Costume Design with Spirit of Youth

In today’s blog, Rob Cann, GSC facilitator extraordinaire, gives us an insight into a special Spirit of Youth session…

TRINCULO: “Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.”

The residents of Queen Elizabeth Park Care Home and the children from Weyfield Primary Academy have been meeting up once a week and working hard towards their latest exciting project for Guildford Shakespeare Company’s fantastic Community Outreach Project, Spirit of Youth.

Gearing up for their third performance, they’re hard at work in rehearsals for one of William Shakespeare’s last plays, The Tempest. In Act IV Scene I, the Island monster Caliban, with his newly found acquaintances, Trinculo and Stephano, are tricked by Prospero. With the aid of the magical Ariel, Prospero conjures up beautiful garments for them to try on, only for the elegant clothes to suddenly disappear before their very eyes. The trio are then chased around the island by vicious hounds.

With that in mind, the residents and children sat together and began to create their very own clothing in a special ‘art attack’ style class. Sticks of glue and glitter pens at the ready, the creative juices really began to flow. The clothes (fit for an Emperor!) were awash with colour and style, with many even sporting bespoke matching sunglasses, handbags and hairdos!

The clothes they brought to life, with paper and pens and their endless imagination, were definitely designer material and would not look out of place on any catwalk. Fortunately, this new fashion didn’t suddenly disappear and there was not an angry dog to be seen!

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