The Costumes of FAUST

Our original production of Charles Gounod’s Faust has been a labour of love for the talented creatives bringing director Amy Lane’s bold vision to fruition—and the costumes team has been conjuring some Mephistophelean magic of their own to realise costume designer Emma Ryott’s whimsical and irreverent designs for their mainstage debut. 

Take a look behind the fitting room curtain as we explore what it takes to build a staggering 75 costumes and 62 headdresses, and be sure to join us at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts this fall to see them shine under the stage lights!

With the exception of the students’ costumes, all of the pieces for this production had to be built from scratch—a post-Covid first for our costume department, which last created original costumes from the ground up for Rufus Wainwright and Daniel MacIvor’s Hadrian in 2018.

Although the process would usually take over a year, the schedule for Faust was compressed to about seven months, with design meetings taking place in February, fabric sourcing and distribution being worked out in the spring, and building starting over the summer, with fittings completed in mid-September.

“It truly takes a village,” says Head of Costumes Sandra Corazza, who has overseen the coordination of multiple teams in addition to our in-house workroom to produce the daring and dazzling pieces that are a hallmark of this production.

Cutters who worked on Stratford’s recent hit La Cage aux Folles have created the outfits worn by the cigarette girls, while a team whose work can usually be seen on stage at the National Ballet were tasked with creating the jewel box dancers’ costumes. Other specialists engaged for their skill and expertise included a milliner and tailor from the Shaw Festival, as well as four local independent teams of makers.

Among the most eye-catching pieces are the headdresses worn by the market sellers, each featuring the wares on offer—be it cheese, wine, bread, oranges, shellfish, or cutlery. The outlandish creations have been constructed atop bicycle helmets to ensure a secure and comfortable fit for the wearers.

As with any production, adaptations have been made along the way. For this Faust, the sheer quantity of ostrich feathers that were required necessitated an application for an import permit. And because egret feathers weren’t available, one headpiece is topped with dollar-store pampas grass instead.

The dancers’ costumes presented their own challenges, needing to be durable, flexible, and comfortable as well as visually stunning. This was where costume designer Emma Ryott’s experience across opera, ballet, and theatre design proved priceless. “Her understanding of the dance element has been especially helpful,” says Corazza, adding that Ryott’s creative partnership with director Amy Lane is one where inspiration meets precision.

Although the jewel box dancer’s tutu alone took over 60 hours to complete, Corazza explains that the hardest part of dressing dancers is actually the shoes. “Their feet have to be happy!” she explains, nodding to costume coordinator Chloe Anderson, who—in addition to a host of responsibilities including sourcing materials and measurements, liaising with the stage management team through the rehearsal process, and maintaining COC standards throughout the co-production process—has been responsible for organising all footwear for the show. “You can’t perform with sore feet, so we’re focused on performance and safety as well as how they look.”

An ageless tale reimagined countless times across the centuries, Faust is once again ripe for reinvention. From a bratwurst seller’s hat to the corsets and garters of a devilish pair of cabaret dancers, to the dapper white tophat and tails of a Marlene Dietrich-like deity, the costumes of our new production offer a visual feast befitting Gounod’s glittering score. 

Don’t miss your chance to experience the magic for yourself—tickets are on sale now!