Behind the Seams

Helping teachers turn their school production into theatre kid core memories. 

If you’ve ever glue-gunned horns at midnight or turned a classroom into a costume department, you’re not alone. School productions are a labour of love, but costuming a full show can quickly become overwhelming. 

The Costume Dept. is a dedicated costume, prop, and staging hire service made for schools. This subdivision of Stage School Australia is backed by over 40 years of youth theatre experience and boasts large, inclusive costume selections, Broadway-quality props and sets, and teacher-friendly service. 

Whether you're staging Mary Poppins, Shrek, Beauty and the Beast, or something original, they’ve got you covered. 

Why schools love working with The Costume Dept: 

• Costume sets for casts up to 100 
• Props and sets for popular musicals 
• Post-show laundry included 
• Flexible, school-friendly service 
• 10% discount for public schools 
• Servicing Melbourne, regional Victoria and interstate  

Each year The Costume Dept helps Stage School Australia mount over 100 performances for more than 6,000 students. They understand the logistics, pressure, and time crunch in coordinating a school show. 

By outsourcing your costuming, props, and staging to a team that truly gets it, you can focus on rehearsals, student growth, and all the magic that happens onstage. 

We sat down with the crew to find out how it all comes together, and what they love most about helping students take the stage. 

Costume & Staging Manager: Jen

How do you balance creative vision with practical school needs like budget, sizing, and logistics? 

One of my favourite parts of the job is getting to know our amazing educator customers and helping them get the most out of their parameters and their vision! It’s so satisfying to hear how our costumes and props help elevate the performances, making students feel that a real investment has been made in their experience. 

How do you support schools doing lesser-known shows or original productions? 

While we love a Shrek or a Les Mis, working on original productions or more niche choices gives us a chance to flex our design skills and see some of our favourite costumes or props reimagined.  Even six years later, I’m still finding pieces in the wardrobe I’ve never seen before, and love being surprised by how a fresh idea can completely change how I view a costume. 

Are there any “unsung hero” costume items that always save the day?

I love a cape! It can give great movement and status to a character, transition a Victorian Era base costume from an indoor to an outdoor look, hide a big costume reveal, or give a sense of magic to our witchy-friends! #Bringbackthecape/

What’s the most unusual item you’ve ever had to track down for a show? 

We recently made an alien for Australian Youth Theatre’s production of War of The Worlds. The tentacles were each over 4m long, and it was an awesome collaboration between our Costume Workroom, Props Department, Drama Teachers and Students. 

Can you describe a time when a single costume choice completely transformed a performance?

I’m inspired by productions like My Fair Lady, the street scene in Moulin Rouge!, or, more recently, the Boop! The Musical costume design, where people use monochrome as a transformative effect. An example in our stock are our incredible Ancestor costumes for The Addams Family from the Broadway production. While we love a technicolour dreamboat, limiting a colour palette can bring an incredible amount of creativity to texture and silhouette and help convey a story, era or emotion. 

  
Production Manager: Dean
 

How can props and staging elevate a school production without breaking the budget?  

Work smart with what you have. If props can have dual purposes, plan that early. For set, focus on one or two high impact pieces rather than lots of smaller, less impressive items. Lighting can go a long way with creating different spaces. Think about your overall picture and what the audience will be seeing through the show.

What advice would you give to a teacher tackling their school’s musical for the first time? 

Have a clear plan for set early, that way students can know they have steps to walk up or there is going to be a wall next to them etc. When students who haven’t done a show before are trying to imagine a whole world, it can be very difficult.

What are the key elements you focus on in pre-production? 

Lock in your major set pieces and transitions. You always want to know what is going to be on stage with the kids, how much space that will take up, and most importantly how that set or flying piece is getting on and off the stage. Nothing ruins a show faster than clunky transitions.

  
Workroom Supervisor: Julie
 

What’s one costume you’ve loved making or remaking recently?  
I absolutely loved making a Cinderella reveal dress. It was quite a challenge to create a transformation moment where Cinderella goes from a poor stepdaughter in rags to a princess right in front of the audience. The actor had to spin and open up the ragged outer layer to reveal a beautiful blue princess gown hidden underneath. 

I had to construct the dress in a new way, and it needed to fit across three sizes. I made two versions: one that covered three smaller sizes and another that fit three larger sizes. It was a complex project but incredibly rewarding. Seeing it come to life on stage (and hearing the audience gasp) made all the hard work worth it. 

How do you ensure costumes are comfortable, durable, and still look great on stage? 

We do our best to design costumes that fit as many body shapes as possible. Sometimes we add Lycra inserts into the side seams to allow for extra movement. This flexibility not only helps the costume fit a wider range of performers but also reduces the risk of tearing, especially when students are dancing. Comfort and durability are just as important as appearance. 

What’s your favourite part of seeing your work on stage? 

When all the costumes match, fit well, and function properly.  This can be challenging, especially with the sheer number of costumes required across our hires. Despite the workload, I find great enjoyment in watching the students bring the costumes to life on stage. 

Want to find out more? 

Whether you’re deep into rehearsals or just starting to plan for next year, The Costume Dept. is ready to help. Even if you’re still waiting on licensing or final budget approvals, we encourage you to get in touch and pencil in your show as soon as possible by contacting admin@costumedept.com.au. 

Visit costumedept.com.au or check us out on Instagram at @thecostumedepartment to explore some of our range and start planning your next production with less stress, and a lot more sparkle. 

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