Trainee costume assistant

Closing date for applications: 12 September 2025 at 1.00pm

Department: Productions

Reports to: Head of wardrobe/costume designer

Key relationships: Head of production, student costume assistants, dressers, company stage manager

Salary: Oxford Living Wage

Based at: Oxford Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW

Hours: Based on 39 hours a week; any work over 39 hours will be paid at overtime rate

Timescale: Wardrobe preparation for pantomime 20th October – 14th November, technical rehearsals for pantomime 17th November – 21st November, wardrobe maintenance during pantomime 24th November – 4th January

Are you passionate about theatre and costume design? Oxford Playhouse is offering an exciting training opportunity for someone from a refugee or asylum-seeking background to join its pantomime wardrobe team.

Oxford Playhouse is looking to recruit a trainee costume assistant for the duration of our 2025/26 pantomime – Dick Whittington. The Oxford Playhouse pantomime is produced in house with a new script each year. Last year, we won the Special Recognition Award for Innovation at The Pantomime Awards, acknowledging how we are keeping the family tradition fresh and relevant. Written and directed by Toby Hulse, Dick Whittington is inspired by 90s Cool Britannia and follows our hero’s journey to London to defeat the Rattagher brothers.

We have partnered with Good Chance on their Stage Door programme to offer a paid work placement and training opportunity for a candidate from a refugee or asylum-seeking background with lived experience of displacement. The candidate will need to have the right to work in the UK. Stage Door is Good Chance Theatre’s flagship programme for early-career creatives from refugee backgrounds to gain experience in the industry, nurturing the next generation of theatre professionals from across the world.

This traineeship will sit as part of a new, growing development of the Stage Door programme, Stage Door 10, which will see ten traineeships rolled out across the country this year. As part of SD10, in the autumn the trainee costume assistant will have the opportunity to become part of a cohort of trainees, meeting together in the second half of the year and benefiting from networking, skills development and masterclass opportunities from Good Chance and their partners. The trainee will also receive a series of mentoring sessions from a team member at Oxford Playhouse towards the end of their traineeship, to support them as they consider their next steps in the theatre industry.

This is perfect for someone with a keen interest in tailoring or fashion who is looking to gain experience within a creative environment. You’ll be part of a supportive team that values learning, collaboration and inclusion. A small budget is available for professional development opportunities during the engagement, including training, tickets for theatre shows, attendance at conferences etc.


What You Will Do

• Work closely with the wardrobe team and costume designer to assist in sourcing or creating costumes for the production as needed. You will be part of the wardrobe team which will be led by the costume designer/head of wardrobe and will also include students from Bournemouth University who make many of the costumes as part of their course, and dressers who will be part of the production crew.
• Coordinate and run costume fittings for actors, including the young company (2 groups of 6 young people aged 11-15 years who alternate performance days). Make necessary alterations and adjustments to costumes to ensure a proper fit.
• Provide wardrobe support during rehearsals and performances, ensuring that costumes are correctly worn by all cast members and maintained throughout the production.
• Assist in the upkeep, cleaning, and repair of costumes to ensure they are in excellent condition across the whole performance run.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• Experience in sewing, dressmaking and/or tailoring
• Attention to detail: A keen eye for detail is essential to ensure costumes are perfect for the production
• Organised and able to manage time: ability to efficiently manage the adjustment and maintenance of multiple costumes at the same time and ensure all costumes are ready to be worn on time
• Communication and team working: ability to communicate calmly with other members of the production team including actors

Desirable

• Experience in costume design , fashion or tailoring is desirable including understanding different fabrics and construction techniques as well as machine and hand sewing skills.

For more information and how to apply please visit the Oxford Playhouse website via the 'Apply' button.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.