By Frankie Biegel

From Oct. 1-4, Turner Studio was filled with students, faculty, and locals alike to celebrate Bishop’s students’ theatrical performances. New Plays is an annual festival consisting of student-written, directed and performed plays. Oct. 2nd’s debut of Night B drew a large crowd, with members sitting shoulder to shoulder and some having to creep up on the wings of the stage to find seats. Featured at the soirée were Whimsy on the Grounds, Those Left Behind, Dimprov, Boarding School Drama and Kaleidoscope, all with remarkable performances from the hardworking students. The night was filled with laughter, gasps and the unifying admiration for theatre and performance art. Nestled in the crowd was writer and Bishop’s Costume Shop Manager, Candace Warner, alongside her daughters and nine-month-old grandson.

Photo courtesy of Zachary Saint Cyr

Candace Warner’s skit Dimprov, directed by Fiona Tremblay, opens with two strung- out Costume Shop employees, who aim to maintain order while being continually interrupted by students. The rotating door of questions, nonsensical emails, and wacky costumes builds on itself until the employees become engulfed by their own creations and descend into, as the director, Fiona Tremblay, describes it herself, “A costumed fever dream”. Through the chaos, Tremblay packs the performance with countless allusions to Bishop’s own theatrical history, cult classic films and Broadway musicals. However, beyond the campy and playful performance of over 20 cast members, her adaptation of Warner’s script aims to recognize the overlooked labour of costume designers who provide the unseen scaffolding for theatre.

Over the course of her 50 years at Bishop’s, Candace Warner filled the stage with beautifully intricate, wild and humorous costumes for students. Working between directors, technicians and actors, she juggled the demands and expectations of countless individuals at once, all the while making the shop a space of inclusion and fun for anyone popping in.

In an interview, Warner highlights inclusion as one of the most important priorities to her while running the Costume Shop, “[The students] are busy, they’re on their own, and they’re running ragged… [in the shop] you could really let your hair down and talk about whatever you wanted to talk about. You knew it wasn’t going to go any further.”

In a similar fashion, director Fiona Tremblay reflects on her experiences in the Costume Shop under Warner’s care, “you will have had the most enriching conversations… [the costume designers] are the chattiest, most lovely bunch, and they will listen to you like their lives depend on it.”

Despite the warmth of the Costume Shop and remarkable talent within, Warner’s dedication went largely unrecognized beyond the Bishop’s theatre niche. However, this narrative shifted once the curtain rose at the festival. On Oct. 2, a completely sold-out theatre roared as the marvel of Warner’s undeniable wit and hard work flooded the stage.

In light of Candace Warner’s recent retirement, the final recognition of her contribution to Bishop’s was “very touching”, as remarked during her interview, and a “fantastic way to end [her] time” as the longstanding Costume Shop manager.

As the lights come up and fantastically costumed actors take a bow, Candace Warner’s nine-month-old grandson has just seen his very first theatrical performance, marking a final homage to his wonderfully witty grandmother.

Thank you, Candace.