
The Royal Ballet: The Winter’s Tale
This summer, The Royal Ballet present Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale – a contemporary three-act narrative ballet based on Shakespeare’s profound play of love and loss.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this Season, the production is a modern classic and won its choreographer both a UK National Dance Award and a Benois de la Dance laureate.
The story follows the destruction of a marriage through consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret, the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Image: Dancers of The Royal Ballet in The Winter's Tale, The Royal Ballet, Courtesy of ROH/Johan Persson, 2014. Image above:
Image: The Winter's Tale 9 April 2014, The Winter's Tale, The Royal Ballet, Courtesy of ROH/Johan Persson, 2014.
We had the chance to speak to Sukie Kirk, Costume Production Manager, about the costumes used in the performance of The Winter’s Tale and contribute to the storytelling.
Where there are no words and dance tells the story of The Winter’s Tale, how does costume enact the tale and how do dance and costume work together to create the performance?
I think costume, at its most basic level, should always narrate. When someone walks on stage, what they are wearing should tell us who they are, what they are like, whether they are rich or poor and when the production is set. Even before anyone has spoken or lifted a finger, we should know a little bit about the setting.

Image: Lauren Cuthbertson as Hermione, The Winter's Tale, The Royal Ballet, QPAC Australia. Courtesy of ROH ( 2017). Photographed by Darren Thomas.
Especially in the first act, Sicilians' are all in cool, clear colours - blues, greens, teals, slightly colder which reflects Leontes. Leontes’s colour is green and he is always dressed in varying subtle shades of green throughout. Polixenes and his Bohemian court are all in warm zingy colours so when you are looking at them you should recognise who is a Bohemian and who is a Sicilian.
Act 2 is a festival of colour, a rural idyl setting. In Act 3, we are back in the courts so the cool colours are back. Once the wedding occurs, everyone is a variation of creams and wedding colours so the colours of the garments signify who we are watching without overtly saying it.

Image: Ryoichi Hirano as Leontes and Laura Morera as Paulina, The Winter's Tale, The Royal Ballet, Courtesy of ROH 2018. Photographed by Tristram Kenton.
Again, in Act 2, the costumes are lighter and freer with much more movement because they are on a hillside, whereas in Act 1 they are more tailored and smoother, with cleaner lines to reflect the setting and atmosphere of the court. Throughout the performance, every detail of the costumes is considered to enhance the storytelling and invite the audience into the scene.
As the performance evolved and developed during rehearsals, did any of the costumes change?
Yes, I believe so. For this particular production, it followed the previous one as it has been a successful production for several years now. However, there were a few adjustments made initially. Perdita, for example, was going to be in pink but, during a rehearsal, it was noticed she was going to blend in with the shepherdesses so her costume was changed to a purple - the same shade that Hermoine was dressed in to provoke a connection.

Image: Francesca Hayward as Perdita, The Winter's Tale, The Royal Ballet, Courtesy of ROH 2016. Photographed by Bill Cooper.
When you see it as a whole, these distinctions are not always as obvious but there are subtle pointers throughout the production and the costumes play a vital role in creating the story.
The symbol of a necklace, for example, was used by the Choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon, to show who Pedrita was. I don’t know whether the audience notices this detail but she is also identifiable by the colour of her costume that runs throughout the tale, which is the same as her mother's.
Where are the costumes made and what are the textiles of the costumes like?
The majority of the customes are made here in the UK. Silks, wools, beautiful brocades and digitally printed dresses. The shepherds are dressed in textured linens and cottons and lovely patchwork so their material is very patterned and less polished than the clothes in Act 1, reflecting the storyline. Perdita’s dresses are printed and dyed and have bits of hand-painting on the cuffs and hem which is subtle but adds another detail. One particular fabric, a Suzani from Uzbekistan, was turned into a lovely waistcoat.
A silk bear is created by Basil Twist, an effects designer, made and designed a staged-size silk bear cleverly created by a large piece of silk manipulated by the dancers to evoke a bear - a bit of magical theatre.

Image:
Steven McRae as Florizel with dancers of The Royal Ballet, The Winter's Tale, The Royal Ballet, courtesy of ROH/Johan Persson, 2014.
Is there one piece of costume that you love the most?
A coat was made in London using kente cloth, originally tailored to make a beautiful cut coat with a juxtaposition of striking stripes. Overall, it is the balance of colour that touches me the most. I love the Hermoine purple and the hand-painting on the Perdita. The opening moment of storytelling of the two little princesses turning into the big men Kings where they do it with a red shirt and a green shirt and lifting the crown from one head to the other is genius.
The Winter’s Tale is on show at the Royal Opera House until Saturday 1 June 2024.
Find out more and book your tickets:
www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/the-winters-tale-by-christopher-wheeldon-details