'Decades and decades of costumes' up for sale at Confederation Centre

With storage facilities overflowing with costumes, some of which go back to the 1960s, Charlottetown's Confederation Centre of the Arts has decided it's time for a clear out.

Thousands of costumes will go on sale in a garage-sale type event at the centre this week.

"Decades and decades of costumes," said production manager Kellie Knight.

"We have been keeping them because they do get reused on the stage but at a certain point you can only keep so much."

The costumes have been stored in every space Confederation Centre could find. Main storage is three storeys underground at the centre. There is another hallway in the deep basement that has also been seconded. There is storage at the Mack theatre, and in the warehouse that is mainly used for scenery.

Still costumes are so tightly packed in it can be difficult to move around and find things, and that's also a problem for the costumes themselves.

"When they're crammed so thick in a storage space they're not being able to breathe," said Knight," so gaining that space not only allows us to better preserve the costumes we're keeping but it also gives us space for future shows."

'They've put their heart and soul into it'

Head of wardrobe Bonnie Deakin said it is not always easy to let the items go.

"When you make a costume it's an intimate process. You're building something with your hands and it's very difficult to let it go," said Deakin.

"That's going to be a bit of a problem for all of us, anyone who's worked on something because they've put their heart and soul into it. It's a memory every time you look at something."

Some of the items are quite prosaic, such as the collection of denim wear from a Young Company production just a few years ago. Other items literally carry the weight of the time they were made.

"We've got these dresses that weigh a ton. We don't build like that anymore," said Deakin.

"These were upholstery fabrics, they looked great. But they're heavy and people danced in them."

The provenance of some items is built right into them, with labels that carry the original actor's name.

The sale will open on Wednesday for theatre groups and educators, and then for the general public on Thursday.

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