Meet the man making opera costumes sing since 1983

He's been behind some of the most striking costumes worn on stage in the north of England, but after more than four decades Stephen Rodwell is taking his final bow.

When Opera North's head of costume took a six-month contract as a wardrobe runner at the Leeds-based production company in 1983, he never dreamed it would be start of an award-winning career spanning 43 years.

During his time with the company, Rodwell has overseen costume design for countless productions, including classics such as The Merry Widow, Kiss Me Kate, Tosca and La Traviata.

"I can walk away with that feeling of I did my job and I'm happy with what I did," says the 64-year-old.

Rodwell had a passion for the arts from a young age. He studied drama at Manchester University before initially joining Opera North in a maternity leave cover position, rising through the ranks to become head of costume in 2001.

"I felt very invested in it personally over the years," he says. "I have only really got happy memories."

Though theatre remains a live spectacle untouched by many technological advances, Rodwell has seen the art form develop over the decades.

"With today's lighting, everything that you see on stage is much more visible and clear, so now we make costumes that are more like what you would expect to see on film - it's that kind of detail," he says.

Some costumes would not meet health and safety criteria in 2026 because their design would simply make them too heavy for a performer to wear, Rodwell adds.

In 2024, Rodwell became the first-ever recipient of the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) Award for Costume.

The gong was presented to him in recognition of his work realising the costumes, rather than designing them, as well as organising costume makers, buying fabrics, overseeing fittings and bringing them to the stage to mesmerise theatre-goers.

"When you see a show you see the hours and hours of work that has gone into the costumes," says Rodwell's colleague, Sian Gilroy, a senior producer at Opera North.

Reflecting on 43 years of bringing opera to life in the north of England, Rodwell says: "It's been a very, very special place to work and thing to be involved with."

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