A wonderful new exhibition opened on the weekend at the Arts Centre: a sort of “Greatest Hits” of costumes from ballet, theatre and opera of the last, well, many decades.

From the site:
All that Glitters showcases costumes from Arts Centre Melbourne’s Performing Arts Collection that were designed to create a spectacle on stage. The exhibition celebrates the vision behind these costumes, the creativity and skill of those who created them and the show-stopping performances that brought them to life.

What: All That Glitters – Costumes from Arts Centre Melbourne’s Performing Arts Collection
When: 16 November – 23 February, 9am until late.
Where: the Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Cost: free.

As well as being very sumptuous and sparkly, I found the exhibition to be personally satisfying as it included a beautiful gown from the ’70s production of “The Merry Widow”. My mum brought the programme home after seeing it, and the costume sketches were my first inspiration to become a costume designer. This is the first time I’ve ever seen any of the actual costumes.

It also includes a pair of Baroque style shoes, worn for the ’70s production of “Don Quixote”, a ballet starring Rudolph Nureyev. Like many little girls, I studied classical ballet and seeing this production was a major treat. I was stunned to see a costume from this distant memory, on display.

More information at the Arts Centre site.

Gown worn by Jill Perryman as Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly!, Gordon Frost Organisation, 1995. Designed by Tim Goodchild. Gift of Gordon Frost Organisation, Cultural Gifts Program, 2001. Arts Centre Melbourne, Performing Arts Collection. Photo Source.