A talented group of fashion students from Falmouth University got a career boost last week when they teamed up with our giant Christmas Panto for a piece of career-defining work!

Our homegrown production unit Cornwall Playhouse Productions is teaming up with Falmouth University for this year’s Christmas pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. The collaboration sees University involvement in multiple areas with Fashion and Textiles Institute students playing a key role in creating the flamboyant Dame’s (played by Kernow King, Edward Rowe) costume for the show’s grand finale.  

Our Get Creative team challenged seventy Costume Design for Film and Television students, inviting them to create a Kernow-inspired, show-stopping costume for Dame Trott. Ten finalists were selected, with second-year student Tabby Winchester’s striking design chosen: “I really wanted to emphasise Cornish influences in the design to make sure the Dame has a strong local flavour – hopefully audiences will enjoy spotting them when the dress is revealed. Designing the dress is a great opportunity, and working with classmates on the dress fabrication is putting our skills to the test: this dress needs to wow the audience AND stand up to the rigours of forty performances.” 

Julien Boast, HfC CEO and creative director: “I’m so pleased to be sharing news of this partnership. We’re dedicated to working closely with Falmouth University as we look to deliver creative dynamism and prosperity to Cornwall. We simply wouldn’t be able to mount such an ambitious production without this partnership.” 

Emma Hunt, Vice Chancellor of Falmouth University: “Seeing the creative work of our students on stage, as Dame Trott struts her stuff, is going to be one of my festive highlights. Not only will Ttheir imaginative and clever creations will no doubt delight the crowd., I am very proud of this partnership between two of Cornwall’s biggest cultural institutions, which are putting creative skills at the heart of the county’s growth and community resilience.” 

Second-year student Florence Kenny’s design elements will also feature in the final costume, adding an additional Cornish flourish: “It’s going to be a big emotional moment for us to see Edward Rowe on stage in the dress and cape, especially as the show will be building up to the big reveal. It will be hard not to get caught up in the moment when we see it and hear everyone’s reactions. The Hall for Cornwall is an amazing place and I have volunteered in the costume department before working on other people’s designs, so to actually make a piece to be on the stage will mark a really nice progression for me.” 

Both Tabby and Florence will be invited to attend a dress rehearsal to see their creations come to life on stage and will be credited in the Jack and the Beanstalk programme. 

Director of Jack and the Beanstalk, Joyce Branagh: “It’s really exciting to have the students on board and having that injection of young energy and humour to give us a little blast of Cornwall in that finale moment. We’re very excited about it!”

The project provided  students with the opportunity to experience the real-world process of theatre costume design. They were tasked with balancing both artistic expression and practical considerations – including quick costume changes, scale, and how the outfit would be viewed by audiences from different perspectives. The collaboration gives the students a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and rewards of designing for the stage. The magic of the on-stage reveal is in celebration of both talent and the strong collaborative relationship between the creative arts in Cornwall.  

Photography by Hugh Hastings