Dr Veronica Isaac specialises in the history of dress and costume for performance. Her research highlights the importance of working with surviving costumes, examining them closely and unpicking the memories and meanings they carry in their fibres.
A freelance curator, lecturer and writer, she spent a decade working in the Department of Theatre and Performance, Victoria and Albert Museum and her PhD focused on the actress Ellen Terry (1847-1928). From 2018-2023 she acted as Book Reviews Editor for Studies in Costume and Performance and recently contributed chapters to Performance Costumes: New Perspectives (2020) and, Scenography and Art History: Performance Design and Visual Culture (2021).
She is committed to promoting a new appreciation of the ‘cultural value’ of costume for performance and to documenting, sharing and preserving the stories of their creators. This aim inspired her current work with Dr Jade Halbert, University of Leeds on “Constructing Costume Histories: Illuminating the Value and Heritage of Making Costume in Britain” (2024-2027). Working in collaboration with Royal Opera House, Cosprop, The School of Historical Dress, Leeds Playhouse and MA Costume Making students at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (together with freelancers and further makers cross Britain), this AHRC funded project will establish the central role of costume making and costume makers in the long and vibrant history of British performance.
MA Costume