Students showcase stunning work at Royal Opera House

Students showcase stunning work at Royal Opera House

South Essex College BA (Hons) Costume Construction students have launched an exhibition of their work at the Royal Opera House in Convent Garden.

The showcase is the culmination of the three year degree programme with students displaying their work entered as part of the Royal Opera House Prize, an annual costume construction and design competition conceived by Fay Fullerton, Head of Costume at the Royal Opera House.

Students were tasked with creating a costume for either the ballet 'The Nutcracker' or the opera 'Hansel and Gretel', with students exploring a range of themes for their creations.

Representatives from the Royal Opera House attended the private view on Monday evening to judge the students’ work and reveal prize winners.

Gillian Marais was announced as runner up for her transformative costume for the Witch in Hansel and Gretel. Judges were impressed with the technical aspect of incorporating two costumes into one and for the high level of finish and cutting skills.

Carrie-Ann Stein’s costume for The Nutcracker was announced as the overall winner, with judges commenting on her ability to work with difficult fabrics whilst attaining a high level of finish. Carrie’s ability to bring a character to life through her use of narrative was particularly applauded.

Carrie-Ann said she was shocked and delighted to be announced the winner.

She said: “Everyone has put a lot of effort into their costumes, so to be announced as the winner really means a lot. The Costume Construction course is absolutely amazing, it feels like you are working in a proper workshop, and the fact that the degree is run in partnership with the Royal Opera House is an incredible opportunity and has opened doors I never thought possible.”

Colin Bladen-Kopacz, Dean of Higher Education at South Essex College University Centre said: “This is an amazing opportunity for our degree level Costume Construction students to exhibit their work. Our partnership with the Royal Opera House means that our degree course is directly linked to the needs of industry and we cannot thank them enough for their support of this competition.”

Fay Fullerton, Royal Opera House, Head of Costume said: "The Royal Opera House is committed to developing talent across all strands of its work and this degree course is something we are particularly proud of. It’s vital that we grow the talent pipeline across our backstage and theatre craft areas, ensuring routes into the industry are prioritised and this degree is the perfect example of that. The hard work and dedication these students have shown has impressed us all and we look forward to sharing their work in this fantastic exhibition."

The exhibition, at the Linbury Theatre Foyer, Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, continues until Sunday 23 June.

Visitors can view the exhibition at the following times:

Wednesday 19 June - 10 am - 5 pm
Thursday 20 June - 10 am - 4 pm
Friday 21 June - 3 pm - 5 pm
Saturday 22 June - 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday 23 June - 10 am - 5 pm

For further information on the course visit www.southessex.ac.uk/course/costume-construction-ba-hons or view the student work on the course Instagram page @costumeconstructionbasec