My Career: ‘That moment you see everyone’s work come together on stage is incredibly emotional’

Name: Bethany Baker

Age: 38

Lives: Cork

Job title: Costume supervisor

Salary bracket: It all depends on how much work you get over the year as a lot of work in theatre and TV/film is only for a few months at a time.

TV/film definitely pays better. You won’t be going on a yearly trip to the Maldives, I’ll just put it that way.

Education background: Studied in fashion design for two years. All my experience comes from years of learning from the amazing people I have worked with over the last 16 years.

Hobbies: I don’t have much time for hobbies, but I love spending any free time with my husband and little girl. During the panto season, I’m away a lot. I really miss them this time of year.

Describe your job in five words: Creative, rewarding, stressful, exciting, magic.

Describe yourself in five words: Hard-working, funny, compassionate, creative, fun.

Personality needed for this kind of work? You need to work well with other people and be able to collaborate effectively in a team.

Being outgoing helps, and it’s essential to be able to take instruction well. Communication is very important in this role.

How long are you doing this job? 16 years.

How did you get this job? I got this job through a work-experience placement during college. At the time, I wasn’t completely sure what career path I wanted to follow, but I knew I was always drawn to creative environments. Working in costume turned out to be the perfect fit. It’s hard to find a role more creative than this one. In many ways, I landed in the right place at the right time.

Do you need particular qualifications or experience?

Having a degree in design or garment construction is definitely useful, but the most important thing is genuinely wanting to be there.

You really do need to love what you do - this isn’t an easy job, and it isn’t for everyone.

A lot of people assume it’s all fun and creativity, and while it can be fun, many don’t realise the level of planning and hard work involved.

Producing over 200 costumes in time for opening night is a huge task. Every costume is made completely from scratch, and working to those kinds of tight deadlines can be very stressful.

Passion, commitment, and resilience are just as essential as technical skills in this line of work.

Describe a day at work: A typical day begins with a morning briefing, where we plan out the work ahead. There is a huge amount of organisation involved in this role.

We start by giving everyone their tasks and daily lists. The amazingly talented designer, Muireann Doyle, presents her drawings and concepts, and the makers work from these in detail to ensure every costume meets the expected standard.

The job evolves as the production progresses. After the initial making process, which can take up to three months in the studio, we move into the opera house for tech week. This is an incredibly intense and stressful time, as all departments come together and everyone’s hard work starts to take shape on stage. It’s also where you begin to see the production’s magic truly come alive.

Once the show opens, we deliver around 70 performances of the biggest panto in Ireland.

Every night, every department, actors, dancers, crew, lighting, production, hair and make-up, and of course costume works just as hard to make sure every audience member leaves feeling the same magic we do.

There are countless quick changes, the occasional broken zip, and plenty of belly laughs with Frank Mackey, who plays the wonderful Nanny Nellie.

How many hours do you work a week?

40-72 hours a week, depending on what stage of production we are in.

Is your industry male or female dominated?

I would say its 50/50 depending on what department, but costume is definitely the girls.

Does this affect you in any particular way?

Not at all, we all work together. It’s good to have everyone’s input as men are good at certain things and women are better at most things, lol.

Is your job stressful? How? Rate it on a scale of 1-10:

I would say 10, it can get very stressful, especially working to the deadline of opening night, the curtain goes up and every single costume must be ready.

Do you work with others or on your own?

With others. We were incredibly lucky to have an amazing, hard-working team this year. Every single person gave their absolute best, and we truly couldn’t have done it without them. They are the very best.

When do you plan to retire or give up working?

After every production, I say never again, but honestly I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather do, so hopefully I am lucky enough to keep doing this for another while yet.

Best bits:

I’ve made friends for life in this job, and getting to work with them every day is something really special. We’re like a family.

There are plenty of tears, but even more laughter.

For me, working alongside people I love is one of the best parts. And that moment when you finally see everyone’s hard work come together on stage for the first time is incredibly emotional. It’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words.

Worst bits:

The pressure of working to a very tight deadline, it seems impossible at times but we get it done.

Advice to those who want your job?

To work your way up and to get experience, don’t expect to know everything straight away. I’m still learning 16 years later.

Any other comments?

I have so much love for my job, but for me it’s more than just work.

Cork Opera House is where I met my amazing husband, so I have a very special attachment to the building itself. There’s something truly magical about the place.

I’ve made some of my most wonderful memories there, and it will always hold a very special place in my heart.