Evaluation
The work that I undertook this term was relevant to me, as, within this project I got to explore making for a professional theatre, which is something that I would consider as my specialism and I feel that I have developed as a practitioner in many ways during the course of this assignment.
The freedom and responsibility that I have been given for this project has helped me to become a more independent and professional practitioner. Due to this project being self-directed, I have had to find solutions to problems myself rather than asking a tutor which has made me more proactive and confident in my abilities. We also had to liaise with people from the National Theatre without any guidance, forcing me to step up my professionalism and because of this I now feel more capable in my communication skills. Working independently has also required me to step back from my work and enhance my own quality control measures, working for a theatre that would expect high standards has definitely made me more uncompromising with my sewing. From working with a professional theatre, I have also learnt about why certain fabrics are used for certain costumes. I went into this project expecting to make a garment that was 100% historically accurate and did not realise that in order to make a garment suitable for theatre, it can’t be fully accurate. I found my skirt fabric a questionable choice at first but further down the construction line I realised that the fabric would make the costume stand out more on stage and I preferred that because it made it more interesting and exciting to work with. I also learnt that costumes must be easily adjustable if they are for hiring purposes.
Working in a team has been a very time efficient way of working but has taught me to be less precious about my work and I have also had to learn to compromise and make decisions with another person.
Keeping a blog has developed my reflective writing skills greatly. It is a part of this unit that I have enjoyed, as it is easier to keep up to date than a workbook and I was able to plan when to do weekly updates in my timetable. Another aspect of this unit that I enjoyed was visiting the National Theatre and learning certain sewing techniques that are more relevant in a professional environment and for theatre. Many of the processes are done to speed up construction, as most productions work on a limited time frame.
Overall, I have enjoyed working for a professional theatre, making contacts and improving my reflective writing skills. If I was able to do this project again I would want to add more complex decoration to the skirt. I am glad that I chose to be a National Theatre maker, the only criticism I have is that I feel I have missed out on the opportunity to work on a live show.
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