Made to Measure

The Seymour Centre will present the world premiere of Made to Measure, a brand-new play by award-winning playwright, Alana Valentine.

Bride-to-be Ashleigh commissions Monica, a couture designer, to make the wedding dress of her dreams. She is reassured by Monica’s promises that the process will celebrate Ashleigh and fill her with confidence, but Ashleigh’s outward assurance masks internal conflict and doubt. As the wedding approaches, both client and stylist are forced to face the complicated relationship they have with each other, body shape and social prejudice.

Confronting, informative and moving, this is a play that dramatises the relationship that people have with their wedding day, and how it expresses their dreams about their body shape and life. Made to Measure seeks to go beyond the debate about fat shaming and health epidemics and look with empathy and scrutiny about the lived experience of bridal couturiers and their clients.

Commissioned by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, Made to Measure gives voice to the body positive community whilst exploring the science behind the effect of weight on our health.

Drawing on interviews with designers, brides and health-based scientists, Made to Measure shimmers with Alana Valentine’s hallmark authenticity, empathy, and humour.