Costume Designer Announced for Sweeney Todd – Welcome Ed Johnson

Stage Ready are extremely proud to announce the appointment of Ed Johnson as Costume Designer & Sewist for our upcoming production of Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls.

We first worked with Ed last year when we did the lighting and tech for his wonderful production of Playhouse Creatures by April De Angelis at Burgess Hill Theatre Club – not only did he direct, but also he designed and crafted beautiful costumes that were a joy to light.

Ed comes to us with a wealth of experience both back and on stage. Since graduating with a Drama degree from Aberystwyth University in 2009, he has directed, written, stage managed and even done a bit of tech – in the new year we had the pleasure of watching Ed dame it up in panto. Currently, he is the resident Drama Advisor at BHTC and runs a fun and inclusive reading group that embraces a wide selection of plays.

One of the things Ed has helped me understand is just how important costumes are and how vital it is to get a clear vision as early as possible – we have a lot of great marketing ideas that require at least some costumes to come alive. Also, it’s not just about making the actors look great, in the right costumes that fit well they feel great and it helps develop their characters.

By the way, we had a bit of a discussion about the word Seamstress, which in a traditional linguistic sense is both feminine and can be seen as a bit diminutive. If you google the male version of Seamstress, you land on Tailor, but there is more than a hint if patriarchy in that, and Seamster feels a bit made up. For a neutral, non-gendered word, the wonders of Google AI suggested Sewist, which is a combination of Sewer and Artist and very much sums up our view.

Thank you Ed for being part of the team, we are very lucky to have you.