Work Experience- Les Miserables 


For this week I have been doing work experience with the costume department of Les Miserables. This was a huge opportunity for me to work within the industry and follow people who work within the costume store, doing all different roles.
On Tuesday I spent the afternoon in the costume workroom making alterations and then watch the show from the sound box. The show was fully booked on a Tuesday night so I wasn't able to sit in with the audience. I found it incredible that in my week at the show. It was full nearly every single night. For such a long running show it was still as popular and amazing as ever.

Through this work experience I got to follow the head of the costume department and the team that works with her. On a evening show the costume team needed to be in for 1.30, this is to give the team enough time to sort the washing from the previous shows and to also make sure any damages, breakages or general issues discovered from the previous shows.
During this time I got the chance to also help with this. The main things to come up into the costume store were such things as: broken hooks, eyes, brackets. General wear and tear of the costumes in the knees which needed patches. In the male costumes this is was particularly common because they are incredible hard worn.
Also during my time at Les Miserables the department was preparing for the cast change in the show. Some of the actors and actresses would be changing, so during the costume workroom time breaking down the new costumes that were being brought in for the new cast members, these needed to be altered from fittings and broken down if necessary.

The second part of my work placement was following the dressers doing  set up and then dressing through the show. Having never seen the backstage workings of a West End show. For a costume student this was really amazing and fun to soak up the atmosphere, while working in a professional atmosphere.

The overall experience was incredible. I got the chance to really see how the costume department worked in a professional environment. I have only ever experienced more amateur work so it was good to  be able to take what I have seen from Les Miserables and hopefully take that knowledge back into my own work,