During December, the last month of the Melbourne season, I was asked by one of the costume maintenance assistants to join the team of Elvis: A Musical Revolution. 

My role as costume maintenance assistant involved sorting, washing, drying, ironing and repairing the costumes prior to each performance. Each costume was unique and required different levels of care. Some costumes I could wash and dry and they would require very little ironing to be considered ‘show ready’. However, some costumes needed to be fully hand washed each week and air dried overnight which taught me valuable lessons in how to manage my time towards the requirements of the costumes that needed it. The maintenance aspect of the role also proved very gratifying, as every day I was doing something new, whether it was re-sewing buttons or mending holes, sometimes I was relining pants or making quick change ties. 

It was challenging coming in so late in the production and having to learn the costumes and the show while everyone around me had already perfected it, but it was a valuable experience and one that I can take with me into future practice.