Dramatic fashion display

TO WEAR OR NOT TO WEAR: Ghost of Hamlet's father, a costume designed by Duncan Lamont Brown.

Relevant offers

The build-up to next month's Stratfords of the World reunion begins in the town's Percy Thomson Gallery with a unique and spectacular fashion parade.

Costumes from the Bernina Shakespeare costume design competition, costumes by New Zealand Opera designer Elizabeth Whiting and selected entries from the 2009 Taranaki Daily News Wearable Art Awards will be shown on February 26.

This will also be the official opening of a dramatic art exhibition, displaying works by invited artists exploring the theme of drama.

The exhibition assists in celebrating Stratfords of the World being held in Taranaki from March 4-10.

Ninety people from at least five countries have so far registered for the event.

Forty innovative and clever designs entered in the Shakespeare costume competition will be modelled and exhibited in Stratford. The competition closes on April 20 and is open to all students from years 9-13.

"While the entrants are usually females, it is exciting to have a dynamic and very talented young designer from Whangarei, Duncan Lamont Brown, as the supreme winner last year," Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand chief executive Dawn Saunders said.

"The students' work is extremely imaginative and it is great to see them moving on to less well-known plays and characters."

"Justifying their choice of design and fabrics, as well as development sketches and a budget of no more than $100, are the main criteria."

Bernina has been sponsoring the competition for 10 years.

The number of schools participating ranges from decile 1 to 10 schools and includes students in isolated area schools and colleges who are studying fabrics and design by correspondence.

Ms Whiting has been designing and making costumes for dance, theatre and opera for 20 years.

She has done work for the Royal New Zealand Ballet (Verge and Sweet Smashing Vixens and La Boheme, Falstaff); Marriage of Figaro, Barber of Seville, Cosi fan Tutti and Carmen for the NBR New Zealand Opera, and Auckland Theatre Company (Cabaret, Into the Woods, Caligula and Equus).

She is passionately keen on the concept of a creative team coming together to produce a work more wonderful than each individual member could produce.

She runs her own company and, at present, is closely associated with Auckland Theatre Company and the NBR New Zealand Opera.

- © Fairfax NZ News