1940s Nurses: Heroines of WWII

The nurses of the 1940s were strong women to say the least.  Young women at the ages of about 17 or 18 would go straight to nurse training in hospitals.  There was no time to lose in the tough times of WWII.

To get a position as a nurse in this time, school qualifications were not very important, as some girls hadn't even finished school.  An 8 week course detailing basic nursing care as well as physiology, psychology and astronomy was taught.  Each nurse was given a bed and a uniform.  The starting salary was about £4 per month!  This could be deducted at the whim of the matron, for example if you broke a thermometer.

The dress code was very strict, blue smocks, white starched aprons, white pleated caps, white shoes, hair up, and minimal makeup.  The nurses were expected to bring their own stockings.

Depending on how many years you were there, a nurse might go up in salary.  Leadership was based on seniority; usually an older matron would be in charge of a team of younger nurses. If you got married, you would have to leave nursing, however this was uncommon as most of the men were at war.

These ladies were expected to be incredibly polite.  It was drilled into them from day one to call each patient by their title and surname, "Sergeant Bellamy" for example!  Nurses were expected to treat each patient as if they were guests in their own home.

To bring this context into the play, I will be putting the nurses in blue smocks and constructing aprons for each of them, which I will attach with poppers.  They will be wearing white starch caps and white shoes.  For even more authenticity, each girl will have her legs spray-tanned and a line drawn up the back of her leg as nylons (a trick coined by the resourceful ladies of the war when there were no stockings available).

Creating Silhouettes On-stage

Due to the fact that we will not be able to buy all authentic 1940s vintage clothing for the production, it is essential to know how to create the right shape of the time on stage.

1940s shape is high-waisted, streamlined and military inspired.  To create the silhouettes, I used mainly high-waisted knee-length skirts, as were commonly worn in the summers of the 1940s, pairing them with generic blouses.  This pairing makes quick changes much easier.

For hair, we will have 1940s up-do styles (which also give shape to a costume) accessorised with snoods.
















 I decided to purchase the more iconic pieces of clothing online.  For example the wraparound apron.

It is these key pieces (apart from uniforms) that can help distinguish the time period and give more clarity to a piece!

Film and Stage Adaptations

Below are a few clips of the film version of "A Matter of Life and Death".

It's interesting to see the similarities and differences between our production and the film!  The film has the advantage of showing heaven in black and white, and then earth in Technicolor.  Even the Conductor comments on it, "Wow, life is so much better in Technicolor!"

I'm happy to see that the RAF uniform for Peter (played by Andrew) is very similar to the one we've purchased online.  June (played by Meg) is American in the film, which I thought was a bit coincidental since we've actually changed Bob (played by Bob) to be Canadian (due to his natural American accent).

Instead of having the Girl (played by Anastasia) playing on the beach, as in our play and the Kneehigh production, the film has a nude boy with sheep and a dog! The Girl is a lot more practical, especially since she isn't herding sheep and is wearing a nice blue dress and straw hat.











The National Theatre Kneehigh production is, like ours, a lot more stylised.  Even this promo for it is sort of surreal and strange.
Again, many of the costumes I have already sourced and made are similar to the ones in the promo, which I'm quite happy about!

First Considerations of The Play

What is the overall style, period, and "nationality" of the play?

      "A Matter of Life and Death" is a play set in 1940s England, in the midst of WWII.  It is centred around characters of the middle and working class, as most are either doctors, nurses or pilots.  The play goes between the afterlife and life on Earth, (on the East Anglian Coast) so it has a very quirky and imaginative style, also maintaining an almost comical acting style.  The movements are very stylized, almost caricatures.  There are a few slow-motion sequences, as well as scenes with bikes and other large props.  The style is ensemble theatre, so involves a lot of movement and a few acrobatic moves.  The nationality of the play is definitely British, about the 1940s but written and stylized for a more modern audience. 

How will costumes help to establish character?

       The 1940s known stylistically as 'The Age of Uniforms', made it very easy to distinguish people as they commuted to and from work, therefore the uniforms will indicate the societal standings of the characters through their jobs.  For example, the doctors will wear doctor coats, stethoscopes and possible some form of costume jewellery.  Since they will be played by females, and female doctors were almost unheard of, they will wear womens trousers to show their forward-thinking and edginess in a world where equal rights between the sexes are just beginning to develop. 

