process and practical realities of period costuming for unconventional spaces. Diva Opera, founded over thirty years ago to take opera beyond traditional theatres and into distinctive settings, has built an international reputation as Britain’s foremost chamber opera company. This event will be of interest to those with a professional or amateur interest in period costume design and creation, including wig design.
This event is part of Northern Ireland Opera and Diva Opera’s partnership around the new production of La Boheme in the Carlisle Memorial Church.
Look at some images from recent Diva Opera productions here.
CHARLOTTE HILLIER, DIVA OPERA WARDROBE SUPERVISOR AND COSTUME DESIGNER studied drama at the University of Hull and after graduating in 1998 worked with Angels the Costumiers as a period costumier. Work in theatre includes wardrobe assistant on My Fair Lady in the West End, productions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre including A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Winter’s Tale and costume support technician with The Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden working on classical ballets such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Manon, Romeo and Juliet and more modern works such as Chroma and The Seven Deadly Sins. She also accompanied The Royal Ballet on their annual tours to Mexico, Spain and the US and most recently was wardrobe assistant for the Four Seasons (Raymond Gubbay) in Lucerne. This is her tenth season with Diva Opera.
JOANNE BERRY, WIG MISTRESS studied Drama at the University of Hull, graduating in 1998. She has worked in both wardrobe and wig departments on tour, in the West End and regional theatre including several productions at York Theatre Royal and as wardrobe mistress on Corrin Redgrave’s The Recruiting Officer (The Lichfield Garrick Theatre). In 2000 she was deputy team leader on the circus extravaganza Millennium Show (the Dome). Touring credits include The National Theatre’s production of Honk!, Soul Train, Spiderman and Grease the Musical (UK tour, West End and Japan). London credits include wardrobe department Anything Goes (Drury Lane), wig department Phantom of The Opera (His Majesty’s Theatre), deputy wardrobe mistress on Trevor Nunn’s Hamlet (The Old Vic), wig assistant Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (The London Palladium), High Society (The Shaftesbury Theatre) and Guys and Dolls (The PiccadillyTheatre). She worked on Aida and other productions for Raymond Gubbay in London, Dublin and Switzerland. This is her tenth season with Diva Opera.