Milliner
Ani Townsend
27
Ani Townsend, 27, is a theatrical milliner, which means that she designs and makes hats and headwear. As a child she thought she wanted to be a plumber, like her dad, but the Welsh National Opera, where she now works part time, is glad that she didn't.
"The best bit of advice given to me was always say yes, and panic later"
Hometown
I’m from Bristol, I moved to London to study and stayed there for a few years before coming back to Bristol again
What do you do?
Part time resident milliner (hat-maker) at Welsh National Opera since 2005, and the rest of the time I am a self-employed milliner and costume maker working for various theatre companies, either from my own studio or from their workrooms
What was your very first role in theatre?
Working for costume and prop-maker Robert Allsopp and Associates. I was employed to do the sewing bits, but managed to get involved with the prop-making side too. Whilst there, I helped make hedgehogs for the RSC’s Alice in Wonderland, and a huge feathered costume for Northern Ballet’s Christmas Carol amongst other exciting things. It was a real eye-opener to the time-pressured real world and I learned new skills and how to put existing ones into practice.
What else have you done in theatre?
I taught pattern cutting briefly at Wimbledon School of Art and then became deputy costume supervisor at Chicken Shed Theatre Company. I ran the costume department at Diva Opera for three years and also did some metal and silversmith work for them.
As a freelance my work has included have done costume and millinery work for Jerry Springer the Opera, Copenhagen Ballet’s The Nutcracker, the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Scottish National Ballet’s Cinderella and several productions at Bristol Old Vic Theatre.
Have you got qualifications?
A theatre design and costume interpretation degree from Wimbledon School of Art and before that, a BTEC national diploma in fashion and textiles
What did you want to be when you grew up?
At first I wanted to be a plumber like my dad, but after that I always wanted to be something arty. I first went into textiles with the idea of becoming a tailor because I liked sewing and a tailor was the only job I knew about.
What do you do all day?
A typical day at could start with dying a felt or blocking a shape and stiffening it, then whilst that dries discussing with the costume supervisor or costume designer about details of the production’s millinery requirements. Of course lots of time is spent making, sewing, blocking, dying and drying, but I often spend my time working on lots of different things during the same day because of the drying time that felt and buckram needs. The ability to multi-task and have your mind on lots of things at once is definitely an advantage.
The other skill needed is to be able to work well with others. I work alongside the designer, costume supervisor, wardrobe mistress, wig mistress and of course the cast.
What the designer wants and what will actually stay on the head during the choreography can be two very different things! I spend lots of time in technical rehearsals checking that the hats fit and stay on properly. And some actors and singers have very firm opinions about what they will wear. My job is often to help come up with something that will suit the actor and then convince the actor that she does look fabulous.
What’s the best thing about your job?
No two productions or days are the same!
And the worst?
Shows where the whole cast wear identical costumes, so you spend two months making orange bowler hats. That starts to feel like Groundhog Day!
What’s your dream job in theatre?
In many ways I already have it
Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Get some good training, but also experiment by yourself. The best bit of advice given to me by my millinery teacher was always say yes, and panic later. Lucky I’ve not fallen flat on my face, yet!
