Phyllis Midlane

Phyllis Midlane (19**-). Costume designer and dancer.

Training

Phyllis Midlane matriculated at the Johannesburg High School of Art, Ballet and Music, then studied at the Royal Ballet School in London.

Career

On her return to South Africa she spent a year with UCT Ballet and performed Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the opening performance inaugurating the Baxter Theatre. Phyllis then joined the CAPAB Ballet Company.

After completing a course at the Cape Town School of Fashion Design, Phyllis joined CAPAB's Main Wardrobe Department, working closely with many wonderful designers such as Peter Cazalet and Penny Simpson. Taking advantage of CAPAB's retrenchment packages in 1995 she decided to go freelance.

Since then she has been involved in TV productions such as Sinbad, theatre productions such as Dancing at Lughnasa, and has produced several character costumes including "NikNaks" and "Stan" (The Standard Bank Cricket Series' Duck).

She and her partner, the photographer Roger Young, later settled at the Kruisrivier Art Gallery near Calizdorp, where Phyllis opened a studio to continue building sets for big productions, crafting hand puppets and designing and making hats of all kinds.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

In 1999 she designed costumes for a production of Master Harold...and the boys.

Awards, etc

In 2007 she was nominated for a Fleur du Cap in the category best costume design for Amadeus.

Sources

Programme notes of The Elephant Man in 1998.

Beeld, 7 February 2007.

South African Country Life April 2020: pp. 25-26

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