Director shares costume and staging secrets behind Portsmouth’s hit gothic-horror play

The spine-tingling gothic horror, presented by cultural champions People and Stories, has just five performances left of its 13-show run, delivering an electrifying mix of drama and horror set against the backdrop of Victorian Portsmouth.

“Everything about the show, including the designs, is influenced by Portsmouth and its surrounding landscape,” said director and writer Scott Ramsay. “It’s set in August 1889, and much of what’s celebrated in the show is true to that time. Life could be tough, but people tended to live a much more public and sociable life than they do now.

"It was also a period of huge change and expansion, before Portsmouth became a city. People came and went, including large numbers of local folk who left for America and Australia to find a new life. It’s great that audiences leave feeling much more knowledgeable about the place they live."

Drawing further inspiration from Portsmouth, several landmarks can be spotted throughout the play, including its railways, the port and dockyard, and the New Theatre Royal.

“The story whisks us off around Portsmouth and the surrounding areas. Many of the buildings and locations are still there, and audiences love the thrill of seeing these places being brought to life,” said Scott.

For costume design, Scott decided to stay local to Hampshire, sourcing Bournemouth-based 19th-century costume specialist Nancy Beardall to help realise his vision.

“Together, we’ve tried to be as accurate as possible with the costumes to help audiences tune into the world the characters lived in and understand who they were,” said Scott. “The hardest element of costume-making is often men’s tailoring, which is a rarer skill than dressmaking. Nancy is one of the few remaining specialists for this period on the south coast, and she makes everything, from the corsets to the shirts, from the bustles to the jackets.”

However, it was not just about ensuring that the costumes were period accurate. Scott wanted to ensure that the diverse personality traits of his characters were highlighted effectively.

“Arthur Conan Doyle is an interesting example. Many people naturally think of him as the hugely successful author of Sherlock Holmes and picture him in his later Edwardian years. However, in 1889, he was a Portsmouth GP and hadn’t yet made the transition to being a full-time writer,” said Scott.

“He was wonderfully practical and used to getting dirty. He didn’t have much money, and the two working jackets he owned had surgeon’s cuffs that could be rolled up when needed. We found a photograph of Conan Doyle in Portsmouth from the right period and directly copied the design. We were lucky to find an accurate fabric. In modern jackets, cuff buttons tend to be ornamental, but their origins lie in surgeon’s jackets like Conan Doyle’s, and it’s nice to show that.”

Other challenges in recreating period-accurate costumes included designing pieces that were both mobile and practical.

“Actors often get a shock when preparing for a show like this,” explained Scott. “The weight, warmth, and hold of the costumes are quite unlike the clothing we wear today. Whether it’s braces or corsets, there’s usually an element of restricted movement. Getting in and out of the costumes is a feat, and it can take 30 minutes just to get in and out of all the layers. But it’s worth it when audiences tell us how much the costumes help immerse them in the Victorian world.”

Scott added: “A Summons in the Night puts a twist on what might have happened at this most extraordinary time. Audiences have been thrilled with what we’ve been able to bring to the stage and we would like to thank everybody who has helped to make this show the success that it is.”

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England, Portsmouth Creates, and Creative Harbour Community Venue Network, A Summons in the Night will finish its run on Saturday 16 November at Bedhampton Community Centre.

For more information, please visit www.peopleandstories.co.uk.