ST Dogmael’s resident Helen Elster Jones is bringing her long career in the fashion industry to good use designing the costumes of a huge cast for the forthcoming production of Eugene Onegin at Rhosygilwen.

The opera by Tchaikovsky was based on a famous play by the Russian poet Pushkin and is set in the lush countryside and the lavish city of St Petersburg.

Helen is having to bring all her possible resources to bear in designing clothes that are both simple to source and look authentic on stage.

“I’m having to dig deep into my attic and find things that might work for this period of flowing dresses f or the women and buttoned up jackets for the men,” she said, as she sketches out her vision of the clothes that the 70-strong cast will be wearing.

Helen, who is also a member of Cor Aberteifi, will have to design the clothes for the 50-strong chorus, half a dozen dancers in peasant outfits and the formal clothing for the main principals who reflect the upper land-owning classes of the time.

Glen Peters, who is putting on the production at Rhosygiwen on July 14-15, says, “It’s wonderful that we have such talented people like Helen living in our area. It would be unaffordable for us to clothe such a large cast by hiring in all our costumes.”