Caroline Townsend

I grew up in South London, in a family of makers; I studied at the Wimbledon School of Art 1976 to 1978 and then went on to have a very full career in costume making.

Initially I worked for English National Opera, starting in the Men’s Chorus Tailoring department, gradually working my way up through to the Principle Men’s department and then the Principle Women’s department as pattern cutter and maker.

From 1983 to 1998, I ran my own costume making company, as well as working for ENO, The Royal Opera House and the RSC. I worked on many London West End productions such as: Les Miserable, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Beauty and the Beast. Screen and TV work included The Singing Detective, The Prince and the Pauper, and Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado about Nothing.

In 1998, I came to teach at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on the BA (Hons) Theatre Practice Costume Construction course. Since then I have developed the course to keep up with the diverse practice and current trends within live performance, TV and Screen.

My remit also includes oversight of the four making courses within the BA Theatre Practice programme: Prop Making, Set Construction for Stage and Screen, Scenic Painting for Stage and Screen. From my previous experience working in opera, I fully understand and appreciate the need for collaboration within the creative departments; I have worked hard to ensure this is embedded within the BA Theatre Practice degree and to celebrate design interpretation as a subject at this HE level.     

I am currently the external examiner for Costume Production and Associated Crafts, Plymouth College of Art.

Areas of Expertise

• My work here has always included widening student participation; I have run several workshops to introduce costume design interpretation to a wider audience. 
• My current research is looking at basic pattern cutting and costume making and how this could be delivered as workshops to school pupils.
• Teaching areas include pattern cutting, period and contemporary womenswear, men’s tailoring.
• I work closely with a colleague running workshops for the Charity Positive UK.
• I have a book on costume construction which will be self-published.

External Practice

Costume work includes the following

• 2014. Charity Pantomime for NSPCC Peter Pan and the Pirates of the Caribbean
• 2014. Costume maker, Peter Pan, Bloomsbury Theatre (designer Vivienne Westwood)
• 2014. Costume maker, Captain Hook, Bloomsbury Theatre (designer Piers Atkinson)
• 2014. Costume maker, Acolyte and High Priestess, Bloomsbury Theatre (designer Jenny Bevan)

Consultancy work includes

• 2015. ROH, UAL and South Essex College BA (Hons) validation panel BA (Hons) Costume Construction
• 2013. Plymouth College of Art validation panel BA (Hons) Costume Production and Associated Crafts
• 2012. Wimbledon College of the Arts re-validation panel BA (Hons) Theatre and Screen courses

Register of Interest

Nothing to declare