Theatre News

Royal Exchange and Birmingham Rep wardrobe departments create scrubs and gowns for frontline NHS staff

Staff across the UK are helping those battling coronavirus in hospitals

The work being done by theatres across the UK
The work being done by theatres across the UK
© Left: Birmingham Rep, right: Royal Exchange / Twitter
Wardrobe departments at theatres up and down the country are helping to provide frontline NHS staff with the equipment necessary to treat those affected by the coronavirus.

Both the Royal Exchange in Manchester and the Birmingham Rep have been posting about the fruits of their departments' labours recently, with the Royal Exchange supplying the Manchester Royal Infirmary and the new Nightingale Hospital.

— Royal Exchange Theatre (@rxtheatre) April 20, 2020

Nikki Meredith, Head of the Royal Exchange's Wardrobe, has said that: "Only a week earlier we had been making huge Victorian crinolines for our production of Rockets and Blue Lights and now it's green scrubs."

In Birmingham, the gowns and scrubs will be helping those at the Solihull and Heartlands hospitals.

The Birmingham Rep has also asked that "if you have any spare, clean linen that can be washed at 60° or more, and pass The REP during your daily exercise, you will be able to donate the linen at our stage door on Cambridge Street."

— The REP (@BirminghamRep) April 20, 2020

The same is also being done in Sheffield Crucible:

— Crucible Theatre (@crucibletheatre) April 17, 2020