What colour schemes will be the most effective?

The director's concept has the play being in a blue-and-white colour scheme.  This will be most effective because it relates to the time period and the widespread use of cheaper dyes such as blue (or no dye!) in WWII.  It also creates a fluidity and visual appeal as the nurses uniforms are blue and white.

Is there a strong scenery/set colour to bear in mind?

The set and scenery will be mainly natural and realistic, with possibly higher lighting in the scenes set in heaven.  There will not be any strong colours on stage from the light, and the set will be in a hospital, so mainly white, non-intrusive colours that will not affect the way the costumes look. 

Are there any fast costume changes?

There are a few fast costume changes that need to be taken into account.  All the girls play nurses, and so after the nurse scene, the actor playing June (Meg) will have to quickly change into her WAAF uniform. This can be smoothly done by the use of poppers, and by having her wear a blouse underneath her dress.  The other girls will have slower changes, but will still be wearing blouses underneath their dresses.  Bob, played by Bob, will in one scene be alternating between being himself and Shakespeare, however the changes are meant to be humorous, taking the pressure off the fast changes.  He also plays a picnicker, which means he will need to change his jacket at one point.  Andrew, who plays Peter, has only one quick jacket change after he falls from the plane and finds himself in hospital.  Amelia, who plays a doctor, a judge, a picnicker and a nurse, will have four changes, which will be helped with the innovation of poppers!

What is the budget for costumes?

For the overall play, the budget will be £300.  Considering the cost of props and set, the amount allocated to costume will be £200. 

Is there anything already in stock that is suitable or that can be adapted?

There are many costumes in stock, such as the doctors costumes, nurses dresses, mens clothing, shoes, some pieces of RAF uniform, a few skirts, some blouses and cardigans all in 1940s style.  These pieces of costume would all need to be tailored for the actors.  Additional RAF and WAAF costume pieces need to be ordered online, and after the costumes needing more specifically designed might also need ordering or construction.  The nurses aprons and the wings will definitely need to be constructed. 

What features must be incorporated for the purpose of the plot?

Due to the fact that the play goes between life, death, in-between and space-but-not-time, the wings will be necessary to represent which world the people are in.  The set design and lighting will also help establish this, but wings as signifiers will be the most helpful!

1940s Fashion Conversation

For the pre-show, the nurses (all the female cast members) will be welcoming and socializing with the audience members. In order to get into character and have some more contextual knowledge of the play, I'm researching some of the beauty tips and tricks of the 1940s women (and men!) in a time of scarcity and rationing.  These ladies did not just forget about their appearances, they did the best with what they had!

Research : 1940s Shape and Style

1940s Makeup and Hair

In the 1940s, no one really wore makeup on a daily basis.  Makeup was a product of luxury, so only the upper class could afford it (if that's how they chose to spend their money!).  Beauty changed quickly from the more exquisite pale face, prominent eyebrows, dark eyes and deep lips of the 1920s and mid 1930s into a more natural style.  Beauty became associated with a natural, healthy glow, red lips and cheeks!

Hair in the 1940s was mainly influenced by movie stars, or "Pin-up girls".  The cinema attracted a wide variety of people, as it showed news as well as films and TV programmes. In a more practical sense, long hair was inconvenient for operating heavy machinery and doing other jobs required of women during the war, so hair was cut mainly to the shoulder or higher. Layers and side partings were also popular, as they were versatile and could imitate many styles.  Hair accessories, such as ribbons, turbans and snoods were common.

In order to create the 1940s silhouette for the stage (for girls these days mainly have much longer hair that is washed much more frequently!)  it will be critical to pin the hair up, using gel as well to keep it in place throughout the show.  The nurses will have straight, relatively uninvolved up-dos, while the Doctor may have hair accessories.  For June, curls may be a slightly more glamourous option, but considering that they are all middle-to-working class people, there will not be many elaborate styles!

For the men, the hairstyles are short and heavily gelled.  During the crash scene of the plane, Peter's hair will be very messy, but when he's getting his court date (and when he does his jacket change) he will have his hair gelled neatly.  In addition, he will have a moustache, perhaps like this one:

Measuring the Cast!

In order to make the costumes, of course you need to know the shape and size of the actors!  Here are some action shots of measuring the cast:

Note: In my design book, I have a neat log of all the different measurements and all the different characters for each cast member.