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

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21 April 2020

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.

A huge shout out to the brilliant members of our Wardrobe & Costume Hire teams who are part of the incredible #HelpingDressMedics group making scrubs for our NHS. Read their story & help support them here >> https://t.co/pkpQ9rIsiX pic.twitter.com/CFEVDp0t1c

— 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."

Help Us To Help The NHS!

With unprecedented demand on the NHS, The REP is eager to help

Our wardrobe team have transferred their exceptional skills to helping frontline staff, making gowns and scrubs for staff at Heartlands and Solihull Hospitals https://t.co/MsuZNAXw66 (1/3) pic.twitter.com/pYG9qYTdo5

— The REP (@BirminghamRep) April 20, 2020

The same is also being done in Sheffield Crucible:

Our wonderful makers of the Wardrobe Department are giving their time to the Helping Dress Medics group to make scrubs for hospitals in the Yorkshire region. They are such a skilled bunch and we are so proud of them. #HelpingDressMedics pic.twitter.com/Qa3khdtjjX

— Crucible Theatre (@crucibletheatre) April 17, 2020