Revel in the glamour of Victorian costumes in The Turn of the Screw as the drama heads for the Torch Theatre this autumn. With two professional actors at the helm, local Costume Supervisor, Louise Sturley has taken the challenge in her stride and the result will be truly outstanding.

Audience members will be in for a treat seeing the characters in all their glory flouncing their clothes from a long ago era when fashion was uppermost in influential circles. But ensuring cast members are depicted in the correct clothes has required a lot of research and reading as Louise explains:

“Having worked in costume for a number of years I already had a good knowledge of historical costume, but it’s always prudent to brush up on it once in a while. I like to look at historical fashion books, of which I have many - with photographs or prints with brilliant descriptions of garments  telling you the reason for changes in fashion, and others that are studies of historical garments, with sketches of how they have been made and patterns on how to recreate them accurately. I think it’s important when working on a period production to get as close to accurate as possible. Research is key.”

Louise, who lives in Milford Haven, is a familiar face at the Torch Theatre. Her first production was Noises Off, back in 2006, and following that she has worked on every in-house production until 2016, with highlights including The Hired Man and Brief Encounter. She then returned to the Torch in 2023 and is delighted with the new style of work that the Torch produces being both ambitious and pushing boundaries.

In 2013, Louise worked on The Turn of the Screw with then Artistic Director, Peter Doran.

“When it was performed back then, there were at least five actors, appropriately cast based on their playing ages. So, I’m excited to see how Seren Vickers and Samuel Freeman will take on the roles of different characters without making physical changes to their appearance,” explained Louise.

She added: “There may be a corset, a detachable collar, and maybe a pocket watch but anything else will be a surprise. But you can expect late Victorian gentry and beautiful silhouettes.”

The Turn of the Screw will appear on the Torch Theatre stage from Wednesday 8 October to Saturday 25 October. Tickets: £18- £28. To book tickets via the website visit torchtheatre.co.uk / phone the Box Office on 01646 695267 or click here.