Costume custodians: Whanganui’s Amdram Musical Theatre has one of the largest and oldest collections in Aotearoa

Amdram costume manager Mary Dack oversees the vast array of wardrobe items in the Whanganui musical theatre's collection. Photo / Bevan Conley

Wardrobe manager Mary Dack is in the process of cataloging Amdram Musical Theatre’s costume collection.

So far 5000 have been processed and she estimates that there are likely to be around 15,000 more to catalogue.

“I don’t think people realise just how extensive the collection is or how widely it’s used,” said Mary.

“People are donating things all the time as well. It’s a way of preserving history and there is a lot of Whanganui history in here.”

As New Zealand’s oldest musical theatre (turning 150 next year), Amdram holds one of the country’s largest wardrobe collections.

Theatres around the country, film producers, schools, and individuals can hire items from the collection.

“Whanganui Collegiate School recently hired the costumes for their production of Footloose,” said Mary.

“We offer local schools and community theatres around New Zealand a Whanganui community resource discount of 35 per cent and we share the collection with our fellow community theatre, Whanganui Repertory.”

Individuals and groups can hire costumes for themed parties and formal events at a cost of $25 per costume with an additional $25 bond repayable upon return.

The collection is housed next to the Amdram Theatre on Guyton St and displayed on a balcony in the main room are costumes and props from Amdram’s own Phantom of the Opera production which had a sensational season at the Royal Whanganui Opera House in March this year, selling out its final shows.

“It was one of our biggest productions ever in the theatre’s history, and we were humbled and blown away by the community support for this project,” said Mary.

“There were 230 costumes required for 53 three cast members and a lot of sewing. It was a fantastic effort by a wonderful team of volunteers. The fabulous chandelier, an iconic part of the show, was designed and built by local artists Katie Brown and Mike Hughes.”

The dress worn by Rosie Mallett for her role as Carlotta Guidecelli in the production is an incredible construction with a corset made by Jenny Harris and the skirt a combined effort by Rhonnie Brinsdon and Mary.

“We did a lot of up-cycling - sourcing materials from charity shops,” said Mary.

“We use items like saris and linen tablecloths combined with creativity to achieve the desired results.”

The front room section of the Amdram costume collection houses the most popular hire selections. Photo / Bevan Conley

After the massive effort required for the Phantom production, it was something of a relief that Amdram’s next production staged at the theatre required costumes for a cast of six.

Costumes for the Albert Belz play Morningstar staged in August were managed by Mary and assistant Liz Munro.

“We are looking forward to our next production Calendar Girls playing in December and back into the Whanganui Opera House in March 2024 with Sweeney Todd to commence our 150-anniversary celebrations.”

Theatre is a family affair for Mary and her husband Graham who were initially led into it by their daughter Rebekah Dack.

“We had supported her studies and early career while we were living in London,” said Mary.

“When we came to live in Whanganui it was exciting to find a thriving theatre scene here.”

Graham Dack, as many in Whanganui will know, has acted in a number of Amdram plays and has gradually become the company’s main director. Rebekah also helped out front and backstage in a number of productions before moving to Auckland where she is also directing as well as acting now.

It is families like the Dacks who have ensured the continuation of Amdram over almost 15 decades and some have continued their involvement over several generations.

Mary has been managing the wardrobe collection for seven years since taking the reins from Ray and Marion Campbell who stepped down after 40 years of devoted service.

Collections made for use in films and TV services are stored in carefully labelled boxes. Photo / Bevan Conley

Kieran Spence is a fourth-generation member of an Amdram-supporting family and he has been involved in almost every production since childhood.

His great-grandfather was a member of the Amdram committee during the 1950s when the theatre was built.

Kieran’s mind map of the collection is impressive - each time a previous production was mentioned he would dive amongst the racks and shelves to quickly locate a significant costume or prop.

One moment he was wearing the green velvet coat he had worn as the Artful Dodger and the next he was in a purple flared pants suit suitable for hire if there’s a 70s party to attend.

When discussion turned to Mark Lester’s 1968 film Oliver, Kieran immediately recalled that it was Ron Moody who played the part of Faigan and that he 54 was at the time.

If you need a theatre expert on your quiz team - it’s Kieran you should call.

Kieran Spence with the PT Barnum costume worn by Rob Guest and a gown worn by his grandmother Shirley London in the Merry Wives of Windsor. Photo / Bevan Conley

A gown once worn by his grandmother Shirley London in Merry Wives of Windsor is a special collection item along with a costume worn by the late Rob Guest when he played the world’s greatest showman in Barnum. Kieran recalls that was in 1986.

“I always enjoy every production I’m involved in,” said Kieran.

“Whether I’m acting or working backstage. And I’m always looking forward to the next production.”

Some of the oldest costumes in the Amdram collection are WWI army uniforms requiring expert care. Photo / Bevan Conley

Some of the oldest costumes in the Amdram collection are woollen WWI army uniforms and other military apparel from the era.

Cleaning garments that age requires gentle steam cleaning with eucalyptus oil, said Mary.

And if stain removal is required she might employ the use of a not-so-secret theatre ingredient in the form of vodka.

“It works well and if used carefully, it doesn’t harm the fabric,” said Mary.

A beautiful 1930s satin ball dress with jet bead embroidery is in pristine condition but would require extra special care.

“You would turn it inside out to protect the jet work and clean it very gently.”

Another part of the collection requiring special attention is weaponry.

Wooden swords and halberds have sustained some damage and Mary said polycarbonate versions were being added to replace some of them.

“They are virtually indestructible but they can cause injury so we’ll sometimes need to bring a in stunt coordinator in if there’s vigorous swordplay involved.”

Amdram’s costume hire facility is open to the public on Wednesdays from 10am to to 2pm and on Thursday evening from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Mary is also keen for volunteers to help with cataloging and can be contacted by calling 027 721 9073.

Liz Wylie is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. She joined the editorial team in 2014 and regularly covers stories from Whanganui and the wider region. She also writes features and profile stories.