Growing up in Wagga Wagga, one of Marg Horwell’s favourite things to do was at the theatre where her mum, Robyn, worked front of house. When everyone was gone, the pair of them would creep backstage together. “It felt like secret and magic,” she tells WHO.
And on the weekends her mum wasn’t working, they’d be at another theatre or arts venue as her parents drove her all over to see “everything”. “They prioritised seeing all these big things from shows to visual arts. I grew up loving drama and I thought I’d be a brilliant actor because back then I thought all your could do on stage was act,” she says.
The realisation there were many more varied roles came, accidentally, when Marg, was at university studying creative arts. She was in a play and someone asked for her help with the set design. As time went on, it was this, instead of the acting, which took centre stage for her.
“It was this perfect fit for me. I loved theatre studies and visual arts, and I’d always thought I’d have to give one up,” Marg, 45, says. “About five years after I started set designing, I went into costume design, too, because people like you to do both.”
Working for stage productions all over Australia, her most notable role in recent years is that of set and costume designer for Sydney Theatre Company’s production of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The one-woman show, which has since travelled to London and is now on Broadway in New York, features 26 distinct characters and, of course, each needs a different costume. The set is also hugely technical, with a mix of LED screens showing pre-recorded footage and opulent on-stage scenery full of flowers and colour.
“It was the most ambitious work I’ve personally embarked on,” Marg says. “The character needs to change clothes on stage, so each change must be eight to 12 seconds, including wig and facial hair. It’s so exciting – a real love letter to theatre for me.”
But while she was proud of the part she played, she says she was shocked to receive two nominations for Tony Awards – the most prestigious awards in American theatre.
Hitting up the red carpet in New York for the ceremony on June 8, Marg ended up scooping up the Tony Award for ‘Best Costume Design of a Play’ for her outstanding work – a big win for both Marg herself and the Aussie theatre industry.
But there won’t be much downtime for the creative. Her latest project, her first with Opera Australia, is the set and costume design for a modernised version of the classic, Carmen, which opens in July.
“There’s a cast of 70, which I’ve not done before – the people form part of the set in the show,” she says. “There are some pretty big looks, and I’m excited about the chorus costumes, which are an interesting collage of ideas from the existing opera.”
Marg’s parents will be there to support her on opening night and, while she credits her mum with the path she’s taken, it turns out things have come full circle and Marg has also inspired her mother.
“She’s costume designing at Wagga School of Arts now and she’s filling in for someone in a play, which she’s very scared about, too,” Marg says proudly. “It’s always been in her, but now she’s become brave enough to do it.”
Marg’s designs can be seen in Opera Australia’s upcoming production of Carmen. Head to opera.org.au for tickets.
